Doro wat is the canonical Ethiopian chicken stew of chicken legs simmered with berbere, onions and clarified butter, served with injera flatbread to scoop the stew.

Ethiopian doro wat reached Madison through the Buraka Ethiopian restaurant, which opened in 2000 on State Street and reopened at its current 1210 Williamson Street location in 2016. Buraka is Madison's flagship and longest-running Ethiopian dining room; the doro wat there follows the canonical Ethiopian recipe of chicken simmered with berbere spice blend, slow-caramelized onions and niter kibbeh clarified butter, served on a platter of injera with a hard-boiled egg.

Where to eat Doro wat in Madison

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  • Buraka

    Order A doro wat platter or the vegetarian combination served with injera.

    Buraka on Williamson Street, Madison's Ethiopian flagship since 2000 on State Street, serves wat stews and injera at its Willy Street home since 2016.

    DetailsDirections

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Make it at home

Serves 42 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 8 bone-in skinless chicken legs
  • 3 large red onions, finely diced
  • 100g niter kibbeh or unsalted butter clarified with cardamom and fenugreek
  • 60g berbere spice blend
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 30ml dry red wine
  • 500ml water or chicken stock
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Salt to taste
  • Injera flatbread to serve

Method

  1. In a heavy pot, sweat the diced onions dry over medium-low heat 30 minutes until deeply caramelized and breaking down.
  2. Add the niter kibbeh and berbere spice; cook 5 minutes to bloom the spices.
  3. Add garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute more.
  4. Add red wine to deglaze, then add water or stock. Bring to a simmer.
  5. Score each chicken leg with the lemon juice, then add to the pot. Simmer covered 45 minutes until chicken is tender.
  6. Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs in the last 10 minutes to absorb the sauce.
  7. Taste and adjust salt and berbere. The stew should be thick and deeply red.
  8. Serve on a large platter lined with injera, with extra injera on the side for scooping.

Editor tip. The 30-minute dry onion sweat is the canonical Ethiopian technique; don't skip it. Berbere quality is the make-or-break ingredient.

Common allergens: Eggs.