Doro wat
ዶሮ ወጥ
Chicken in a dark berbere-onion sauce, a hard-boiled egg — the feast pot, not a weeknight curry.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ዶሮ ወጥ.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Hot
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

About
Doro wat starts with onions cooked down without rushing until they are a sweet paste, then berbere, niter kibbeh (spiced butter), chicken and a long simmer. An egg in each serving. If the onion is still crunchy, you did not make doro wat. You made chicken in chilli.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Rub chicken with lime and salt, rest 20 minutes. Chop onions very fine.
25 minStep 2
Cook onions in a dry pot, then with butter, 25–35 minutes until they collapse and sweeten. Add garlic, ginger, berbere, optional tomato. Cook until the fat shines.
40 minStep 3
Add chicken and a splash of water. Cover and simmer 40 minutes. Eggs in at the end to stain. Injera.
40 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Butter → Oil
A fasting-adjacent fat. Less of the dairy perfume.
Tips
- Niter kibbeh is butter simmered with onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom. Worth a batch.
- Berbere brands vary from mild to punishing. Taste the pot.
History & culture
Holidays, Sundays, guests. Injera is not optional. Fasting days skip the chicken.
A highland feast stew. Berbere is household-specific. The onion base is the technique.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Photograph supplied by the editorial kitchen. (Editorial supply).
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Doro wat take?
2 hr all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr 30 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 pots. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Hot.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Butter → Oil. A fasting-adjacent fat. Less of the dairy perfume.
Any tips from this recipe?
Niter kibbeh is butter simmered with onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom. Worth a batch. Berbere brands vary from mild to punishing. Taste the pot.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
Similar dishes

Misir wat
ምስር ወጥ
Red lentils in berbere — the fasting pot that is also Tuesday dinner.
55 minEasy🌶️🌶️🌶️

Chicken tagine
طاجين الدجاج
Chicken with preserved lemon and olives — the Moroccan pot people mean when they say tagine.
1 hr 15 minMedium🌶️

Butter chicken
मुरग़ मखनी
Delhi restaurant gravy: tandoori-style chicken in a tomato-butter sauce. Famous, modern, and not a stand-in for 'Indian food'.
2 hr 5 minMedium🌶️

