Doro Wat Recipe from Ethiopia (2024)

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 Wat on your dinner table in under 45 minutes.

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Recipe Origins

Doro Wat is a popular recipe in Ethiopian cuisine, and, even if not officially, basically the national dish of Ethiopia. Doro means chicken, and Wat means “stew” or sometimes you can see it meaning “curry”.

In alignment with its name, Doro Wat is a spicy stew made with chicken, red onions, niter kibbeh (spiced ghee), and berbere spice. Typically, it is eaten alongside injera, a flat, crepe-like food made with teff flour!

Doro Wat is served in almost any Ethiopian restaurant you will find, both inside Ethiopia and outside! Typically it is made on the stovetop, but with this recipe I’m experimenting with my very favorite kitchen appliance, my Instant Pot.

Doro Wat is typically considered a difficult dish to cook, but making it in the Instant Pot has made life so much easier! You’re going to love this recipe and the taste of Ethiopia that it gives you!

Why Make this Recipe

1. “Travel” to Ethiopia: If you’ve ever wanted to visit Ethiopia or taste the Ethiopian food that everyone is raving about, now you can! This recipe will give you a taste of Ethiopia right from the comfort of your own kitchen.
2. Instant Pot: I love adapting global recipes to my Instant Pot because they always cut down on so much work! Many blogs I’ve read have considered Doro Wat a time-consuming and difficult dish, but it’s so easy to make in your pressure cooker!

What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?

Ingredients

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Tomato Paste: You can also use tomato puree if you don’t have tomato paste.
5. Other: Garlic, ginger, paprika, chicken broth, eggs, flour

Tools

1. Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker: I used an 8 quart pressure cooker for this recipe, but it will also work with a 6 quart! You can buy a pressure cooker online here.
2. Measuring Spoons
3. Liquid Measuring Cup
4. A Small Pot: I love this set of nonstick pans from Cuisinart

How to Make Doro Wat

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Step 1: Prep the Dish

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.

Step 2: Pressure Cook

Turn the pot to HIGH and pressure cook for 10 minutes with a natural pressure release of 15 minutes.

Step 3: Make Hard Boiled Eggs

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.

Step 4: Thicken the Sauce

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.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy

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!

Expert Tips

• 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

Recipe FAQs

Is Ethiopian Food Good for You?

Ethiopian food is considered some of the healthiest food you can eat! Though this particular meal has meat, quite a bit of Ethiopian food is plant-based and made with quite a bit of fruits and vegetables.

How Is Ethiopian Food Served?

Ethiopian food is typically served on a large platter that is covered by Injera, a flat, crepe-like food made with teff flour.

Different sauces, vegetables, etc are laid out on the injera platter with more injera being served on the side.

How is Ethiopian Food Eaten?

As mentioned above, Ethiopian food is served on a large, injera-covered platter. Diners tear off pieces of injera and use it to scoop up the food on the platter.

According to this Toronto Star lesson, diners use only one hand to scoop up the food. Because you are sharing the food with many people, proper etiquette is to be careful not to get your fingers in the sauces and to never lick your fingers.

Can I Make this Recipe on the Stovetop?

Yes! If you are making this recipe on the stovetop, all of the instructions will stay the same, all the way up to the pressure cooking step.

At this point, simply simmer the chicken on the stove for about 35-40 minutes, until it is cooked through but not dried out. And there you go! You just made Doro Wat on the stove.

Did you enjoy this Doro Wat Recipe from Ethiopia? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I know you’ll love:

• Zigni (Beef Stew) from Eritrea
• Fata (Spicy Tomato Sauce and Bread) from Eritrea
• Dabo Kolo (Spicy Snack Bites) from Democratic Republic of the Congo