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Doro Wat Recipe: The Onion Base, the Berbere, and the Numbers Four Sources Actually Give

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces (bone-in thighs hold up best to a long simmer; boneless breast cooks faster but dries out)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 6 cups red onions (about 4 medium onions), sliced or minced
  • 1/2 cup spiced butter (niter kibbeh), or ghee or regular butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup berbere (up to 1/2 cup for a hotter, more assertive sauce)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek (optional)
  • 1 cup mead or red wine (or 1/2 cup white wine mixed with 1 teaspoon honey)
  • 2 cups game or chicken stock
  • Salt to taste (omit or reduce if your berbere is salted)
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Instructions
 

  • Rub the chicken pieces all over with the lemon juice and set aside while you start the onions.
  • Add the onions to a large, heavy dry pot over medium heat. Cook with no fat, stirring often, for 25 to 45 minutes - they release water, wilt, and darken to a soft, collapsed mass. This is the flavor base; do not rush it.
  • When the onions are close to browning, add the spiced butter, garlic, and ginger. Cook 1 to 3 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste, berbere, black pepper, cardamom, and fenugreek until fully combined.
  • Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cook a few minutes until the surface turns opaque, then season with a little salt.
  • Pour in the stock and mead or wine - the meat should sit under about an inch of liquid; add water if needed. Bring to a simmer, taste for salt, cover, and cook gently until the meat is tender: roughly 20 to 40 minutes for boneless breast, up to about 2 hours for bone-in pieces. Confirm doneness with a thermometer (see below).
  • About 10 to 15 minutes before serving, pierce the peeled hard-boiled eggs all over with a fork, about 1/4 inch deep, and nestle them into the pot so the sauce soaks in. Adjust salt, add a splash of water if you want a thinner sauce, and serve with injera.