Doro Wat Chili (Spicy Ethiopian-Model Hen Chili) Recipe

Prime Chef season 22 winner Tristen Epps transforms the wealthy and spicy flavors of doro wat, a well-liked Ethiopian hen stew, right into a flavor-packed chili. Doro wat is the nationwide dish of Ethiopia and is usually made utilizing hen legs or drumsticks cooked in a boldly-spiced and aromatic onion and tomato combination. Right here, those self same flavors are reimagined right into a spicy and comforting ground-chicken chili.

The secret’s to make use of floor hen with loads of fats content material. If you could find 100% darkish meat floor hen, go for that, but when not, a mixture of white and darkish meat may also work properly. The meat is cooked in a base of pureed purple onions and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter), giving the chili a refined sweetness and deep complexity. Epps recommends utilizing a whisk to interrupt the bottom hen up into small crumbles.

Spices like berbere (a well-liked Ethiopian seasoning mix), garlic powder, and onion powder meld with the tomato-onion base together with chopped recent ginger for an earthy, spicy, and flavor-packed chili. The completed bowls are garnished with crumbled feta cheese, crispy fried onions, and sliced scallions for a pop of crunchy texture and freshness. Serve the chili with rolls of injera or wedges of cornbread for a hearty and satisfying meal.

What’s berbere?

Berbere is a spice combine generally used throughout Ethiopia and Eritrea to season stews and meat dishes. It’s made with dried chiles, garlic, onion, and a wide range of different herbs and spices. Berbere has a average warmth stage with earthy notes and a slight sweetness. 

You could find berbere at most specialty spice retailers, Ethiopian grocery shops, or on-line at burlapandbarrel.com. Use it as a rub for meats like beef or lamb, or stir it into lentils or beans for a burst of taste. 

What to serve with the chili

Like most Ethiopian dishes, this chili is nice served with injera for scooping it up. Injera is a smooth and spongy flatbread made with a fermented teff flour batter. Epps additionally recommends pairing the chili with cornbread. 

Whereas the chili could be served as a one-dish meal, if you want to serve it with aspect dishes, Black-Eyed Peas with Coconut Milk, Roasted Butternut Squash with Spiced Pecans, or Misir Wat would all be wonderful choices.

Notes from the Meals & Wine Check Kitchen

• Unfold the onions evenly throughout the underside of the Dutch oven to encourage uniform browning.
• Go for floor darkish meat hen if you could find it. In any other case, select a mixture of white and darkish meat floor hen. 
• Conventional doro wat generally consists of hard-boiled eggs — garnish the chili with chopped hard-boiled eggs, if desired.

Instructed pairing

Pair this cozy chili with a lime-scented, off-dry white, reminiscent of Weingut Leitz Leitz Out Feinherb Riesling.

This recipe was developed by Tristen Epps; the textual content was written by Paige Grandjean.