Hamusta – Sour Chicken Stew with Celery with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the Fried onion

1. 4
   Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.

   StovePot
2. 5
   Add and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 6
   Add the garlic and fry 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 7
   Add the chicken thighs and fry 3 minutes per side, until browned on all sides.

   Stove
2. 8
   Add the cumin, turmeric, chili pepper, salt and black pepper and stir.
3. 9
   Add the leaf celery, stock, chickpeas and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

   Stove
4. 10
   Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 40–45 minutes, until the celery is tender.

   StoveLid
5. 11
   Serve the stew with white rice.