Dish of Eritrean Chicken Leg Stew
(click to enlarge)

Chicken Stew with Eggs


Ethiopia, Eritrea   -   Doro Wat
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 legs
***
2 hrs
Yes		 Stew of fork tender chicken with an intriguing sauce (mild chili heat), a celebration dish in East Africa. Simple to make with whole joints or boneless meat, and it reheats well.

2-1/2
6
14
1
6
3/4
3
3
1
1
-------
ar
#

oz
#
cl
in
T
T
t
c
---
Chicken (1)
Eggs, boiled.
Tomatoes, Ripe  
Onions, Red
Garlic
Ginger root
Butter (2)
Berbere (3)
Salt
Water
-- Serve with
Steamed Rice
  or Flatbread (4)  
Do Ahead
  1. If not on hand, make the Berbere Spice Mix. (20 min)
  2. Hard boil eggs and shell them. For best method see our recipe Boiled Eggs. (30 min - 5min work)
Prep   -   (30 min)
  1. Prepare CHICKEN as desired - see Chicken in the notes.
  2. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Chop small.
  3. Chop ONIONS fine. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin, cut slices into threads, chop the threads fine. Mix all.
Run   -   (1-1/3 hrs)
  1. In a coverable sauté pan (3-1/2 qt will fit 8 drumsticks) or similar, heat Butter and fry Onion Mix stirring until Onions are translucent, but no browning.
  2. Stir in Berbere and Salt. Fry stirring until very aromatic, about 1 minute.
  3. Stir in Tomatoes and fry stirring until soft and there is little liquid left.
  4. Stir in Water and bring to a boil. Turn to a simmer.
  5. Arrange Chicken in the pan. Bring back to a simmer and simmer until Chicken is tender enough to break up with a fork, about 50 min for bone-in, 40 minutes for boneless. Around half way through, turn the Chicken over for even cooking.
  6. Move some Chicken aside and stir in the Eggs. Get them coated with Sauce and heated through.
  7. Remove Chicken and Eggs to a bowl and keep warm.
  8. Boil down the sauce by about 1/3, it should still be fairly liquid.
  9. Serve Chicken hot with a scoop of the sauce and an egg on the side.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken

      Weight given is for whole skin-on Chicken drumsticks as used in the photo example. Other cuts can be used - boneless about 2 pounds. Whole thighs can be used cut in half crosswise using a sharp Chinese Cleaver Knife driven by a soft face mallet. Thigh / Leg meat can be used cut into largish chunks. Whole joints can be skin-on or skinless (practice varies).

  2. Butter:

      Ghee would likely be used in Africa, but frying temperatures are low, so Butter will work fine.

  3. Berbere Spice Mix:

      This is the essential spice mix for Ethiopia and Eritrea. It has definite chili heat, but usually moderate. See our recipe Berbere Spice Mix.

  4. Flatbread:

      In Ethiopia Injira would be used, but it isn't easy to make. In Eritrea other flatbreads are often used. If rice is used, it should be Egyptian (medium grain) or Basmati (very long grain). California rice can substitute for Egyptian.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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