Ethiopian Berbere Chicken

This Ethiopian berbere chicken packs a punchy flavour and makes the perfect weeknight meal with a simple salad - your kitchen will smell incredible while you're making this! I like to use bone in skin on chicken legs, but you can use chicken wings, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast.
Berbere, a key ingredient in the cuisines of Ethiopia and Eritrea, is traditionally made from whole spices which are toasted and ground, but if you already have some ground spices, then use them instead.

	Berbere Spice Blend
3 Bone in skin on chicen legs (about 1.2kg) 1 tsp Sea salt 3 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp Flat parsley, to garnish Salad of your choice to serve	8 Cardamom pods, discarded and seeds ground (or 1 1/3 tsp powder) 1 tsp Coriander seeds, toasted and ground 5-6 Dried chillies (or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes) 1 tsp Fenugreek, toasted and ground 1 tsp Cumin seeds, toasted and ground 4-6 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced (or 2 tsp garlic granules) 2 tbsp Smoked paprika ½ tsp Ground ginger

In a heavy skillet over high heat, toast the whole spice seeds and chillies, shaking the pan regularly, until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
Grind the cooled spices in a spice grinder, then add all remaining ground spices.
In a large bowl, add all berbere spice blend, sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Add in chicken legs and rub until all well coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F. Arrange the chicken legs in a baking tray. Roast for 45-50 minutes until tender. Garnish with flat parsley and serve with your favourite salad.

31 comments:

Tom 17/5/25 12:14: ...Angie, another work of art!
Lola Martínez 17/5/25 13:30: Que doradito está, con alguna especia menos para mi sería un plato ideal.
eileeninmd 17/5/25 13:38: Hello Angie,
Thanks for sharing another yummy chicken recipe.
Take care, have a happy weekend.
Stefania 17/5/25 13:56: Grazie mille per la splendida ricetta
DEZMOND 17/5/25 14:14: I am loving those yellow tomatoes! I have made red lentil bread for dindins this morning, and I am off to protests as we expect about 100,000 people gathering in my city at the biggest state level antidictatorship riots. Thousands of students have walked on foot hundreds of kilometers from all parts of the country to arrive to the protests. We will feed them all for free!
My name is Erika. 17/5/25 14:20: This sounds yummy. And I love how you paired it with yellow tomatoes. It even looks beautiful. Happy weekend Angie.
Djangkaru Bumi 17/5/25 14:57: Menu yang super
Saya suka sekali
Nanajee Travels 17/5/25 16:17: This sounds absolutely delicious! I can almost smell the spices through the screen. I’ve been wanting to try berbere for a while, and this seems like the perfect intro—simple but packed with flavour. Love that it works with different cuts of chicken too. Definitely adding this to my weeknight rotation!
Sadia Jabeen 17/5/25 16:17: Wow, this recipe has my mouth watering! I love bold, spicy dishes and anything that makes the kitchen smell amazing while it cooks is a win in my book. Thanks for the tip on using different chicken cuts—so helpful for busy weeknights. Can't wait to give this a go!
Christine 17/5/25 16:24: Delcious
ashok 17/5/25 16:40: Looks so yum
Ananka 17/5/25 19:05: Looks good with all that salad :-D
MELODY JACOB 17/5/25 19:06: This Ethiopian berbere chicken recipe sounds delicious and full of rich, warming spices—perfect for a comforting weeknight meal. I appreciate how you explain the process clearly; it makes trying something new feel so approachable. I just shared a new travel post. I am excited for you to read it. Thank you. Happy weekend.
Bill 17/5/25 21:15: Looks great!
Brian's Home Blog 18/5/25 00:22: You have the most amazing chicken recipes!
J.P. Alexander 18/5/25 00:42: Se ve muy rico. Te mando un beso.
David 18/5/25 04:53: Hi Angie, Great looking...really an appealing entree! Love flavorful chicken dishes. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
roentare 18/5/25 05:45: The bold spices in the berbere blend must fill the kitchen with amazing aromas, and I love how versatile the recipe is with different cuts of chicken.
Anonymous 18/5/25 07:09: Like you, I make my spice blends from whole spices if possible.
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) https://tandysinclair.com
AhmadiKatu.com 18/5/25 07:35: This Ethiopian berbere chicken sounds like a flavor bomb ready to explode in your mouth! I love how it’s simple enough for a weeknight but fancy enough to impress plus, who doesn’t want their kitchen smelling like a spice market? Just don’t get too tempted to eat the marinade before it hits the oven! 😄🍗
Margaret D 18/5/25 08:08: That does look yummy and recipe looks good too.
David M. Gascoigne, 18/5/25 13:28: We have an Ethiopian restaurant in town. Must go there again. Thanks for the reminder!
Rainbow Evening 18/5/25 20:05: look delicious and artful .....
Federica Simoni 18/5/25 21:29: wow sembra buonissimo!
Linda's Relaxing Lair 18/5/25 22:13: This looks scrumptious 😋
Lowcarb team member 18/5/25 22:48: ... an amazing blend of spices.

All the best Jan
Cooking Julia 18/5/25 23:40: So many flavors and colors for this yummy chicken!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 19/5/25 00:14: How interesting - I've never had anything from Ethiopian cuisine. This chicken looks so good, and the spice blend sounds intriguing.
2pots2cook 19/5/25 11:13: How interesting; I have berbere relative and will surprise him with this one!
Shashi 20/5/25 11:15: Your chicken is cooked and seasoned to perfection, Angie! wow!
Anonymous 20/5/25 16:41: I love Ethiopian food and have a big jar of homemade berbere mixture just waiting for this recipe. David (C&L)