Kotopoulo Kapama AKA Greek Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Cinnamon

I have to confess I made this in our Autumn - in April!  Sure, it's hearty but so delicious, you can eat it all year round.  This is from The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos, a well-known Greek/Aussie cook and writer.  I've made many of her recipes over the years, but this one was a first for me.  I love chicken and I love cinnamon, (tomatoes not so much), but I can handle them in a dish like this.  

Tess calls this Kotopoulo Kapama - braised chicken, but I just call it Greek Chicken Stew!  She cooks it on the stovetop, but I decided it was much easier to give it a short simmer, then whack it into the oven till deliciously tender.  I also added more herbs and seasonings (and the red wine vinegar) than she decrees.  

tender, herby chicken with potatoes and veg.

Serves 6:

ingredients:

1 kg./2.2 lb chicken thighs   see Notes!

1-2 Tbs EV olive oil

1/2 Tbs butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed

385g./14 oz (c. 3) fresh tomatoes   see Notes

30 mL/2 Tbs red wine vinegar

3 bay leaves

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

1-2 tsp honey

1 Tbs tomato paste

125 mL/4 oz dry white wine  (aka 1/2 cup)

2 pieces of cinnamon bark

1/2 tsp sugar

sea salt, to taste - 1/2 tsp, more or less as you fancy

freshly ground black pepper

1/2-1 cup chicken stock, if you need/want more liquid (125 mL-250 mL) - I did!

fresh parsley (or other herb), for serving

tomatoes!

        yep!  Bay leaves

Method:

Heat up the EV olive oil and butter in a large frypan or saucepan, brown the chicken pieces all over, then remove onto a plate

Turn down the heat, add the onion and garlic, and fry gently till tender (keep an eye on the garlic, or add it a few minutes in)

Now add all the other ingredients, whack on the saucepan lid, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes  (20 mins. if planning to cook on the stovetop the whole time)

Then either return the browned chicken pieces to the pan, and simmer for another 45 minutes till tender (that word again - hehehe) OR spoon/pour the tomato-y sauce into a large baking dish (with a lid) and bake (lid on) in a 170C/340F oven for about 40 minutes - you've guessed it! - till tender :=)

Serve with veg. of your choice - I baked (or fried?) some potato slices, and steamed up some veg.

honey!

Notes:

Tess says to cut up a 2 kg chook/chicken, but I preferred to use skinless, boneless thighs, but you do as you please: use a whole, chopped chook, or thighs with skin and bones - up to you, my friends!

Okay, use 3 or so fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped - or throw them in the food processor - and zap away!  I sometimes just grate them, as the skin comes off easily   (No need to peel if zapping or grating!)

ingredients gathered

chop or zap those tomatoes

rest the browned chicken pieces till the sauce is ready for their return:=)

fry up the onion and garlic till tender!

throw in your tomatoes et al.

simmer your sauce

and add the chicken

into a lined baking dish @170C/340F for about 40 mins.

juicy!

add some veg. or maybe some rice or couscous (?)

Just for a funny aside, Mr P., myself and some other Committee members of our Historical Society gave a talk to 100 school children last weekend.  Wow, 8 year olds are so canny these days :=)  I talked about using phone directories as toilet paper back in the good old days!  They had never seen a phone book, to begin with ...  

I mentioned how one house we lived in had a toilet underneath the house, with a big gap at the top - where possums used to sit and watch us do our thing.  I didn't mention the feral chooks when we were children; you had to have a sibling guarding the door as you used the facilities (on the dunny can/toilet seat - hehehe) ; otherwise the mad chooks would rush in and peck (and claw) you!!

guess?  yep - a brown onion, of course :)