Injera with Doro Wat – Ethiopian Spiced Chicken Stew

About This Recipe

Doro Wat is Ethiopia's national dish — a deep, mahogany-coloured chicken stew built on a foundation of slowly caramelised red onions (cooked in clarified spiced butter called niter kibbeh), complex berbere spice paste, and chicken drumsticks, finished with hard-boiled eggs that absorb the stew's flavour as they sit. It is served atop injera, the spongy, slightly sour sourdough flatbread made from teff flour that serves as both plate and utensil — you tear pieces to scoop up the stew. The onion step is non-negotiable and cannot be rushed: 1kg of onions must be cooked dry (without any oil initially) for 30–40 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are dark, jammy and almost paste-like. This sweated onion base is the architectural foundation of doro wat — skip or shorten this step and the stew lacks depth. The berbere spice blend — a fiery mix of chilli, fenugreek, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and many more spices — is what gives doro wat its unique, irreplaceable character. Eating injera and doro wat communally from a single large tray, tearing pieces of injera and scooping the stew, is a deeply social act in Ethiopian culture — the act of sharing food is called 'gursha' (feeding another person with your hand) and is an expression of love and community.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgred onions(very finely diced)
• 8chicken drumsticks(skin removed, scored)
• 6hard-boiled eggs(peeled and scored)
• 4 tbspberbere spice paste or powder
• 80 gniter kibbeh or clarified butter
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbspfresh ginger(grated)
• 200 mlchicken stock
• 1 tspsalt
• injera flatbreads(to serve (shop-bought teff injera, or use thin sourdough crepes))

Instructions

1. 1

   Sweat the onions — the critical step

   Place finely diced onions in a large dry heavy pot (no oil). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring very frequently, for 35–40 minutes until the onions are completely soft, dark and jammy. They will release water, then dry out, then caramelise.

   Do not add oil at the start — cooking the onions dry first creates a more concentrated, deeply savoury base.

2. 2

   Add butter and spices

   Add niter kibbeh (or clarified butter), garlic, ginger and berbere. Stir and cook 5 minutes until aromatic. The paste should be deeply coloured.

3. 3

   Add chicken

   Add chicken drumsticks, turning to coat in the sauce. Add stock. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

4. 4

   Add eggs

   Score the hard-boiled eggs with a knife (4 shallow cuts each). Add to the pot and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, turning the eggs to absorb colour. The sauce should be thick, not watery.

   Scoring the eggs allows the stew to penetrate — they should turn reddish-brown from the berbere.

5. 5

   Serve on injera

   Lay injera on a large tray or plates. Spoon doro wat over the injera, arranging chicken and eggs on top. Serve with extra injera on the side for scooping.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian key wat: replace chicken with split red lentils (misir wat) — equally traditional

• •

  Lamb tibs: replace chicken with cubed lamb for a faster version

• •

  Shiro wat: chickpea flour-based vegetarian stew that is arguably Ethiopia's most popular everyday dish

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days — flavour improves overnight. Freezes well for 2 months without the eggs.

Frequently Asked Questions