A Comforting Greek Dinner

It’s a cool and wet Saturday here in the PNW. It calls for a nice hearty chicken dish that can keep me warmed but not bog me down. Enter Kotopoulo Yiahni. Kotopoulo yiahni is a traditional Greek braised chicken dish cooked in a tomato-based sauce

Spiced with a touch of cinnamon, it has a nice warmth for this cool day. It also makes the house smell amazing.

Widely made in Greece, his recipe comes from something very similar my mom would make.

I had a chicken craving and this sounded like a good idea. In fact, you can substitute other items in this basic recipe and have fabulous results. You can make it with pork, beef, lamb, or just potatoes if going meatless. It’s pretty basic stuff. This chicken one is quite popular in Greek households.

This creates a super savory meal. The dish has some crispy skin to savor. And fantastic sauce to mop up with the chicken.

Here’s the recipe.

KOTOPOULO YIAHNI

John Edwards

Kotopulo Yiahni

Traditional Greek Braised Chicken

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Calories: 300

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 chicken pieces I use thighs since I like them
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 4 large tomatoes chopped or a 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch oregano
• 1/2 cup water or broth boiling
• salt to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• parsley chopped fine
• pepper to taste

Equipment

• 1 Large Pan

Method

 

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees (180 Celsius).
   2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2. In a large pan or pot, heat olive oil up on med high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken once oil is hot and brown on both sides. Remove chicken and set on platter.
   4 chicken pieces
3. Add chopped onions. Cook until translucent. This will take 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
   1 onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves
4. Add tomato, cinnamon, oregano, and bay leaves. Cook until all heated through.
   4 large tomatoes chopped, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 pinch oregano, 1 bay leaf
5. Mix tomato paste into the broth and bring to a boil.
   1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1/2 cup water or broth
6. Return chicken to the pan. Add boiling broth. Make sure it is at a good simmer. Stick it in the oven and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Thighs are forgiving so cook until you get the consistency you like in the sauce. Alternately, you can cook it on a low simmer it on the stove for about 45 minutes. My mom did it that way. Since that takes more careful looking after, I prefer the oven method. Either way comes out the same.
   salt, pepper
7. Once done, garnish with some chopped parsley and serve.
   parsley

Notes

I served it with some rice to soak up the sauce. I personally skip the rice, but my family likes that.

A variation of this would be with chunks of chuck beef and green beans. Or lamb. If you are going meatless, try making it with cauliflower.

OPA!