🇪🇹 Ethiopian · Chicken Dishes
🫘 Ethiopian Chicken with Lentils
ዶሮ ምስር — Doro Misir
Ethiopian Doro Misir — chicken simmered in a berbere sauce with red lentils added in the final 25 minutes. The lentils dissolve into the chicken sauce, thickening it naturally and adding plant protein. The complete family meal — chicken and lentil together.
Doro Misir is the practical family wat — chicken extended with red lentils produces a dish that is simultaneously more nutritious and more economical than pure chicken wat. The lentils absorb the berbere and create a thick, complete sauce.
Ingredients
Equipment: Heavy pot
- 700g bone-in chicken
- ¾ cup red lentils — washed
- 2 onions — diced
- 2 tbsp kibbeh
- 3 tbsp berbere
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp salt
Method
- Dry caramelise onions — 15 minutes.
- Add kibbeh and berbere. Toast 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger. Add chicken. Coat in sauce.
- Add water. Simmer covered 35 minutes.
- Add lentils. Simmer 25—30 more minutes.
- Lentils should dissolve and thicken the sauce.
- Season.
Chef Tips
- Add lentils after the chicken is half-cooked.
- Red lentils dissolve — they thicken the sauce naturally.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding lentils too early — they disintegrate before chicken is cooked.
The Science
See ETH057 for chicken-and-lentil cooking science.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Complete protein from chicken and lentils together.
- Very high iron.
- Plant fibre.
Cultural Note
Doro Misir is the Ethiopian cook's smart answer to feeding a large family well — the combination of chicken and lentils produces more than the sum of their parts, both nutritionally and in flavour.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate 5 days.
Reheating: Gently.
Serve with: Injera (ETH001), Gomen (ETH086)