Feb 29, 2008

Doro Wot (Spicy Chicken Stew)

(Doro Wot)

SERVES 4

This stew of chicken and hard-boiled eggs is one of the most recognized dishes of Ethiopia. The key to making its delicious, sweet-and-spicy sauce is to cook the onions slowly until they've caramelized to make a deeply flavored base. This recipe is based on one used by Elizabeth Goshu at her restaurant, Nyala, in Los Angeles.

4 tbsp. nit'r qibe (Ethiopian Spiced Butter),
   or unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 1⁄2 tbsp. berbere (Ethiopian Spice Mix)
   plus more as needed
4 chicken legs (about 2 1⁄4 lbs.),
   skinned and divided into drumsticks and thighs
Kosher salt, to taste
4 whole hard-boiled eggs
Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)

1. Heat butter in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened, 6–8 minutes. Add berbere and 2 cups water; stir well. Season the chicken all over with salt; nestle the pieces in the skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

2. Uncover skillet and raise heat to medium-high; simmer to reduce the liquid until it has a thick, gravy-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Add eggs; stir to warm through. Taste and season with more berbere and salt, if necessary. Serve hot with the injera.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #110

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Ratings & Reviews (5)

by cruser@mind.net on 2008-12-28

This was one of the very best chicken recipes I've experienced. After the Berbere was made, it was completely simple. I removed all the skin before I began and added a bit more Berbere at the end, after tasting. The sauce was magnificent and the chicken incredibly tender and moist. This will be in rotation.

by condchick on 2009-01-10

Just made and tasted this dish...an incredible sensation of flavors. It's my first venture into actually cooking the wonderful food of Ehtiopia, and will not be my last. I shared this with two good friends who all agreed it was an exceptional recipe. I cooked down the onions at the end longer than said to make the sauce thicker, it turned out great. Probably cooked them on high for 15 minutes.

by jfain on 2009-05-23

The caramelized onions add an amazing depth of flavor. This is a dish I will make over and over. It is just like the one they serve at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant.

by condchick on 2011-08-30

Third time making this dish now. I ventured into using this recipe with my pressure cooker and it worked great. Just add all the ingedients to the pressure cooker plus 4 cups of water cook on medium high for an hour. Afterwards, I reduced the liquid down on a medium low heat for an hour and the sauce turned that beautiful dark reddish brown thick sauce that I'm used to having at Ethiopian restaurants.

Using the pressure cooker you don't have to saute' the onions/garlic/ginger/butter, just put all ingredients in at once and let the PC do its thing! Makes this step heavy recipe much simpler.

by rnelson on 2012-05-16

Made this Ethopian feast. Some highlights, overall a good meal.

This was the highlight. Awesome. I made it again a year later, and it was not good, but that must have been me.

Doro Wot (Spicy Chicken Stew) 5 5 4 5