Doro Wat from Ethiopia

Doro wat in a small pot topped with hard boiled eggs and parsley.

3.67 from 3 votes

This spicy chicken stew, called Doro Wat, is an Ethiopian specialty! It is made with chicken, Niter Kibbeh, and Berbere spice, for a flavorful meal. This version of the typically time intensive recipe is made with an Instant Pot, getting your Doro on your dinner table in under 45 minutes.

Course Main Course, stew

Cuisine Ethiopian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Pressure Building + Release 25

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 615kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lbs bone in, skin on chicken the package I used had breasts, thighs, and drumsticks
3 tbsp ghee or Niter Kibbeh
1 red onion chopped
2 tsp Garlic chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Paprika
1-2 tbsp berbere depending on how spicy you want it
2 cups chicken broth
4-6 eggs hard boiled
¼ cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

Salt the chicken. You can also sprinkle it with a bit of berbere if you want your Doro Wat to be extra spicy.
Turn your Instant Pot to the SAUTE function.
Add the ghee into the pot, then add the chopped onions. Saute until the onions soften and cook.
Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, paprika, berbere, chicken broth, and chicken.
Turn the pot to HIGH and pressure cook for 10 minutes with a natural pressure release of 15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, fill a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs. Put the water and eggs on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Allow it to boil for about 8-10 minutes.
Run the eggs under cold water, peel the shell off, and slice.
When the pressure is released, use tongs to remove the chicken from the sauce and set in a separate bowl off to the side.
Turn on the saute function and bring the sauce to a boil.
In a small bowl, add ¼ cup water and ¼ cup flour and mix to combine. Add this into the sauce and allow it to boil for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.
If the sauce doesn’t get as thick as you want, continue to combine 1 tbsp flour + 1 tbsp water and add to the boiling sauce.
Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back in! Put the Doro Wat in a serving dish, and layer the hard boiled eggs on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe was researched using AfricanBites.com and MinistryofCurry.com

Chicken: I used 2 lbs of a fully jointed chicken with the bones in and the skin on, including thighs, breasts, & drumsticks. I discarded the chicken wings, as I didn’t want to overcook them. You can use whatever you want in this situation, including only drumsticks, only thighs, etc. You can also take the skin off if you’d prefer.
Niter Kibbeh: Niter Kibbeh is an Ethiopian ghee that is spiced with things like cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom. It is delicious spread on toast, in eggs, or, of course, in this Doro Wat recipe! You can buy Niter Kibbeh online, or make it following these instructions.
Berbere: Berbere is a spice mix popular in Ethiopian cuisine, made with cumin, cayenne, paprika, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. It is a very popular blend, so use it according to your taste! You can adjust the amount of berbere in this recipe depending on how spicy you want your Doro Wat. You can buy Berbere online, or make it following these instructions.
Tomato Paste: You can also use tomato puree if you don’t have tomato paste.
If you want to hard boil the eggs in the Instant Pot instead of boiling them, you can definitely do this! I follow the 5-5-5 method, which is 5 minutes on HIGH pressure, 5 minute Natural Release, and 5 minutes in an ice cold bath.
Please note that the flour + water added at the end of this recipe is not a method typically used in Ethiopia. Because of the method of cooking in the Instant Pot, more liquid is needed than normal to keep the chicken from burning. This extra water/broth will thicken up on its own if you wait long enough, but the flour and water combo thickens up this extra liquid so you can eat your meal when it’s still warm!
Some recipes for Doro Wat use less chicken broth/water, mostly when made on the stove top. The more onions you use, the less liquid you need. However, with cooking the meal in the Instant Pot, I would stick with the prescribed liquid measurements.
You can sub tomato puree for tomato paste if necessary
You can sub water in for the chicken broth for a slightly less flavorful sauce

Nutrition