Braised Ethiopian Chicken Thighs

Once upon a time, in seventh grade, I had a friend from Ethiopia. Dinners at her house were the most flavorful and spicy I had ever experienced. She recently found me on Facebook and I have daydreamed a few times about the delicious meals we had together as children.

This recipe was inspired by that experience. It also came about because I was in the mood for chicken and stew a few weekends ago, but didn’t want to wait hours on end for a chicken stew to cook. We had experienced chilly, rainy weather for a few days straight and I needed comfort food.

Braising allowed me to get some aspects of a hot, rich stew without all the wait-time. I hope you’ll find this Ethiopian-inspired meal as comforting and enjoyable as I did!

Ingredients
4 chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp Berbere spice
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 C red wine
2 small parsnips, chopped
3 small carrots, chopped
6 fingerling potatoes, chopped
1/2 C chicken stock

Method

Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp of the Berbere spice. Melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep pan or dutch oven. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides (about 2 minutes each side) and then set them aside on a plate or platter.

Add onion and garlic to the pan. Sauté until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the remaining 3 Tbsp of Berbere spice and tomato paste. Sauté for 1 minute.

Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrap up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Then, add the browned chicken thighs back to the pan and scatter the vegetables around them.

Carefully pour the chicken stock into the pan. Turn up the heat to high and bring the liquid in the pan to a boil.

Immediately turn down the heat to low. Cover the pan and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

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