One-Pan Paprika Chicken With Lentils, Squash and Daqa

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Published Feb. 19, 2023

One-Pan Paprika Chicken With Lentils, Squash and Daqa
Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver.
Total Time
About 1½ hours
Rating
5(1,732)
Comments
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This oven bake requires minimal effort and is very much a meal in itself. Daqa is a vinegar-based condiment, most commonly used when making the much-loved Egyptian koshari, a hearty dish of rice, pasta and lentils. Daqa is a nifty way to brighten stews, braises and anything that needs an acidic lift. Feel free to swap out the kabocha squash for root vegetables, such as sweet potato or celery root, and serve the whole thing with nothing more than a leafy green salad.

Featured in: Yotam Ottolenghi’s Secret to Great Sheet-Pan Chicken

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 6bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2¼ pounds)
  • ¾pound skin-on kabocha squash, seeds removed, cut into about 6 (1-inch-thick) wedges
  • 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground sweet paprika
  • 3tablespoons olive oil
  • Fine sea salt
  • 2small yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 1teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted
  • 8ounces/1 heaping cup (uncooked) French green lentils, rinsed
  • 2cups chicken stock
  • ¾cup sour cream
  • ¼cup finely chopped chives
  • 3tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus 1 tablespoon picked leaves for serving
  • 3tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ½teaspoon granulated sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

583 calories; 34 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 971 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, squash, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt; set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Place the onions, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 teaspoons paprika in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and mix to combine. Roast for 10 minutes, stirring halfway, until the onions are lightly colored. Stir in the lentils, chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Arrange the squash wedges and the chicken, skin-side up, on top and roast for another 20 minutes, until the chicken skin is deeply golden. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for another 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the squash is nicely softened.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, chives and dill; set aside.

  5. Step 5

    To make the daqa, mix the remaining garlic and cumin with the vinegar, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of water.

  6. Step 6

    When ready, remove the bake from the oven and top with spoonfuls of the sour cream mixture. Pour over the daqa and sprinkle with the extra dill. Serve hot, straight out of the baking dish.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,732 user ratings
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Comments

tinyloop

This is fantastic. Best thing I’ve made in a while. I reduced the heat to 400 rather than 350 (in my experience Ottolenghi recipes tend to need more heat or more time than recommended), and next time I’ll omit the cup of water (lentils were soup rather than side), but the whole family devoured it all.

Fran

I concur on omitting the extra cup of water added with the lentils. Didn't seem like it needed it, it had too much liquid and I had to serve with a slotted spoon. I'd say either omit the cup of water or add more lentils (+1/2 cup?) since the lentil to onion ratio seemed to be heavy on the onion.

kevin s.

The daqa is the condiment made in step 5 from the vinegar, water, cumin, garlic, sugar. I toast my cumin seeds and pulverize them in a mortar a pestle. Liquify in blender.

Marla Sparks

I took a user suggestion from another recipe and brined the chicken ahead of time. This adds to the prep/cooking time, but turned out delicious. Also, my grocery store did not have kabocha squash, so I opted for spaghetti squash, which works just fine. I also substituted the sour cream with plain nonfat Greek yogurt - that’s our go to, healthier substitute for anything sour cream/mayo. I also found the green lentils needed an additional 10 minutes of cooking time. Very tasty recipe!

LAZ

We really liked this. Changes: 20 oz of squash, whole cut-up chicken (minus the back), 2 cups of broth but no added water, reduced temp to 400 degrees, not 350. Worked very well, though others might find the chicken more cooked than they like.

Karen

Made this last night because it was on the NYTimes 2026 calendar. The flavors were fantastic. I scanned the comments on the app before making—as I always do—and followed all the directions (omitting the extra cup of water which seemed universally recommended). I did go to a bigger Pyrex size, because I had 3 extra chicken thighs and my kabocha squash was large (3 lbs). I halved the squash and cut into wedges and added 1/4 cup more French du Puy lentils. This was a perfect fit for a 15 inch Pyrex. As a reader noted, ADD HOT STOCK to the Pyrex so there are no temperature fluctuations (ie. glass explosions). My stock was homemade and unsalted; next time I will salt it before adding—the lentils needed it. The chicken was done 10 min. early so I took them out and placed on a platter, which actually let some fat drain off. At 40 minutes the lentils weren’t tender, so added 10 minutes. (The squash was fine with the extra time.) The finished product was gorgeous. I’ll definitely make this again, and I’ll add even more lentils—there was still a fair amount of liquid left in the dish. My only quibble is the “minimal effort” the author promises. A fair bit of shopping and chopping and watching went into the dish. But it was entirely worth every minute.

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