Chef notes
Here's a wonderful weeknight meal that comes together quickly. Marinate boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the morning, then throw this together for dinner later.
The spiced butter in this dish is a staple of Ethiopian cooking. This butter lends so many Ethiopian dishes their distinctive flavor.
As for the berbere blend, this flavorful, aromatic seasoning says a lot about the cook who mixes it. I regard this spice mixture less as a formula and more as a way to express myself. I start mine with plenty of dried chili pepper, as is traditional, but then I add a healthy dose of korarima, because I love the nutty, herbal notes it adds. My mother's berbere was heavy on serrano pepper, basil, and tiny nigella seeds, infusing her cooking with a signature spicy bite.
It's worth going the extra mile to find besobela (Ethiopian basil): It's available online, and its delicate floral flavor, combined with the korarima, is one of the many things that sets our food apart. But dried basil can be substituted in a pinch.
While I welcome the growing number of grocery stores that carry berbere in the spice section, I find that many of them overdo it on the paprika and cumin, giving food a much flatter taste. Feel free to use my recipe as a starting point for yours, adding more of any flavors you want to emphasize, while decreasing or omitting any you may dislike.
