Doro Wat (Ethiopian-Style Spicy Chicken)
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 8 to 10boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1tablespoon white vinegar
- 4 to 5large onions, peeled and quartered
- Fresh ginger (1-inch piece), peeled and grated
- ½head of garlic, peeled
- ⅓cup olive oil
- 1 to 2tablespoons hot chile powder like cayenne
- 1tablespoon sweet paprika
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon ground coriander
- 1teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼teaspoon ground fenugreek
- ¾teaspoon salt or to taste
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- Injera, pita, naan or rice, for serving
- Hard-boiled eggs, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
474 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 46 grams protein; 558 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and rub the chicken with the lemon juice and vinegar.
- Step 2
Put the chicken in a rimmed baking sheet and bake, discarding the juices after 20 minutes, then draining again after 10 more minutes. Remove meat from oven and set aside.
- Step 3
As the chicken cooks, put the onions, ginger and garlic in a food processor with a steel blade and finely chop until almost ground, leaving a bit of texture.
- Step 4
Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion mixture and simmer, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes or until the onions have turned golden. Then stir in 1 tablespoon of the chile powder, the sweet paprika, ginger, coriander, cardamom, thyme, fenugreek, salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Cook for a few minutes, taste the sauce, and if you prefer more bite, add more chile. Add the chicken and simmer, covered, for about 15 more minutes, adding as much as a cup of water to reach the consistency of a thick sauce. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Step 6
Serve with injera, pita, naan or rice and, if you wish, hard-boiled eggs.
Private Notes
Comments
Why not reserve the drippings for the sauce?
Sandy, What a great idea! Meskerem does not do this but when I shared your comment with her, she replied it would add more flavor to the dish if it were used instead of some of the water.
Try straining the onion juice before cooking the onions in oil. Processing the onions creates a lot of juice.They really won't brown because you're basically boiling them in their own juice. I reserve the onion juice, mix it with the lemon juice and vinegar (i use plum vinegar), marinate the chicken in that for 30 min then I brown the chicken in a pan and set it aside until my onions are golden and the spices are mixed in with them.
Ethiopia's national food is usually a stew with tomatoes cooked in stages. This recipe is not bad, but Berbere is easy enough to buy on Amazon. The oven method does not taste right, and the mix is not close enough to Berbere. It is a pleasant spicy chicken recipe, just not Doro Wat.
I bought berbere, does anyone know how to substitute it for all the spices listed?
Look for a genuine Doro Wat recipe. Berbere varies in hotness, so that no one can advise. Start with a tablespoon and taste it. Doro Wat is usually a stew with tomato. The Daring Gourmet has a reasonable recipe. You can more easily taste a stew as you cook it. The Amazon blend, Jansal Valley, is not hot, and I use a quarter of a cup of spice and add a bit of chili, but the Genuine Ethiopian stuff would blow your head off. We get the genuine stuff locally, which is hotter than I can tolerate.
The flavors were very potent here. I definitely recommend scaling back chili powder to begin with. I needed to add a sprinkle of sugar and baking soda to the onions and cover and let caramelize for 40 minutes - I saw the green tinge but it turned out fine after this. I salted the chicken with the rub as well. The end sauce is definitely flavorful enough without marinating the chicken I think. Took some tweaks but liked it.
Advertisement