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At a glance: Ethiopian Doro Wat — Spiced Chicken Stew in Niter Kibbeh: serves 4, cooked in butter, with no seed oils.

Doro wat is Ethiopia's most celebrated dish — prepared for every major holiday, wedding, and feast. Chicken drumsticks and hard-boiled eggs are slow-cooked in a sauce of caramelised onion, berbere spice, and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) until the sauce has reduced to a thick, intensely flavoured coating and the chicken has absorbed two hours of slow heat. The hard-boiled eggs, scored and added in the last 30 minutes, take on the colour and flavour of the berbere. It is served on injera — the sour teff flatbread that functions as both plate and utensil.

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You Will Need for This Recipe
Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Butter)

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Berbere Spice Blend (Brundo Ethiopian)Check price on Amazon
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Ethiopian Injera (traditional bread)Check price on Amazon
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Doro wat begins with dry-cooking onions — caramelising them in a pot without any fat at all, stirring constantly, until they are completely soft and beginning to stick. Only then is the niter kibbeh added. This dry-cook technique, common in Ethiopian cooking, concentrates the onion sugars before the fat arrives, producing a depth of flavour that is impossible to achieve by cooking onions in fat from the start. It takes 20-30 minutes and cannot be rushed.

Serves 4 · Prep 20 min · Cook 2 hours

Serves
4
Prep
20 min
Cook
2 hours

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
  • 3 large onions, very finely diced
  • 4 tbsp niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) or ghee
  • 3 tbsp berbere spice blend
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 250ml water or chicken stock
  • Salt
What you'll need

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Equipment used
  • Lodge Essential Enamel Dutch Oven, 6 qt: A heavy lidded pot holds the low, steady heat this braise needs, and the enamel copes with acidic sauces. Check price on Amazon
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Method

  1. Score drumsticks deeply with a knife. Season with salt.
  2. Dry-cook onions in a heavy pot over medium heat, stirring constantly, 20-25 minutes until very soft and dark. No fat yet.
  3. Add niter kibbeh. Stir through the caramelised onion.
  4. Add berbere, garlic, and ginger. Cook 5 minutes.
    Frontier Organic Berbere Seasoning
    Our pick for step 4
    Frontier Organic Berbere Seasoning

    Berbere gives doro wat its colour and heat. This organic blend is an option if you are not grinding your own.

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  5. Add tomato paste and stock. Bring to simmer.
  6. Add chicken. Cover and cook 1 hour on low heat.
  7. Score eggs all over with a fork. Add to pot.
  8. Cook uncovered 30 more minutes until sauce is thick and chicken falls from bone.
  9. Serve on injera.

Berbere

Berbere is the essential Ethiopian spice blend — dried red chillies as the base with cardamom, black cumin (nigella), fenugreek, ginger, coriander, rue, korarima (Ethiopian cardamom), bishop's weed, and cinnamon. Commercial berbere is available at Ethiopian grocery stores and online. Making it from scratch requires sourcing korarima and rue, which are worth tracking down for the authentic flavour.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is niter kibbeh?

Ethiopian spiced clarified butter — ghee infused with onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, fenugreek, turmeric, and other spices during the clarification process. Regular ghee is the closest substitute but lacks the spice complexity.

Where to find injera?

Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants often sell injera for takeaway. Ethiopian grocery stores carry it. Teff flour is available online for making it at home.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of drumsticks?

Yes — bone-in thighs work equally well. The bone adds collagen and flavour to the sauce.

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Two Brothers A2 Grass-Fed Ghee
Grass-fed ghee — for the niter kibbeh base of Ethiopian cooking.
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