Ethiopian Berbere Chicken and Rice
I know everyone wants to make a dish their own, which I am totally for, but I’d still like to respect the culture and ingredients. That’s part of who I am as a recipe creator and foodie.
Ethiopian cuisine does not use a wide variety of vegetables (and other ingredients), but they hit home runs in the flavor department. Spices and herbs cause chicken, lamb, and goat to boom with flavor in your mouth.
Cutlery by Inox Artisans.
I cannot even begin to tell you about the varied flavors and methods, etc. of Ethiopian cooking. If you can visit an authentic Ethiopian restaurant, I highly suggest you do. Watch out for the coffee; the restaurant may give you an experience you won’t forget. We had no idea this particular place used incense and our order basically smoked up the whole room. Thankfully, no other customers were offended, but what an experience!
A very popular Ethiopian spice blend is Berbere. I have made this spice homemade by ordering the (very) unAmerican spices off Amazon, etc. It was an incredible experience to taste such a freshly-ground blend, but it was expensive; I won’t lie. Then, the short shelf life didn’t help.
However, The Spice and Tea Exchange in Blowing Rock, NC came to my rescue! I believe my jaw dropped when I spotted the Berbere Spice Blend on the shelf! I was thrilled! They also carry Baharat, Tandoori spice blends, other culturally unique spices that are not easy to find, nor as fresh as I knew I was getting at S&T Exch. The store also carries single spice items such as Habanero, Chipotle, etc. Such a great store, hands-down!
I have added smoked paprika and ground white pepper, both from The Spice and Tea Exchange in Blowing Rock, North Carolina to give some added smokiness to the chicken. Yumm!
So, here is a little fleck of Ethiopian flavors on my tiny spot in the World Wide Web, created for you to experience in your kitchen. Also, check out my Lentils with Ethiopian Berbere Spice.
Enjoy!
Ethiopian Berbere Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- large cast iron skillet, or other oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, skin-on, on-the-bone
- 3 1/2 teaspoons Berbere Spice Blend, divided, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- Sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspooon smoked paprika, hot or mild, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 1/2 teaspooon ground white pepper, The Spice and Tea Exchange
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or other neutral, high-smoke oil
- 2 sweet onions, sliced into wedges
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, finely minced, or grated on a Microplane/zester
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, grated on a Microplane/zester
- 1 hot chile, sliced, optional
- 1 cup rice, Basmati, Jasmine, or other long grain rice, rinsed
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Sprinkle both sides of the thighs with 2 teaspoons of the Berbere Spice Blend, salt, and pepper to taste. The Berbere does not contain salt, so you will need to salt the chicken thighs. Set aside.
- In a 1-quart glass measuring cup, add the stock, the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons Berbere Spice Blend, paprika, white pepper, and salt to taste (especially if you used unsalted stock). This mixture needs to taste very good since the rice will be absorbing its flavor. Set aside.
- Heat the ghee and oil in a large cast iron skillet or other shallow, oven-proof skillet/pan over medium-high heat.
- Lay the thighs, skin side down, into the skillet and brown the skin, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your pan and heat source. Turn the heat down to medium if the skin is burning. Some charring is fine.
- Turn the thighs over and brown for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove them to a baking dish or platter.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions and cook until they are softened and caramelized (They don’t hold their shape and they’re darkened). This could take approximately 8 to 12 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chile, and stir for about 20 seconds.
- Add the stock mixture and rice. Stir.
- Return the chicken thighs to the skillet, nestling them down into the mixture. Very carefully placed into the preheated oven.
- Bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until a probe digital thermometer inserted into the thighs reads 165°F and the rice is tender.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to stand for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve very warm.
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