Ethiopian-Spiced Chicken Stew

We have been making this recipe for a while now and love it. The first time I made it, I used the Garam Masala method as we could not find Berbere spice. I finally found the Berbere and, like others, found it way too spicy (and I love spicy). I also preferred the flavor of the Garam Masala mix so we went back to that method. Which works for you probably does depend a lot on the brand in terms of heat and that is true even for the Garam Masala. After I ran out of the Garam Masala in my cupboard, I bought the brand I found at my local South Asian store and the spice level was through the roof. When you buy the Garam Masala, check the ingredients because the spice mix varies a lot. If one of the first is red/chili pepper, it will be very spicy. Like other users, I found the chicken was overcooked and almost disappeared. I now put the chicken in several hours after I start it. I also use a mix of lentils - whatever I have on hand - and don't find them overcooked or mushy. Served with rice and/or naan and a side veg, it is an awesome meal.

I made this exactly as written, except I made it in the instant pot pressure cooker (25 min) instead of a slow cooker. I used McCormick's berbere spice blend, and the 5T was just right; not too spicy. Another reader said she added carrots; I think I'll do that next time, great idea!

Actually, I love this recipe except for the spice level. I LOVE spicy food but this was beyond spicy, which takes away from the flavor in my opinion. I actually made it again with less berbere spice and added sour cream and it was 5 star in my opinion.

This is easy and delicious. We use 3 tbsp of Penzey’s Berbere. It has plenty of kick at that level while still preserving the individual taste of the components. I also tend to throw more veg in the pot, there is always room. Have found the leftovers freeze nicely for a midweek meal or work lunch.

This is easy and delicious. We use 3 tbsp of Penzey’s Berbere. It has plenty of kick at that level while still preserving the individual taste of the components. I also tend to throw more veg in the pot, there is always room. Have found the leftovers freeze nicely for a midweek meal or work lunch.

OMG! This is my very favorite recipe. Tonight I added a quarter teaspoon of clove and it is even more fantastic! I love the spice level, but I like my food hot. I did notice that the longer it cooks, the milder it gets.

This was really good. I made my own Berbere mix which was not too spicy so 5 tbsp. would have been fine. I would definitely make it again.

Great Recipe - Too Spicy + More Veggies After looking at the other reviews, I used 1.5 Tbsp of the Berbere spice, and was still a bit too spicy (the spice overwhelmed the delicious flavors)! Otherwise, a great dish and the chicken turned out perfect after putting in the crock pot for 5 hours on high. Next time, I will lower to less than 1 Tbsp of Berbere, put the lentils in after a few hours, and add more vegetables like carrots and bell peppers.

Fast, easy, delightful! First, I thought this was a GREAT combination of my favorite Ethiopian lentils and Doro Wat (without all the butter). I didn't find it a overly spicy (in fact, I thought it could have used a little more heat like Doro Wat) and I used the entire 5 Tlbsp. This leads me to believe that berbere spice must vary in its heat level by brand. I would suggest tasting your particular brand of spice before adding it to the recipe and adjusting accordingly. I used red onions because that's what the recipe called for and I happened to have them on hand. I'm not sure why the recipe calls for the red onions, and I'm not sure they're necessary. My lentils (I cooked my stew for 9 hours on low because that's how long I was gone) fell apart a little more than I would have liked, and that affected the texture. Green or brown lentils might have held up better, but the lentils I love at our Ethiopian recipe are also red. Maybe next time I will braise the chicken instead of cooking it in a slow cooker to see if that helps the texture of the lentils. Regardless, I WILL be making this again! Yum! Pros: Minimal prep, slow cooker recipe, amazing flavor Cons: Lentils fell apart more than I would have liked