Greek comfort dish on a Sunday for the family and friends, Chicken Giouvetsi! Flavours mingling together creating a unique taste that is accentuated with the use of Kalamata olives and kefalotyri cheese.
Super Important to use high quality pasta like the Mitsides one where the pasta is made out of high protein wheat and as a result the spaghetti absorbs nicely the flavours of the sauce.
Chicken Giouvetsi
Here you can find more of my Giouvetsi or Pasta recipes.
Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat.
A minute later add the chicken pieces, which you patted dry. Sauté for 10 minutes until a nice color has been achieved.
Add all the vegetables, onion, finocchio, leek, garlic, bell pepper,
Continuing sautéing for 5 minutes.
Then add the tomato paste and gently stir while cooking for 1 ½ minutes.
Deglaze with the wine.
Add the chopped tomatoes,
along with bouillon broth. Stir and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to minimum, cover the pot/casserole with its lid and simmer for an hour.
Heat up the rest 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
A minute later add the Wheat Orzo.
Stir well for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
After an hour of cooking, season with the salt and pepper,
and sprinkle the paprika,
add the parsley,
pour the lemon juice,
and finally add the oiled wheat orzo.
After 22 minutes of cooking in the oven and when is still juicy!
Top with the Kalamata olives and grate on top the kefalotyri cheese and serve.
Chicken Giouvetsi
Servings: 6 People
Ingredients
- 500 grs Kritharaki (Orzo) , Mitsides pasta
- 2 cubes Pasta Bouillon , Mitsides, into 1 L warm water
- 1 medium Chicken , Free Range, cut in pieces
- 1 medium Yellow Onion , cut halfway and thinly sliced
- 2 bulbs Finocchio , cut halfway and thinly sliced
- 1 Leek , cut halfway and thinly sliced
- 1 clove Garlic , minced through a garlic presser
- 1 red Bell Pepper , diced to about 1 cm chunks
- 5 tablespoons EVOO , Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 140 ml White wine , like Malagouzia
- 30 ml Lemon juice
- 2 400 grs canned Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons fresh Parsley , leaves only roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Sweet Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
- 100 grs Olives Kalamon , Kalamata, cut halfway and pitted
- 60 grs Kefalotyri Cheese , thickly grated
Instructions
- Ask your kind butcher to cut the chicken for you.
- In a large oven-proof pot or casserole add 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat and a minute later add the chicken pieces, which you patted dry. Sauté for 10 minutes until a nice color has been achieved.
- Add all the vegetables, onion, finocchio, leek, garlic, bell pepper and continuing sautéing for 5 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and gently stir while cooking for 1 ½ minutes.
- Now it’s time to deglaze with the wine and to add the chopped tomatoes along with bouillon broth. Stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat to minimum, cover the pot/casserole with its lid and simmer for an hour. Remove from the fire and keep aside.
- In the meantime, turn the oven to 200 degrees C, top and bottom elements on (not the grill and not the fan) and put your rack halfway in the oven.
- 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time of the chicken and tomato sauce, place a medium casserole on fire and heat up the rest 2 tablespoons of olive oil. A minute later add the Wheat Orzo, stir well for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
- The chicken and tomato sauce should be ready now so take the pot/casserole off the heat, season with the salt and pepper, sprinkle the paprika, add the parsley, pour the lemon juice and finally add the oiled wheat orzo.
- Toss gently, place in the oven and cook for about 22 minutes. Halfway into the cooking, open the oven and stir to avoid sticking at the bottom and add more Bouillon water if needed.
- Take out of the oven when is still juicy, it will continue absorbing its liquids, add in a large ceramic pot and top with the Kalamata olives. Finally grate on top the kefalotyri cheese and serve.
