prep time: 10 minutes
•
cook time: 7 hours
•
yield: 8 servings
prep time: 10 minutes
•
cook time: 7 hours
•
yield: 8 servings
When we traveled to Ethiopia to adopt our boys, my mouth was introduced to some amazing new and exotic flavors! If you’ve ever been to Ethiopia, you know the word berbere . It is the main spice mix that Ethiopians use in their cooking. It is quite spicy, so you can add more or less to your liking. I’ve included a recipe for it on see here , but if you don’t want to make a batch yourself, you can find berbere in specialty spice stores as well as online.
Chicken thighs are more ketogenic and tastier than bland, skinless chicken breasts, and the skin helps make this dish more ketogenic by increasing the fat ratio. But I have to admit, I’m not a fan of soggy, chewy skin. In this recipe, I use the skin to make cracklings to add another layer of texture and flavor to this amazing stew.
2½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chicken bone broth, homemade ( see here ) or store-bought
1½ cups diced tomatoes with juices (about 2 tomatoes)
¼ cup Berbere Spice Mix ( see here )
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 hard-boiled eggs ( see here ), peeled, for serving (optional)
1. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and reserve for cracklings.
2. Place the onions, chicken broth, tomatoes, spice mix, coconut oil, garlic, ginger, and salt in a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Stir well to combine. Place the chicken on top.
3. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or until the chicken is fork-tender. Meanwhile, make the chicken cracklings by following the method in Step 2 on see here .
4. When the chicken is done, remove the thighs from the slow cooker and place them in a bowl or casserole dish (to catch the juices as you work). Remove the meat from the bones, discard the bones, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker along with any accumulated juices and stir to combine the shredded chicken into the stew.
5. Garnish with the cracklings and serve with hard-boiled eggs, if desired. Store extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
tip: slow cook your way to sanity
If you tend to get overwhelmed by the prospect of cooking homemade meals, or you know you have a busy day coming up, try this strategy: Have your spouse or other kitchen helper clean up the kitchen after dinner while you prepare dinner for the next night and fill your slow cooker. All you need to do is store the slow cooker insert in the fridge and then, the next morning, take it out of the fridge and let the slow cooker do the work of cooking the meal for you. Dinner is taken care of, as well as yummy leftovers for easy lunches. This is my go-to trick—it saves me from a lot of stress. (Note: There are ten slow cooker meals in this book. To quickly find them, see the index on see here .)
