My husband grew up in Ethiopia and loves this Ethiopian Chicken Stew. It is spicy but delicious. It is amazing that a country that has historically been so impoverished has beriberi, a rich combination of aromatic spices that makes their food unique.
We hope your family will enjoy our version of this chicken stew. If you are near an Ethiopian restaurant, this is best eaten with the large Ethiopian sourdough pancake called injera made from teff flour. Injera is difficult to make in the American home kitchen but does enhance this spicy dish.
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Ethiopian Chicken Stew: Doro Wot
This spicy chicken stew is a favorite of my husband who grew up in Ethiopia. We think you'll like it, too.
Ingredients
- 1.5 -2 lbs chicken drumsticks
- 4 large sweet onions chopped
- 1 lb red shallots chopped
- 2 tbsp Berbere an Ethiopian combination of peppery spices. Because the heat index of this spice varies, I recommend starting out with 2 tbsp, adding as needed up to 1/2 cup.
- 1 stick blue bonnet margarine or butter extra butter as needed up to 1 stick
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 dash ground cloves
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp powdered ginger
- 2 tsp salt, to taste
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 cup water and more as needed
- 6-8 eggs hard boiled
Instructions
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Wash chicken drumsticks. thoroughly. Slash chicken drumsticks to aid in even cooking. Set aside.
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Place the eggs in the saucepan in cool water, covering with water by 1 inch. Heat to boiling and slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12 minutes.
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Cool eggs by adding cold water to your pan. This stops the cooking and keeps the whites from getting rubbery.
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In a large frying pan, cook onions until golden brown, stirring frequently. This will take at least 10-15 minutes.
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Add berbere to onions and cook for one minute.
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Add 1 stick margarine or butter. When the margarine is melted, stir mixture together thoroughly and add to stock pan.
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Keep mixture over medium heat and add 1/2 cup water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes.
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Add spices and mix throughly (cardamom, cumin, garlic powder, cloves, ginger, salt and paprika.
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Add prepared chicken pieces. Add water as needed to barely cover chicken pieces. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring gently.
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This is a good time to peel the eggs. Add the whole eggs to the stew mixture so they can absorb some the flavor.
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Taste and add more salt or berbere as needed. If the mixture is too spicy, add more margarine/butter.
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Serve hot. Makes 6 servings. Store in the refrigerator.
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Good side dishes: Grits, rice, collards, lentils. Serve with injera or bread.
Recipe Notes
Berbere can be purchased here https://amzn.to/4gYnnEt
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Cheese and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Admittedly this recipe gets used often at the end of summer, but it is good year round.
Cheesy Grits and Cajun Shrimp I love comfort food!
ABOUT ELIZABETH ESTELLE
Elizabeth Estelle, homeschooling mom of four amazing children, and now a grandmother. She has been married to her college sweetheart for over 40 years. She loves the Lord, teaches, writes, mentors ladies, and likes to cook. She cleans as needed. In her spare time she enjoys teaching art. She led a homeschool co-op for 24 years. Now, she wants to encourage homeschooling families to persevere and be successful in their own homeschool adventure, kindergarten through high school.
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