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Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
Ethiopia's national dish — chicken legs slow-braised in a deeply spiced berbere-und-niter kibbeh sauce with whole boiled eggs.
20 mins
90 mins
6 people
Ethiopian
Chicken legs
Scored to the bone
1.2kg
Onions
Very finely diced — no oil initially
4 large
Berbere spice blend
4 tbsp
Niter kibbeh (spiced butter)
Or clarified butter with spices
80g
Garlic
Minced
6 cloves
Ginger
Minced
2 inches
Tomato paste
2 tbsp
Chicken stock
300ml
Hard-boiled eggs
Peeled and scored
6
Lemon juice
1 tbsp
🍽️ Niter kibbeh
→ Clarified butter + toasted fenugreek, turmeric, and cinnamon
Approximates the complex spiced butter
🍽️ House-ground berbere
→ Store-bought berbere paste or blend
Good quality berbere is available in specialty stores
Cook diced onions DRY (no oil) over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until deep brown (30-40 mins).
💡 Pro Tip: Dry-cooking onions is the Ethiopian technique — no oil reduces and concentrates the onion sweetness.
Add niter kibbeh and berbere. Cook spice paste into the onions 5-10 minutes.
💡 Pro Tip: Cooking berbere removes raw spice flavor and develops deep complexity.
Add garlic, ginger, tomato paste. Cook another 3 minutes.
💡 Pro Tip: Build the layers — each ingredient added separately layers the flavor.
Add chicken and stock. Cover and braise 40-50 minutes until chicken is falling off the bone.
💡 Pro Tip: Chicken must be fall-off-the-bone tender. Undercooking is a serious error in Ethiopian cooking.
Score hard-boiled eggs, simmer in sauce 10 minutes to absorb flavor. Serve on injera.
💡 Pro Tip: Scoring eggs (cutting slits) lets the sauce penetrate the white layer.
- ✓Dry-cook onions with no oil — this is the defining technique
- ✓Berbere must be cooked into the oil, not added raw
- ✓Always serve on injera — the bread is integral to the eating experience
- →On injera flatbread
- →With ayib (Ethiopian fresh cheese)
- →With more injera to tear and dip