Equipment
Ingredients
Main Components
- 6 chicken thighs
- 340 g kabocha squash, cut into 1-inch thick wedges, seeds removed, skin-on
- 200 g yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 225 g french green lentils, rinsed, uncooked
- 480 ml chicken stock
Seasoning and Aromatics
- 7 g paprika
- 45 ml olive oil
- 15 g salt
- 3 garlic, minced
- 3 g cumin seeds, lightly toasted
Sauces and Finishing
- 180 ml sour cream
- 18 g chives, finely chopped
- 9 g dill, finely chopped
- 45 ml apple cider vinegar
- 2 g sugar
- 30 ml water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 536 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1288 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 18 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 161 mg
- Potassium
- 716 mg
- Calcium
- 91 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 50 mg
- Phosphorus
- 334 mg
- Zinc
- 2.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 217 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 13 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 9 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.18 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.36 mg
- Niacin
- 8.4 mg
- Folate
- 21 mcg
- Water
- 274 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F).
In a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs and squash wedges with 4g of paprika, 15ml of olive oil, and 7g of salt.
In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine the sliced onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2g of cumin seeds, 7g of salt, 30ml of olive oil, and 3g of paprika.
Roast the onion mixture for 10 minutes at 230°C (450°F), stirring halfway through, until the onions are lightly colored.
Add the rinsed lentils and chicken stock to the baking dish and stir to combine with the onions.
Arrange the seasoned chicken thighs and squash wedges skin-side up on top of the lentil mixture.
Roast the dish at 230°C (450°F) for 20 minutes until the chicken skin begins to turn golden brown.
Reduce the oven temperature to 175°C (350°F). Continue roasting for 40 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) and the squash is tender.
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream with the chopped chives and chopped dill.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining minced garlic, remaining cumin seeds, apple cider vinegar, sugar, 1g of salt, and 30ml of water to create the daqa.
Spoon the sour cream mixture over the chicken and squash, drizzle with the daqa, and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Kabocha squash skin is edible and becomes tender when roasted; there is no need to peel it.
- French green (Le Puy) lentils are preferred as they hold their shape better than brown or red lentils during long roasting.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store chicken and lentils separately from the sour cream mixture for best results.
Reheating: Reheat in an oven at 150°C (300°F) until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
Lentils are crunchy or dry
Cause: Insufficient liquid or the baking dish was too large, causing rapid evaporation.
Fix: Add 50ml of hot chicken stock and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
Prevention: Ensure lentils are mostly submerged in stock and use the specified dish size.
Chicken skin is not crispy
Cause: Oven temperature was too low or the chicken was crowded by squash wedges.
Fix: Switch the oven to the broiler setting for 2-3 minutes at the end of cooking.
Prevention: Ensure the oven is fully preheated to 230°C (450°F) and leave space between chicken pieces.
Cultural Context
Daqa (or Duqqa) is a traditional Egyptian condiment typically consisting of herbs and spices, here adapted into a bright vinegar-based finishing sauce to cut through the richness of the chicken and squash.
