- Ground chicken instead of drumsticks or thighs cuts down on the cook time for a quick and easy chili.
- A base of slowly caramelized onions adds a layer of sweetness to complement the bold spices.
- Using a whisk to break up the ground chicken produces small crumbles for meat in every bite.
Top Chef season 22 winner Tristen Epps transforms the rich and spicy flavors of doro wat, a popular Ethiopian chicken stew, into a flavor-packed chili. Doro wat is the national dish of Ethiopia and is commonly made using chicken legs or drumsticks cooked in a boldly-spiced and fragrant onion and tomato mixture. Here, those same flavors are reimagined into a spicy and comforting ground-chicken chili.
The key is to use ground chicken with plenty of fat content. If you can find 100% dark meat ground chicken, opt for that, but if not, a mix of white and dark meat will also work well. The meat is cooked in a base of pureed red onions and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter), giving the chili a subtle sweetness and deep complexity. Epps recommends using a whisk to break the ground chicken up into small crumbles.
Spices like berbere (a popular Ethiopian seasoning blend), garlic powder, and onion powder meld with the tomato-onion base along with chopped fresh ginger for an earthy, spicy, and flavor-packed chili. The finished 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 is berbere?
Berbere is a spice mix commonly used across Ethiopia and Eritrea to season stews and meat dishes. It’s made with dried chiles, garlic, onion, and a variety of other herbs and spices. Berbere has a moderate heat level with earthy notes and a slight sweetness.
You can find berbere at most specialty spice shops, Ethiopian grocery stores, or online 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 flavor.
What to serve with the chili
Like most Ethiopian dishes, this chili is great served with injera for scooping it up. Injera is a soft and spongy flatbread made with a fermented teff flour batter. Epps also recommends pairing the chili with cornbread.
While the chili can be served as a one-dish meal, if you would like to serve it with side dishes, Black-Eyed Peas with Coconut Milk, Roasted Butternut Squash with Spiced Pecans, or Misir Wat would all be excellent options.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
- Spread the onions evenly across the bottom of the Dutch oven to encourage uniform browning.
- Opt for ground dark meat chicken if you can find it. Otherwise, choose a mix of white and dark meat ground chicken.
- Traditional doro wat commonly includes hard-boiled eggs — garnish the chili with chopped hard-boiled eggs, if desired.
Suggested pairing
Pair this cozy chili with a lime-scented, off-dry white, such as Weingut Leitz Leitz Out Feinherb Riesling.
This recipe was developed by Tristen Epps; the text was written by Paige Grandjean.
