Although I typically prefer vegetarian Ethiopian dishes, I felt compelled to try this chicken dish after seeing it on Milk Street. This chicken and red onion stew, Doro Wat, is the national dish of Ethiopia. I made Ethiopian Stewed Collard Greens, Gomen Wat, with my CSA collards as an accompaniment.
The recipe was adapted from a home cook, Tigist Chane in Addis Ababa, via 177MilkStreet.com, contributed by Courtney Hill. Ghee is substituted for Ethiopian fermented butter.
Instead of injera, Ethiopian flatbread, I served the stew over brown Basmati rice with warm naan on the side. The original recipe notes that it is important to make your own spice blend, berbere, to control the amount of heat in the finished dish. We omitted the optional hard-cooked egg garnish.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
For the Berbere Spice Blend:
- 2 T smoked sweet paprika
- 1 T sweet paprika
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp dried basil, ground or crushed into a powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
For the Chicken Stew:
- 5 T ghee, divided
- 3 large red onions (about 2 pounds), finely chopped in a food processor
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- about 5 T Berbere spice blend (see above) (I used the entirety of the spice blend)
- 12 medium to large garlic cloves, minced in a food processor
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and halved
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
- 1 jalapeño or Fresno chili, stemmed, seeded (if desired), and finely chopped, optional
- 2-3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced, optional (I omitted the eggs)
- lemon wedges, to serve, optional
- brown Basmati rice, for serving, optional
- Injera or naan, for serving, optional
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee until shimmering. (I used a large, wide and shallow enameled cast iron pot.)
- Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, then cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat if the onions begin to brown before they soften, until lightly browned and completely softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons ghee, the berbere spice blend and 3/4 cup water.
- Stir in the garlic, followed by the chicken.
- Reduce to medium-low, cover and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until a skewer inserted into the chicken meets no resistance, about 30 minutes.
- Uncover, increase to medium-high and cook, stirring and scraping along the bottom of the pot, until the stew is thickened and a wooden spoon leaves a brief trail when drawn through the sauce, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve topped with the scallions, chilies (if using) and sliced eggs (if using); serve with lemon wedges on the side, as desired. (I served it over brown rice with warm naan on the side.)
thebrookcook 