One-Pan Paprika Chicken With Lentils, Squash and Daqa Recipe (2024)

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.

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.

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.

This was delicious! My partner said “amazingly good”! It feels like an underrated recipe. I made with bone-out chicken thighs so the cook time was obviously faster. I also used delicata squash and a sweet potato, which were the root veggies/squash I had on hand and it seemed perfectly delicious.

The recipe calls for a "9x13 baking dish," not a baking tray or sheet pan. There is too much liquid for a sheet pan - you need something with a bit of depth here.

Do not use Pyrex! My 9x13 pyrex pan exploded into a million pieces when I poured in the chicken stock. Despite this debacle and the resulting clean-up, I managed to salvage about half the onions and finished it in a metal pan. Turned out delicious, lentils and squash were perfectly cooked and chicken skin was browned and crispy. I think I knew 450 was too hot for Pyrex but I forgot - don't make my mistake...

from the article accompanying this recipe: Although I could have used a wider, flatter variety of lentil (a split red lentil, for example, which would collapse, or a brown or green lentil, which would soften quickly), the choice for a smaller, rounder, firmer French Puy lentil, with its much finer texture, was deliberate. At the same time as absorbing the flavor of the stock and spices they’re steeped in, they’ll still keep and hold their shape when cooked. The result is wonderfully unmushy.

All the comments about the daqa remind me how important it is to read a recipe through carefully. I confess that I,all too often, find that I have missed an important ingredient, or step, because of careless reading!

This is absolutely delicious. To avoid the “soupiness” in the lentils I used a combination of split peas and beluga lentils for texture. The peas broke down and absorbed all of the deliciousness into a thick paste which made the lentil part of the dish outstanding. Also, come on now NYTimes recipe editors, would it really be so hard to include the measurements in the last step so I don’t have to go back and do subtraction to figure out how much garlic and cumin seeds to put in the daqa?

Yes - I’ve made other Ottolenghi sheet pan chicken recipes with carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, many kinds of squash - all work well. Even broccoli & cauliflower florets.

Has anyone tried this with tempeh or tofu? Love the spices, lentils, squash but we are vegetarian….

In the UK we use a deeper pan than a half sheet for “tray bakes” which can be savory like this or sweet. I use the roasting tray that came with my oven, deeper than a sheet pan so holds the liquid but shallow enough to get a good crispy skin on the chicken

Could this be done with tofu? Or any other plant based protein?

It's useful to note that Kabocha squash is very similar to Buttercup squash (as distinct from Butternut, totally different). Kabocha is like Buttercup without the characteristic cup on the bottom of the Buttercups. In my experience you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference after they are cooked. Totally interchangeable, and in some areas old fashioned Buttercups may be more available.

It's something you make, as described toward the end of the directions. Easy.

Delicious! Made with lots of mods since I didn’t want to go to the store. Used butternut squash, green lentils, za’atar instead of cumin. I used 2.5 cups of liquid rather than 3 and it was still a little soupy but not terrible. I’d do 2 cups if I was starting again. The daqa and sour cream toppings are a must. A little chili flake didn’t hurt either.

This was nice and I dug the (almost) one-pot vibe. It definitely needs tweaks, so next time I will try with less water and also blending the daqa, which did nothing for me in it's stirred state. Both were mentioned in other notes, but I didn't incorporate this time. I used sweet potatoes as my shop didn't have squash, but I love kabocha and will make with it next time I see it. Appreciate the warning from Diana about Pyrex!

Used sweet potatoes, and it was great! Definitely agree you don't need the cup of water - may even don't need the full 2 cups of stock. Also agree with turning up the heat - needed more time than listed even at 400.

This was a SURPRISE of a delight. The cumin isn’t overpowering, and the paprika makes it just a bit sweet. Loved it! Will make again, this time with thighs instead of tenderloins. Had to make do with what I had.

Awesome! I didn’t add the extra water and used a large shallow braising pan. So many wonderful contrasts— crispy skin and soft squash, creamy herb/sour cream mixture and spiced lentils— so good!

If you live in a food desert like myself, the kabocha isn’t necessary. I think it might be better with butternut or sweet potato honestly.

Used butternut squash and yams. Used vegetable broth and decreased by 1/2 cup. Used 1.75 lbs chicken (3 large thighs). After turned down heat, roasted for only 30 minutes in my Breville countertop oven. The chicken was 207 degrees (needed to be only 165 degrees) but was tender. The lentils were perfect, soft but kept their shape. It was delicious and I will definitely make it again.

Yum! Followed other recipe notes and used 1 c less liquid. Boosted garlic and cumin a bit in lentils. Daqa was awesome! Used plain whole milk yogurt with lemon vs sour cream, worked great.

Easy & delicious. The dill yogurt is essential, although I didn’t bother with the daqa and just sprinkled apple cider vinegar over the top when out of the oven. Only had 2 chicken thighs, so augmented with a few turnips in wedges and extra squash.

Loved this! I omitted the cup of water based on other people's notes. The lentils were a little undercooked when I pulled it out of the oven after the recommended cooking time. I covered it and put it back in for another 15 minutes. Delicious!

My husband and I agreed this was meh. The lentils and squash were overcooked and the onions were stringy, although I cooked it for 7 minutes less than 40 minutes at the end. Too much water left in the pan, necessitating the slotted spoon. I was testing it for a company dinner and I'm glad I did - I would have been embarrassed to serve it. The daqa and the sour cream were nice additions, but didn't save the dish.

This was absolutely divine! Easy to modify however you need, but the kabocha squash is just incredible with the seasoning. I used chicken bone broth for additional richness.

Incredible recipe. This was so delicious!!!I omitted the extra cup of water, and used sweet potatoes that I had on hand instead. I could cry it was so delicious and the best tasting lentils I've ever had.

4 star. Solid but not a knockout.

This was amazing. I followed the recipe but measured with my heart rather than using exact measurements.