Ethiopian Doro Wat

My dad lived in Ethiopia for a while and my grandfather has a huge connection to that country. I grew up eating Ethiopian food from DC area restaurants as a kid, but only ever the vegetarian options. The spicing and flavors were always great, taking something that seemed simple and elevating it to a new level. I started eating meat a few years back and now am happy to eat and try new meat dishes. When I visited my dear friends Tyler and Kate in Washington State, they cooked for me a version of doro wat that just plain rocked. It was incredibly hot and delicious. This version is based off of their recipe which came from the Penzey spice company. Beware - this recipe is quite an undertaking and takes several hours of attentive cooking to make. But it is so worth it!

Doro Wat:

10 chicken thighs or equivalent drumsticks or mixture with bones and skin
one lemon or lime cut into wedges
1.5 tsp salt (to taste)

6 large red onions, chopped or about 2 bags medium and small onions
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus one T berbere and 3 T cayenne
water
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup minced ginger or 1-2 tablespoons powdered
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
3 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt to taste
10 hard boiled eggs pricked all over with a fork or sliced somewhat with a knife 

Recipe:

Put chicken in large bowl, add enough water to cover it. Add lemon or lime slices (squeeze them) and salt, marinate for 2 hours or so (or overnight). Cook onions over medium heat until browned (yes, dry with no oil). This step usually takes about 1 hour for me. Add the olive oil and stir in the berbere and cayenne. Cook for 30 mins, adding a little water gradually (two tablespoons at a time), only enough to keep it from burning. Drain the marinated chicken and add it to the pot, stirring in some water with it, up to about 2 cups (or skip this). Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring some (Add small amounts of water like before if you skipped adding the extra 2 cups water). Add the butter, garlic, cardamom, and ginger. Cook for 20 more minutes or so, adding water like before if needed. Lower the heat, add the nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, and salt. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat to very low and add the hard boiled eggs and let it rest, covered, for an hour or so. Serve warm with rice or injera and shiro wat, an Ethiopian chickpea and spice gravy like dish, and, as we have taken to doing, coleslaw. This is a moderately spicy dish that has been toned down for company. Feel free to increase either the berbere or cayenne for more traditional flavor.