20-Minute Ethiopian Doro Wat

I take for granted that my hometown of Chicago is thought of as a world-renown food capital. That is, I do until I visit another state and the fact that I’m from Chicago comes up in conversation with someone I meet. More often than not, they comment on how great the food was when they visited–or lived in–the Windy City. And then they proceed to tell me how lucky I am to have so many great dining options near me.

My husband, girls and I have found some wonderful restaurants during the trips we’ve taken to various cities around the country. But, I must admit that I do understand why many people have such a positive impression of the Chicago dining scene. Residents and visitors alike can find all sorts of delicious cultural foods served in different neighborhoods around the cosmopolitan city and in neighboring suburbs. For example, Chicago is home to iconic establishments that specialize in Italian, Greek or French fare, as well as restaurants that are known for their delicious Chinese, Korean or Indian food. The Windy City is also where you’ll find restaurants that satisfy the cravings of foodies who seek out authentic Mexican, Caribbean or Ethiopian dishes, among others.

Speaking of Ethiopian dishes, while viewing a recent Facebook post made by one of my husband’s cousins of an Ethiopian dinner he made for his family, it occurred to me that I have never eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant. The meal featured in his photos looked so good that it made me add “eat at an Ethiopian restaurant” to the list of things I want our family to do once our state’s current “shelter in place” order has been lifted and residents can dine out again. We have a few Ethiopian restaurants in Chicago, such as Tesfa and Ras Dashen, so perhaps we’ll visit one–or both–of those restaurants.

Until then, however, I have decided that I will try to make a few Ethiopian dishes on my own. The other day, I made doro wat, a spicy chicken stew that is unlike any other one that I’ve made. I didn’t serve the doro wat on top of injera–the large, round, crepe-like bread that it’s customarily served with Ethiopian dishes. But, I did make a side dish of tikil gomen (cabbage and carrots) to go along with it. And, both dishes were delicious! My husband even told me the stew reminded him of a dish he had during one of trips to Africa years ago.

Would you like to make my 20-Minute Ethiopian Doro Wat and Quick Tikil Gomen for your family? If so, keep reading so that you can check out the ingredients I used in both dishes, as well as peruse the cooking directions for each. (If you have a Pinterest account, go ahead and save the recipe pin I created to your board so you’ll have easy access to the recipes when you’re ready to cook them.)

By the way, if you can’t find the Whole Foods Berbere seasoning that I used, consider buying either of the ones that I mention in the notes section that follows the cooking instructions. Remember: If you make a purchase using a link and it is a qualifying purchase, I will earn a small commission that will help me continue to share recipes like the ones included in this post.

What You’ll Need To Make 20-Minute Ethiopian Doro Wat (Six servings)

*4 Eggs

*3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

*2 Pounds of Chicken–I used chicken breast that I cut into bite-sized chunks.

*2 Onions, sliced

*3 Tablespoons of Berbere Seasoning (See note that follows the cooking instructions.)

*1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

*3 Cups of Chicken Broth

*1 Can of Diced Tomatoes

*5 Tablespoons of Butter

*1 Teaspoon of Salt

What You’ll Need To Make Quick Tikil Gomen (Six servings)

*4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

*1 Bag of Slaw Mix

*8-10 Ounces of Diced Carrots (I used an entire 10 oz. bag of frozen carrots that began to thaw while I was preparing and beginning to cook the stew ingredients.)

How to Make 20-Minute Ethiopian Doro Wat and Quick Tikil Gomen

1. Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and boil them for approximately 6 minutes. While they are cooking, move on to Step 2.

2. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a deep pan. Add the chicken to the pan and cook it for 5-6 minutes, occasionally flipping over the pieces to ensure they’re cooking evenly. When the chicken is finished cooking, turn off the burner under the eggs and remove them from the stove. Leave them in the pot and set them aside for now.

3. Add the sliced onions to the pan with the chicken. Sprinkle the Berbere seasoning and ground ginger on top of the chicken and onions.

4. Add the chicken broth, chopped tomatoes, butter, and salt to the pan. Stir all ingredients together.

5. While the doro wat (stew) is cooking, peel the eggs. Once they are peeled, carefully add them to the pan in which the doro wat is cooking and spoon a bit of the sauce over the eggs. Cover the pan and continue cooking the dish for approximately 14 minutes. While this dish is cooking, you can prepare the cabbage.

6. To make the quick tikil gomen dish, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a pan or skillet. Add the slaw mix and carrots to the pan and mix the vegetables together. Turn the burner to high heat, cover and allow the vegetables to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.

7. When the cabbage is ready, spoon some of it onto each plate. Then, place a heaping serving of the doro wat on top of the cabbage or next to it. Slice the eggs into wedges and arrange a couple of wedges on each plate and enjoy!

Possible Substitutions and Notes:

1. As I mentioned in my introduction, all of the doro wat recipes that I came across indicate that using berbere seasoning is a must. So, I was thrilled to find the seasoning mix at a local grocery store. I checked to see if it’s available on Amazon in case you can’t find it at a grocery store near you. However, it’s not currently sold on Amazon. However, I did find one by Frontier Co-Op and another one by McCormick on that website.

2. Many versions of this recipe use dark meat (e.g., bone-in chicken legs or thighs). However, I used breasts since my family tends to prefer white meat. I also cut them into bite-sized pieces to speed up the cooking time of the meat.

3. I’ve seen yellow or red onions used in different doro wat recipes, so you may use either kind. I used yellow ones because that’s the kind I normally have at home.

4. Recipes for doro wat traditionally contain a clarified, spiced butter called nit’r qibe that contains such ingredients as ginger, coriander, fenugreek, and cloves, among others. However, since some of the ingredients in the spiced butter are already included in the berbere seasoning that I used, I decided to just use regular butter.

5. If you or your children don’t tend to eat spicy foods, you can use less of the berbere seasoning (1.5 or 2 tablespoons instead of 3) and the dish should still be enjoyable.