Doro Wot (Chicken Stew)

It has been a while since my last blog post… I have come to terms with the fact that blogging often when you have 3 little children isn’t just going to happen. So here I am a year later… I found myself itching to do a post, especially since the “shelter in place” order was issued. I didn’t know when or what I was going to post, but as Ethiopian Easter was approaching I found myself reminiscing so much about my childhood.

Easter was my favorite holiday growing up. Easter is a huge deal in our house and I’d say the same for most Ethiopian orthodox families for a couple of reasons. One of course being the meaning of Easter, and two because most orthodox christians give up a lot for lent for 40 days, and Easter was when we got to break the fast.

When I turned 7, my aunt (who lived with us part time and helped raise my brother and I) told me, “It’s time for you to start fasting.” As a 7 year old I was not fond of that idea, but I didn’t protest because I knew it was my fate (even though I was secretly devastated). I thought, God, don’t you think I’m a little too young to fast? Fasting meant giving up meats of all kinds and dairy for 40 days. For a girl who loved pan fried beef (tibs) and ice cream, I was going to have to acquire some serious self control and obedience. I remember the first time I was tempted, it was a cookie very similar to a golden Oreo cookie. I picked it up and as I was about to put it in my mouth I realized I was supposed to be fasting, but I just really really wanted to eat it. I had this long fight with myself going back and forth with one side saying, “Eat it! It looks so good” and the other saying, “Don’t eat it, God is watching,” until I finally concluded that licking it wouldn’t violet the rules. So I licked, and licked, and licked it until I heard my aunt coming towards me and I chucked it across the yard. That’s is why Easter was my favorite holiday. I finally got to eat all the delicious meat dishes, cookies, and ice cream I wanted.

Since coming to America, we have always celebrated Easter together with my mom and my brother, and she has always cooked all kinds of delicious food. I had been feeling down knowing that I wouldn’t be able to celebrate Easter with my mom and brother this year due to Covid-19, so I decided to at least make my favorite holiday dish, and that I wanted to share the recipe I love that means so much to me.

I cooked all day and we all got to feast for Easter and Will’s birthday. I was also able to get everyone to wear their Ethiopian traditional outfits (except me, I couldn’t find my one habesha dress..sigh) . We set up a tripod in front of our house and snapped a few pictures to remember Easter (Fasika) 2020.

Doro Wot (Chicken Stew)

Doro wot literally means chicken stew. It is a way of making one whole chicken in one pot. Even though the cooking style may vary depending on who cooks it and everyone who cooks it may think their way is the right way, we might all agree on one thing; Doro Wot takes time, commitment, and dedication. Every step matters; you cannot rush Doro Wot, otherwise it will NOT taste good. Oh and how can I forget, you need to wash the crap out of the chicken.

• Author: Addis Anderson

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Ginger garlic paste

• 10 cloves of garlic
• Ginger root (about 5 inches long)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbs olive oil

For cleaning chicken legs

• 3 lemons
• 3 limes
• 2 tbs salt

Doro Wot

• 5 jumbo yellow onions or about 5lbs of onions
• 1 3/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup berbere (cayenne and chili pepper mixture; can be found at most Ethiopian grocery stores)
• 8 chicken legs
• 1/2 tbs garlic/ginger paste (recipe below)
• 1/2 tbs grounded cardamom
• 1 tbs salt
• 7 cups of hot water
• 2 tbs kibe/clarified butter (optional)
• 8 hard boiled eggs
• 1 package of injera (spongy, flimsy, sour dough “pancake”)

Instructions

Ginger Garlic paste

1. peal and rinse garlic cloves
2. peal and rinse ginger root
3. toss both in a food processor or a mortar
4. add salt and olive oil
5. blend until it becomes a paste

Cleaning the chicken

1. place chicken in a large bowl
2. rinse with cold water
3. remove skin (optional)
4. rinse and fill bowl with cold water
5. add salt
6. squeeze lemon and lime juice in and let soak for an hour or longer

   

7. dump water, and rinse until water runs clear. Chicken should smell citrusy.
   
8. squeeze excess water from chicken and set aside

Doro Wot

1. Peel and chop onions (I used food processor to save time)
2. Place onions in an 8 qt pot and turn heat to med-high for about 30 min, stirring occasionally

   

3. Add olive oil when the onions turn light brown

   

4. Stir occasionally and allow onions to caramelize.

   

5. Add tomato paste when onion is caramelized. Mix in well and stir for about 3-5min
6. Add berbere, garlic ginger paste, and grounded cardamom. Stir frequently for 20min

   

7. Add chicken legs (make 3 small slits around chicken legs, to allow chicken to absorb more flavor)

   

8. Add salt and stir frequently for about 20min or until the water/juice from chicken evaporates

   

9. Add 7 cups of hot water, mix well, place lid, turn heat to low, and cook for a minimum of 1hr or until chicken becomes tender
10. Add salt (to taste) and clarified butter (optional) stir for a couple of mins.
11. Add hard boiled eggs by making 3 small slits around the eggs, similar to the chicken leg shown above. This will allow the eggs to absorb flavor from the sauce. 
12. Turn heat off, let it cool and enjoy!

 

Notes

For this recipe I am using chicken legs instead of a whole chicken to save time. If you don’t want to spend 4hours prepping and cooking, prepping ahead of time is also recommended. You can peel and chop the onions in advance, make the garlic ginger paste a day before, and start cleaning the chicken a couple of hours in advance.

You can store doro wot in a fridge and enjoy it for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for about a month and deep freeze for up to 3 months.

You can find ingredients at most Ethiopian grocery stores.