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Home Method Slow Cooker Slow Cooker Chicken
4.94
/5
6 hours 20 minutes

Slow Cooker Ethiopian Chicken & Lentil Stew

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free
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By: Denise Bustard95 Comments
Posted: 2/8/16 Updated: 8/28/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

A hearty and flavorful slow cooker Ethiopian chicken stew made with Ethiopian spices, lentils and sweet potatoes. Bring some exotic flavors to your dinner table!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Lentil Ethiopian Stew, made with sweet potatoes and carrots.

Hi hi hi. I am posting on a MONDAY, which I rarely do, mostly because I am not normally so organized on a Sunday to get a post ready.

But I have been working on this recipe for a long time, and I couldn't wait any longer to share it with you 😉

I knew this slow cooker Ethiopian chicken stew was going to be a good idea because clearly you guys love the Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew and the Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Stew recipes.

Also, I keep getting e-mails about an Ethiopian feast post that I used to have on the blog a LONG time ago (I took it down because they are not recipes I developed myself, but if you want the recipe links, e-mail me!).

So when I was thinking up ideas for more slow cooker recipes, I knew I had to revisit those bold Ethiopian flavors.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Lentil Ethiopian Stew, made with sweet potatoes and carrots.

Confession: I totally forgot to put the sweet potatoes in the slow cooker when I was taking that photo ^^. D'oh! Don't skip them, they are absolutely wonderful in this recipe!

This is the part where I say I am NO expert in Ethiopian cuisine...we did order some Ethiopian take-out as research because I wanted to be sure I was in the 'ball park' flavor-wise.

So no, this isn't traditional Ethiopian, and I wouldn't dare call it Doro Wat...this is my spin on the flavors I enjoyed from Ethiopian recipes I've cooked in the past.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Lentil Ethiopian Stew, made with sweet potatoes and carrots.

ethipoian chicken lentil stew ingredients in freezer bag

9/2017: recipe updated to include instructions for assembling ahead and freezing for an easy freezer slow cooker recipe!

After a couple of dud batches, we ordered Ethiopian take-out, and it was clear: it needed some cardamom, a bit more paprika, and maybe some sugar. So I upped these ingredients and finally ended up with a batch I was happy with!

I feel like I need to say this:  WARNING!  The flavors of this slow cooker Ethiopian chicken stew are BOLD, and this stew is very hearty. For that reason, I don't recommend a very large serving size. You might want ¾ cup max, and serve with a salad or something lighter. It's just not the type of stew where you can eat a huge bowl.

I enjoyed mine with naan bread, Ethiopian food is traditionally served on a spongy pancake-type of thing called injera, but naan worked just great!

Alright! Slow cooker Ethiopian chicken stew:  I can finally check you off my to-do list!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

chicken lentil ethiopian stew in slow cooker

Slow Cooker Ethiopian Chicken & Lentil Stew

4.94 from 32 votes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 6 hrs 20 mins
Print Rate
A hearty and flavorful slow cooker Ethiopian chicken stew made with Ethiopian spices, lentils and sweet potatoes.  Bring some exotic flavors to your dinner table!
8 people

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons berbere spice mix *see note
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 2 ribs of celery sliced
  • 2 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup green split lentils dried
  • 1 can 540mL/19oz diced tomatoes (including juices),
  • 1 cup chicken stock

after cooking

  • juice from ½ a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • salt if needed

to serve

  • flatbread
  • greek yogurt

Instructions 

  • Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5-8 minutes, until cooked through.
  • Add the berbere, cardamom, paprika, ginger and garlic, and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until fragrant.
  • Place the onion mixture in the slow cooker along with all remaining ingredients.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours.
  • Gently stir in the lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt (if needed).
  • Serve with flatbread and yogurt.

To Assemble Ahead And Freeze:

  • Follow steps 1-2 (above) and place cooled onion mixture into a gallon freezer bag with all remaining ingredients except for the stock.
  • Remove as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw completely, then place in a 5 quart slow cooker with the stock and cook as directed above.

Tips:

*Berbere is an Ethiopian spice blend. You may be able to find it in specialty stores, however I made my own using the recipe below.
This stew is medium-spicy. If you don't like spice, you will need to reduce the cayenne/red pepper flakes in the berbere spice blend. If you want it SPICY!! then you will want to double the cayenne/ red pepper flakes.
This is a very hearty stew! ¾ cup is plenty for one person.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 batch, Calories: 228kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 486mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 9g
Author: Denise Bustard
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Ethiopian

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
Tag Me On Instagram Rate Recipe

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

chicken lentil ethiopian stew in slow cooker

Berbere Spice Blend

4.92 from 24 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Print Rate
A spicy Ethiopian spice blend
1 cup

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • ½ tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seed or powder
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp ground ginger

Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients, store in a sealed container.

Tips:

Recipe is adapted from group recipes.
This should make around 1 cup of berbere spice.
This spice blend makes a medium-spicy Ethiopian stew. If you don't like spice, try halving the cayenne and red pepper flakes. If you like it really spicy, try doubling them!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 167kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 7148mg, Potassium: 844mg, Fiber: 15g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 13575IU, Vitamin C: 5.4mg, Calcium: 150mg, Iron: 11.9mg
Author: Denise Bustard
Course: Spice Blend
Cuisine: Ethiopian

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
Tag Me On Instagram Rate Recipe

More delicious Ethiopian chicken recipes to try:

  • Doro Wat (Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew) from The Daring Gourmet
  • Chicken Drumsticks, Ethiopian Style from Simply Recipes
  • Ethiopian Recipes: Doro Wat and Injera from A Spicy Perspective
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Recipe Rating




  1. Diana J says

    Posted on 12/9/21 at Posted on 12/9/21

    5 stars
    This was delicious!! Easy to put together and smelled wonderful while cooking. Enjoyed it very much. I used two 14.5 oz cans of tomatoes as 19.5 cans are not available around here.

    Reply
    • Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says

      Posted on 12/9/21 at Posted on 12/9/21

      Hi Diana, we're so glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!

      Reply
  2. Kim says

    Posted on 11/4/21 at Posted on 11/4/21

    Hi - I haven't made this yet. I plan to the day after tomorrow. Problem is, I can't figure out how much to make to serve 7 people. Can you please help? Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says

      Posted on 11/5/21 at Posted on 11/5/21

      Hi Kim! The recipe as written serves 8 people. You can use the +/- buttons on the recipe card (right-hand side where it says 8 people) to adjust the amount if needed! I hope this helps, enjoy and please be sure to come back and leave a rating and review to let us know how it turns out for you 🙂

      Reply
      • Kim says

        Posted on 11/7/21 at Posted on 11/7/21

        I have it in the slow cooker now. It has an hour and a half left. I actually added ingredients for everything. I didn’t think 2 chicken breast seemed like enough for 8 people. So I added lentils and the other veggies too and then did my best to adjust the spices and everything else. We will see how it turns out. I will report back.

        Reply
  3. Kate says

    Posted on 7/20/20 at Posted on 7/20/20

    5 stars
    This is my daughter's favorite recipe and asks me to make it whenever she comes home from college! So good! I use trimmed boneless chicken thighs because they don't dry out in the slow cooker as boneless breasts have done for me with other recipes.

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 8/20/20 at Posted on 8/20/20

      Hi Kate! I'm so happy to hear your daughter loves this recipe so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂

      Reply
  4. Krystle says

    Posted on 7/11/20 at Posted on 7/11/20

    5 stars
    I have just put the slow cooker on now! I roasted most of my own spices and ground them up..the smell in my house from that alone...omg.
    I have used a vegan chicken called sunfed chicken free chicken (300g), and I added a yellow caps and a red caps, omitted the celery, and I used black lentils. I also made your Berbere recipe, and put the two tablespoons of that in with the onion, but I didn’t add the extra paprika And cardamom that the recipe called for. I tasted the berbere and it was spicy enough for me. I’m so excited, I’ve never made anything like this before. I really hope it turns out well. I am worried it won’t have enough water in it...if you see this within the next six hours lol, can you tell me when I should add more water if it needs it? I think I put in an extra half a cup anyway, but it doesn’t cover the veggies etc as they and the lentils are not fully submerged as they are mixed in all over. My house smells frighten awesome!

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 7/13/20 at Posted on 7/13/20

      Hi Krystle! I hope it tasted as good as it smelled. Thanks for reporting back with all your modifications 🙂

      Reply
  5. Thuy says

    Posted on 4/6/20 at Posted on 4/6/20

    5 stars
    This recipe is fantastic! I've had ethiopian food twice at restaurants and didn't really care for it. But lately have been wanting to try more plant based recipes. Made this without the chicken and it was incredible! Boyfriend and I ate this in 2 days, no leftovers to freeze. Making another batch this week because we can't get enough!! I used store bought Berbere btw.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 4/13/20 at Posted on 4/13/20

      Hi Thuy! I'm so happy to hear you've enjoyed this recipe! And that's so great to hear that you enjoyed without the chicken. Thank you for sharing this feedback, it's so helpful!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        Posted on 4/17/20 at Posted on 4/17/20

        How much is in a serving? 1 cup?

        Reply
        • Denise says

          Posted on 4/24/20 at Posted on 4/24/20

          Hi Rebecca! Unfortunately I don't have exact measurements for this recipe. I think 1 cup would be a good estimate? It's quite filling.

          Reply
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Hi, I'm Denise

Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too! Read more ...

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