This recipe for Crispy Skinned Berbere Chicken with Ethiopian Lentils is hearty and flavorful. If you are vegetarian, skip the chicken and try the Berbere with Tofu- just as tasty!The Berbere spice mix is rubbed all over the chicken thighs, and pan-seared in a skillet then placed in a hot oven to finish. The skin becomes crackly and crispy with flavor, while the meat remains tender and moist. I often make this with whole roasted chickens as well, and both are so tasty. Over a bed of Ethiopian spiced lentils, it’s filling, healthy, and deeply satisfying.
Notes
- The chicken and lentils cook separately in this dish. The lentils cook on the stovetop and the chicken browns in a cast iron pan on the stovetop and it finishes in the oven. The pictures may indicate that the chicken cooks on the lentils, but this is not the case.
Ingredients
Lentils
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cups onions - diced
- 1 cup carrot - diced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - minced
- 2 tablespoons Berbere spice mix - see below
- 1 cup lentils - French Green, Indigo, or Beluga Caviar lentils (do not use a split lentil)
- 1 cup tomato - diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- Fresh Italian parsley - for garnish
Chicken
- 6 chicken thighs - skin-on
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Berbere Spice Mix
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Berbere Spice Mix
- 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes - ground plus more for extra spicy
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds - shelled or powdered cardamom
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Lentils
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- In a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, saute diced onion, carrots, garlic and ginger in 2 tablespoons olive oil, until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons Berbere Spice mix and sauté 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup lentils, 1 cup diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups water, and bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low and let cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
- Uncover and cook off any extra liquid.
Chicken
- Pat chicken dry.
- Season all sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
- Generously rub each piece with some Berbere Spice Mix.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy bottom skillet, on medium-high heat, place chicken skin side down and sear until it is crispy and golden, about 6- 8 minutes.
- Turn over, and turn the heat down to medium, searing for 2-3 minutes.
- Place in a 400 F oven until internal temperature reaches 165F (10-15 minutes)
- Serve over a bed of the Ethiopian lentils, and garnish with fresh Italian parsley.
Berbere Spice Mix
- If using whole seeds, lightly toast them on the stovetop in a skillet for 2-3 minutes.
- Crush or grind the chili flakes and toasted whole spices using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
- Mix in the remaining spices.
Nutrition
Calories: 495kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 28gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 808mgPotassium: 752mgFiber: 13gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3898IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 6mg