Authentic Ethiopian Doro Wat

Doro wat is Ethiopia’s best-known stew: chicken and hard-boiled eggs simmered slowly in a thick, brick-red sauce made from a huge quantity of onions, berbere spice blend and spiced clarified butter. It isn’t quick. The onions alone take close to an hour, but most of that time is gentle stirring, and the result is rich, deeply savoury and warmly spiced rather than simply hot.

This recipe explains each stage, offers a short version of niter kibbeh (the spiced butter) if you can’t buy it, and covers what to serve with it.

Serves 6. Allow 30 minutes of prep and about 2 hours of cooking.

Doro wat in Ethiopian cooking

Wat (also written wot or wet) is the Amharic word for a stew, and doro means chicken. Doro wat is a celebration dish, cooked for weddings and religious holidays. It’s especially associated with Fasika, Ethiopian Orthodox Easter, when it’s often the first dish eaten after the long Lenten fast, during which meat, eggs and dairy are avoided. Traditionally a whole chicken is carefully cut into a set number of pieces, often said to be twelve, and the eggs are scored so the sauce can soak in. It’s eaten with injera, the large, spongy, slightly sour flatbread made from teff, which serves as both plate and utensil.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin removed
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tsp fine salt

Stew

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) red or brown onions (about 5 medium), very finely chopped
• 75 g (⅓ cup) niter kibbeh, or 60 g unsalted butter plus 1 tbsp oil (see notes)
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 30 g (2 in) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3–4 tbsp (20–25 g) berbere, depending on its heat
• 1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste (optional)
• 120 ml (½ cup) dry red wine or tej (Ethiopian honey wine), optional
• 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock or water
• 1 tsp fine salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp ground cardamom (korarima if you have it), optional
• 6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

Quick niter kibbeh (makes about 180 g)

• 225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp ground cardamom, or 4 green pods, lightly crushed
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp dried basil or dried oregano (in place of besobela or koseret)

The three things that matter

Onions, and lots of them. The onions aren’t a background flavour. They dissolve into the sauce and give doro wat its body. Traditionally they’re chopped very finely, almost minced, and cooked in a dry pot without fat until they release their water and soften. Only then is the butter added and the cooking continued until they’re deep, jammy and dark. A food processor saves a lot of time here; pulse until very finely chopped but not puréed.

Berbere is a chilli-based blend that usually includes dried red chillies, fenugreek, coriander, cardamom, ginger, cloves, allspice and black pepper. Blends vary widely in heat and salt, so taste yours first. Ethiopian grocers sell excellent berbere, and it’s increasingly easy to find in larger supermarkets and online.

Niter kibbeh is clarified butter simmered with aromatics and spices. It gives doro wat its fragrance. Ethiopian shops sell it ready-made. If you can’t find it, make the quick version below, or use butter with a pinch of the spices added straight to the pot.

Making niter kibbeh

Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Add all the other ingredients and keep it at the barest simmer, without stirring, for 30–40 minutes, until the milk solids have sunk and turned light golden and the butter on top is clear. Strain through a sieve lined with muslin or a paper towel. It keeps for a month in a jar in the fridge and is also excellent in lentil and vegetable dishes. Try a spoonful melted over our Turkish red lentil soup in place of its usual red butter.

Boiling and peeling the eggs

The eggs go into the stew already hard-boiled and peeled, so cook them while the onions are softening. Lower the eggs into a pan of boiling water, turn the heat down to a steady simmer and cook for 10–11 minutes. Move them straight into a bowl of cold water and leave them until cool enough to handle.

To peel, tap each egg all over on the worktop, then peel it under a trickle of cold water, starting from the wide end, where the air pocket is. Very fresh eggs are the hardest to peel cleanly, so eggs that have been in the fridge for a week or so are a good choice here.

Method

1. Prepare the chicken. Pull off the skin and cut a few shallow slashes in each piece. Toss with the lemon juice and salt and set aside for 20–30 minutes while you start the onions. Rinse briefly and pat dry before using, if you like.
2. Dry-cook the onions. Put the chopped onions in a large, heavy, dry casserole over medium-low heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until they’ve released their liquid, softened and collapsed. If they start to catch, add a tablespoon of water.
3. Add the butter. Stir in the niter kibbeh and keep cooking, stirring regularly, for 25–35 minutes, until the onions are a deep golden brown and jammy. Turn the heat down if they brown in patches. This is the step that can’t be rushed.
4. Add the aromatics and berbere. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add the berbere and tomato paste, if using, and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a dark brick red and smells toasty. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
5. Deglaze. Pour in the wine or tej, if using, and let it bubble for 1–2 minutes.
6. Simmer the chicken. Add the chicken, turn it in the sauce, then pour in the stock and add the salt and cardamom. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 40–45 minutes, turning the pieces now and then, until the meat is very tender and pulls away from the bone (at least 74°C / 165°F, though it will be much higher by then).
7. Add the eggs. Score each peeled egg 3 or 4 times lengthways with a small knife, cutting just into the white. Nestle them in the sauce and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, spooning sauce over them, until the stew has thickened and the eggs have taken on colour.
8. Season and rest. Taste for salt and heat; add more salt or a little more berbere (cooked for a minute in a spoonful of butter first). Doro wat should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, with a layer of red butter on the surface. Rest for 10 minutes off the heat before serving.

Looking for more? See our easy chicken dinner recipes from around the world, sorted by time.

Common mistakes

• Rushing the onions. Fried quickly over high heat, onions burn on the outside and the sauce turns bitter and thin.
• Burning the berbere. It’s mostly chilli and scorches easily. Keep stirring and add a splash of water if needed.
• Too much liquid. Doro wat is a thick stew, not a soup. If it’s thin, simmer uncovered for longer.
• Seasoning too early. Berbere often contains salt. Add the final salt only at the end.

Substitutions

• Chicken: boneless thighs work. Reduce the simmering time to 25–30 minutes.
• Butter: for a dairy-free version, use oil infused with the same spices, although the flavour will be less rich.
• Berbere: there’s no real substitute. In a pinch, mix 2 tbsp sweet paprika, 1–2 tsp cayenne, and ½ tsp each of ground ginger, coriander, fenugreek and cardamom, with a pinch of cloves and allspice.

Make ahead and storage

Doro wat is often better the next day, once the flavours have settled. Cool it and refrigerate it within 2 hours, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water until piping hot. The chicken and sauce freeze well for up to 3 months, but hard-boiled eggs go rubbery when frozen, so freeze it without them and add freshly boiled eggs when reheating. For more on cooling, freezing and reheating stews, see our make-ahead, storage and freezing guide.

How to serve it

Serve it on injera, with more injera rolled on the side for scooping. Ayib, a mild fresh cheese similar to cottage cheese, is the traditional cooling partner, and gomen (collard greens cooked with garlic and spiced butter) is a common side. If you can’t find injera, rice or flatbread works. For another slow-cooked chicken dish from the African continent, try our Moroccan chicken tajine with apricots, and if you enjoy richly spiced chicken in sauce, our chicken tikka masala is another favourite.

Can’t find berbere? Our world pantry guide lists the closest swaps.

Common questions

How spicy is doro wat? That depends almost entirely on your berbere, which ranges from fairly mild to very hot. Start with 3 tbsp, taste the sauce before the chicken goes in, and add more later if you want it hotter, cooking it first in a little butter. Ayib or plain yogurt on the side cools each mouthful.

Can I make it without the wine or tej? Yes, both are optional. Leave them out and add the same amount of extra stock. If you’d like a hint of tej’s sweetness, a teaspoon of honey stirred in with the stock is a reasonable stand-in.

Can I use a slow cooker? Only for the last stage. The onions, butter and berbere need the hob, and that’s where the flavour comes from. Once the berbere is cooked, move everything to the slow cooker with the chicken and stock and cook on low until the chicken is very tender, usually 4–6 hours depending on the cooker. Add the eggs for the last 30 minutes. A slow cooker loses little liquid, so if the sauce is thin, reduce it in a pan on the hob at the end.

Is there a vegetarian version? Not of doro wat itself, but the same onion and berbere base is used for misir wat, a red lentil stew that’s common on Ethiopian fasting days, when meat, eggs and dairy are avoided.

Ethiopian Doro Wat

Bone-in chicken and scored hard-boiled eggs simmered in a thick sauce of slowly cooked onions, berbere, garlic, ginger and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter). Served with injera.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Ethiopian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skinned
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tsp fine salt

Stew

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) red or brown onions, very finely chopped
• 75 g (⅓ cup) niter kibbeh, or 60 g butter plus 1 tbsp oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 30 g (2 in) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3–4 tbsp (20–25 g) berbere
• 1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste (optional)
• 120 ml (½ cup) dry red wine or tej (optional)
• 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock or water
• 1 tsp fine salt, or to taste
• ½ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
• 6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

Quick niter kibbeh (about 180 g)

• 225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp dried basil or oregano

Instructions

 

• For the niter kibbeh, simmer all its ingredients very gently for 30–40 minutes until the butter is clear, then strain.
• Slash the chicken, toss with the lemon juice and salt and leave 20–30 minutes.
• Cook the onions in a dry heavy pot over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring, until collapsed.
• Add the niter kibbeh and cook 25–35 minutes more, stirring regularly, until deep golden and jammy.
• Add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the berbere and tomato paste for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the wine, if using, and bubble 1–2 minutes.
• Add the chicken, stock, salt and cardamom. Cover and simmer gently for 40–45 minutes until very tender.
• Score the eggs, add them and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until the stew is thick.
• Adjust the salt and rest 10 minutes. Serve with injera.

Notes

• Taste your berbere first. Blends vary in heat and salt.
• Boneless thighs: simmer 25–30 minutes.
• Keeps 3 days in the fridge and often tastes better the next day.
• Freeze without the eggs for up to 3 months. Add freshly boiled eggs when reheating.
• Niter kibbeh keeps a month in the fridge.

Keyword berbere chicken, doro wat, doro wot, Ethiopian chicken stew, Ethiopian recipe, injera, niter kibbeh

Photo: Rohit Sharma on Pexels