Chicken Youvetsi. This is home-cooked goodness. A perfect dish for the fall season.

A blend of chicken, tomato, warm spices, and orzo. It promises a taste of Greece with every savory bite. The dish is big on comfort. It’s a hearty and satisfying meal made for family gatherings or casual dinners.

The dish was named after the “Youvetsis,” the clay pot in which it was traditionally cooked. Today, an oven-safe casserole dish retains the authentic essence of the dish.

I suggest using bone in chicken thighs to guarantee it stays a moist canvas on which the flavors will meld. It’s the cut that seems to have the most flavor and is most forgiving when it comes to being moist.

The magic is the blend of its ingredients. The tomatoes, onions, chicken, and spices just captivate the senses. You’ll understand after the first bite why this dish is big in Greece.

Joining the chicken is orzo pasta and its perfect texture to go with all of this.

Here’s the recipe:

YOUVETSI

Makes 4 servings

• 1 chicken cut up. I used 4 thighs and 1 breast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lb orzo
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tomato cut up
• 2 tsp cinnamon or 1 stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken broth (or water)
• salt
• pepper or pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put broth on simmer in a pan

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Brown chicken skin side down for about 5 minutes at high heat untouched. You’ll get a nice crispy skin!

Remove chicken and place aside. Add onion to the pan at a low-medium heat and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute to bloom flavor. Add the tomato sauce. Add the cut up tomato. Add 1 cup of broth. Add the cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a simmer.

I have so much chicken and the pan can’t fit the whole dish. I don’t have a dutch oven that’s large enough, so I pour the sauce into a baking dish. I put chicken pieces on top, cover with foil, and place into a 375 degree oven. I bake for about 30 – 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and take chicken out. Add the remaining 3 cups boiling broth and orzo and give a nice stir. Place chicken on top again, cover with foil and place in the oven lowered to 300. A hotter oven will cause the orzo to stick. Cook for 15 more minutes covered.

After 15 minutes, remove the cover. Give a little stir. Place back in the oven for a few more minutes if the pasta or chicken is not cooked enough. I try my best to keep the chicken from getting dry.

Once done, a trick I learned is to add a few ice cubes to the pasta. This keeps the orzo from getting gloppy and stops the cooking.

Serve with grated mizithra or Parmesan.

So, indulge!

OPA!