Doro Wat (Ethiopian-Style Spicy Chicken)
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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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.
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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.
Surprised that this recipe for Doro Wat resorts to using 4 or 5 large onions instead of a comparable (by weight) quantity of shallots to assure that the Ethiopian flavor profile emerges sufficiently. The peppers chosen also could be closer by type to those found in North African or Levantine regions. Mildly hot but definitely so.
Without Niter Kibbeh it's nowhere close to as tasty and I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned. I use chicken drumsticks but bone in thighs are also good.
Daring Gourmet has a good recipe