Slow Cooker Ethiopian-Spiced Chicken Stew

Slow Cooker Ethiopian-Spiced Chicken Stew

The slow-cooker is an easy way to get a warm, hearty, nutritious meal at the table - just throw the ingredients in in the morning, and by the time you get home from work, all you (might) need to do is whip up a couple of sides and dinner is ready! This Ethiopian-inspired stew is adapted from the current issue of EatingWell magazine. Ethiopians traditionally eat their stews, or wot, with their right hands, scooping up the meat and veggies with injera, a flatbread made from teff, an iron-rich and gluten-free grain. You can get it at small, ethnic grocery stores in Calgary. If you can't find it, you can still enjoy the stew (with a fork!) with brown rice, whole wheat couscous or quinoa.


Ingredients (Makes 6-8 servings)

  • 1½ cups (375 mL) red lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 2½ lb (1.1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  • 4 cups (1 L) thinly sliced red onions
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh ginger, minced
  • 5 tbsp berbere spice blend (available at Silk Road Spice Merchant, The Cookbook Co. Cooks and ethnic grocery stores), or 4 tbsp garam masala, 1 tbsp hot paprika, 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • ½ cup (125 mL) dry red wine
  • 1 x 14 fl oz/398 mL can diced tomatoes (if you use a 19 fl oz can, just use ½ cup water)
  • 1 cup (250 mL) low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup (250 mL) water

Method

  1. Spread lentils in an even layer in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place chicken on top of lentils.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 4-6 min. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 min. Add berbere and cook, stirring, until onions are evenly coated with spice and mixture is very fragrant, 2-4 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine, then stir in tomatoes with juice.
  3. Add onion mixture to the slow cooker on top of the chicken, then pour in broth and water.
  4. Cover and cook until the chicken is falling-apart tender, 5 hours on High or 7-8 hours on Low. Using two forks, pull the meat apart and mix the stew before serving.

Nutrition Info (per ⅛ recipe)

369 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated, 0 g trans), 117 mg cholesterol, 32 g carbohydrate (7 g fibre, 4 g sugar), 39 g protein, 274 mg sodium.

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