A festive Ethiopian platter of spiced chicken stew, sauteed collard greens and injera flatbread.
This platter brings together the essentials of a proper Ethiopian holiday spread, most commonly served for celebrations like Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) and Easter (Fasika). Doro wat, the berbere-spiced chicken and hard-boiled egg stew widely considered Ethiopia's national dish, anchors the plate, its deep red-orange sauce built on the same slow-cooked onion base found across nearly all Ethiopian wat dishes. Gomen, sauteed collard greens brightened with garlic, ginger and a squeeze of citrus, provides a fresh, slightly bitter counterpoint to the rich stew — the ginger and citrus are common Ethiopian home touches that keep the greens from tasting flat. Injera, the spongy, tangy fermented flatbread made from teff, is the traditional utensil for the entire meal, used to scoop up both the stew and the greens rather than eating with cutlery. While making injera from scratch takes days of fermentation, this platter uses a quicker skillet version so the full spread is achievable for a home cook without specialized equipment or a multi-day timeline.
Serves 6
Rub chicken with lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a wide pot, cook onions over medium-low heat, stirring often, 18-20 minutes until deeply softened. Stir in niter kibbeh or oil, half the garlic and half the ginger, cooking 2 minutes.
Add berbere and tomato paste, stirring 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Pour in stock and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, then nestle in the chicken. Cover and simmer 40-45 minutes until falling-tender. Add hard-boiled eggs for the final 10 minutes.
In a separate skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and ginger, cooking 1 minute, then add collard greens in batches, wilting them down. Cook 8-10 minutes until tender, finishing with lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Whisk teff flour with water and baking powder into a thin, pourable batter. Cook in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium heat in thin rounds, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side until set and lightly spongy.
A true injera ferments for several days for its tang; this quick version trades some authenticity for speed, so serve it warm as the vehicle for scooping the stew.
Arrange the flatbread on a large platter or individual plates. Spoon doro wat with eggs and gomen alongside, and serve with extra flatbread on the side for scooping.
Take the full time needed to cook down the onions for the doro wat base — this is the single most important step for a proper, deep sauce.
Don't skip removing the chicken skin before cooking; traditional doro wat relies on niter kibbeh for richness, not rendered chicken fat.
Wilt the collard greens in batches rather than all at once, so they cook evenly instead of steaming in a crowded pan.
Make a proper fermented injera a day or two ahead if you have the time, for a more traditional tangy flavor.
Add misir wot (spiced red lentils) as an additional side for a fuller, more traditional Ethiopian spread.
Serve with ayib (fresh Ethiopian cheese) on the side as a cooling contrast to the spiced dishes.
Refrigerate doro wat and gomen separately up to 4 days; the stew's flavor deepens overnight. Store flatbread wrapped at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate up to 3 days and reheat briefly in a dry skillet.
Doro wat, injera and gomen together form one of Ethiopia's most iconic holiday meals, traditionally centerpiece dishes for celebrations like Genna (Ethiopian Christmas) and Fasika (Ethiopian Easter), reflecting the country's communal style of eating from a shared platter using injera instead of utensils.
Yes, traditional injera ferments teff batter for 2-3 days before cooking, giving it its distinctive tangy flavor and spongy texture — start that process several days ahead if you want the authentic result.
A mix of buckwheat flour and a little all-purpose flour gets closer in flavor and color than plain wheat flour alone, though it still won't fully replicate teff's distinct nutty taste.
Yes, the doro wat actually improves overnight in the fridge and reheats well, so it's a good make-ahead component; the flatbread and gomen are best made closer to serving time.
Per serving (480g / 16.9 oz) · 6 servings total
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