Instant Pot Doro Wat. The Ethiopian classic chicken with berbere spices from your pressure cooker.
I love Ethiopian cuisine, loaded with berbere seasoning and served with a flatbread used as an eating utensil. I first tasted Ethiopian at Empress Taytu restaurant in Cleveland, and that meal was a revelation. The spices! Eating with your hands! It was fantastic, and I've gone back many times since then.
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What is Doro Wat?
Wats are the curry-like stew at the heart of Ethiopian cooking. My favorite is Doro Wat, cooked with bone-in, skinned chicken pieces, especially chicken drumsticks. It's an obvious recipe to convert to pressure cooking, replacing the long, slow simmer with high pressure in my Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 8โ12 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Berbere seasoning blend
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large red onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ยผ cup Berbere seasoning blend
- 1 cup homemade chicken broth (or water or store-bought low-sodium broth)
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
Accompaniments
Flatbread (I substitute large tortillas or pita bread)
What is Berbere Seasoning?
Berbere seasoning is an Ethiopian spice blend and the backbone of Ethiopian cooking. Berbere only has a little heat but a lot of rich spice flavor. There is no one recipe for berbere. Each region, and sometimes each household, has its own version.
How to Make Instant Pot Doro Wat
Skin and season the drumsticks
Peel the skin from the drumsticks - I grab it with a paper towel for extra grip. Sprinkle the drumsticks evenly with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of Berbere seasoning.
Sautรฉ the aromatics, bloom the spices
In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, melt 2 tablespoons of butter using Sautรฉ mode set to medium. (Use medium heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Add the red onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot, and sprinkle with ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt. Sautรฉ, stirring occasionally with a flat-edged wooden spoon, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in ยผ cup of Berbere seasoning and let it sizzle for 30 seconds.
Stir in the drumsticks, add the broth
Add the drumsticks to the pot and toss to coat with the Berbere and onion mix. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth or water, and stir in ยฝ teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth or water. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
Pressure Cook for 15 minutes with a Natural Release
Lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 13 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for about 15 more minutes. (If you get impatient, you can quick release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
Serve with the pot sauce and accompaniments
Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently move the drumsticks to a serving platter, then spoon a generous amount of the pot sauce over the drumsticks, coating them well. Pass the rest of the sauce at the table in case anyone needs more. Serve with flatbread, tearing pieces of bread off as pinchers to pull the meat off the bone.
Serving Suggestions
Ethiopian food is traditionally served with Injera, a sourdough bread made from fermented teff flour. The bread is the serving utensil - you rip off pieces and use them to pull and scoop up the food. (Think of pinch-sized tacos). Fermented teff flour dough is more of a project than I'm willing to take on. (I'm not much of a baker.) I go with a flatbread from my local grocery store, usually "burrito size" tortillas, though pita bread and naan will also work.
Storing Leftovers
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find berbere spice blend?
The only trick to this recipe is finding a berbere seasoning blend. I have ordered it from Amazon, and found it at my local Whole Foods and World Market stores.
How do you pronounce "berbere"?
The trick to pronouncing "Berbere": Picture a grizzly wearing a French hat. Then say: bear-beret, emphasizing the "ay" sound at the end of beret. Bear-berAY.
What does doro wat mean in English?
Doro wat is Amharic for "chicken stew" and is the national dish of Ethiopia.
Can this recipe be made in a slow cooker?
Yes, this doro wat recipe can be adapted for a slow cooker. Follow the instructions as written, sautรฉing the aromatics and spices in a frypan on the stove instead of in a pressure cooker. Then, instead of the pressure cooker step, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook it for 4 hours on low.
Is Doro Wat spicy?
Doro Wat does not have spicy heat but has a lot of rich spice flavor. The heat level depends on the berbere seasoning you buy. Most of them are low heat. Look for cayenne in the ingredient list; the lower it is on the list, the milder the heat.
Do I need to remove the skin from the chicken before cooking?
You don't have to, but it is traditional. I like it better with the skin removed. The spices are right up against the meat, not stuck on the skin on the outside.
PrintInstant Pot Doro Wat Recipe
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Ethiopian Chicken Drumsticks (Doro Wat). The Ethiopian classic, chicken with berbere spices, from your pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 8โ12 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoonย Berbere seasoning blend
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large red onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ยผย cupย Berbere seasoning blend
- 1 cup homemade chicken broth (or water, or store-bought low sodium broth)
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
Accompaniments
- Flatbread (I substitute large tortillas or pita bread)
Instructions
- Skin and season the drumsticks: Peel the skin off of the drumsticks - I grab it with a paper towel for extra grip. Sprinkle the drumsticks evenly with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of Berbere seasoning.
- Sautรฉ the aromatics, bloom the spices: In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, melt 2 tablespoons of butter using Sautรฉ mode set to medium. (Use medium heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Add the red onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot, and sprinkle with ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt. Sautรฉ, stirring occasionally with a flat-edged wooden spoon, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in ยผ cup of Berbere seasoning and let it sizzle for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the drumsticks, add the broth: Add the drumsticks to the pot and toss to coat with the Berbere and onion mix. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth or water, and stir in ยฝ teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth or water. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
- Pressure Cook for 15 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 13 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use โManualโ or โPressure Cookโ mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes. (If you get impatient you can quick release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
- Serve with the pot sauce and accompaniments: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently move the drumsticks to a serving platter, then ladle a generous amount of the pot sauce over the drumsticks, coating them well. Pass the rest of the sauce at the table in case anyone needs more. Serve with flatbread, tearing pieces of bread off to use as pinchers to pull the meat off the bone.
Notes
Donโt want to pull the drumstick apart with your fingers, using the flatbread as the utensil? Use forks to shred the meat off of the drumsticks, then pile them inside the tortillas or flatbread, like youโre eating a taco.
Want to make this with chicken thighs? Use 8 bone-in thighs, peel the skin off, and cook for 20 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot or electric PC, or for 18 minutes in a stovetop PC.
Want to thicken up the sauce? After pressure cooking and the natural release, remove the lid, set the pot to sautรฉ mode adjusted to low (medium-low heat in a stovetop PC), and simmer for 20 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to make sure the sauce doesnโt stick.
Want to halve or double this recipe? To halve it, reduce everything except for the liquid - we need 1 cup of liquid to bring the cooker up to pressure. To double it, you just need an 8-quart or larger pot. The cooking time remains the same either way.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Ethiopian
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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John W Hesley
Good recipe. The Ethiopian restaurant near us uses a whole cut-up chicken , 4 cloves of garlic, spice-infused clarified butter, as well as hard boiled egg and of course teff injera. They say that one difference between their food and others is that the owner's sister sends them spice from Ethiopia. They cook it much longer, but the Instant Pot seems to work well. Do you have a source for the Bebere that is authentic? Thank you.
Mike Vrobel
Thanks!
Unfortunately, I don't have an authentic source for Berbere, I have to use what's available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UFe6HW.
Mike from Austin
Mike,
I'm very interested in this recipe. What sides do you serve with this?
Thanks!
Mike from Austin
Mike Vrobel
I make it with red lentils - https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-ethiopian-red-lentils-misir-wat/ - and a salad and braised green beans. Hope that helps!
Janet
Another 5 star recipe Mike! Thank you.
Mike Vrobel
Youโre welcome!
Bruce S
Looks amazing - can't wait to try it!