Greece / Main
Cinnamon-braised Chicken (Kotopoulo Kapama)
Kotopoulo kapama is a Greek dish of braised chicken flavored with cinnamon. This recipe is the Catsoulis family version, from the Greek island of Kythera.
Ingredients
- chicken, one piece per person
- onion, large; finely chopped2
- garlic, finely chopped4 clove
- tinned tomatos, or 300 g fresh tomatoes1 can
- olive oil3 tbsp
- cinnamon stick1
- bay leaf3
- parsley, fresh; finely chopped1/2 tbsp
- red wine, shiraz1/2 cup
- tomato paste3 tbsp
- carrot, cut into thick slices1
- celery, cut into thin 3-inch strips1 stalk
- celery leaves, finely chopped
- ground clove1/4 tsp
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 5 steps
Heat oil in saucepan and add onion. Stir gently until onion is well browned.
Add chicken, bay leaves, and cinnamon, then thoroughly brown chicken on all sides. The objective is to get as much "stock" from the skin as possible as this adds to the flavour later on.
Add tomatoes, garlic, wine, and water, and cook through. Add parsley, celery leaves, celery, carrot.
Add enough water to cover the contents of the pot. Allow to cook slowly for at least 2 hours. It is important to cook over a low heat so that sauce does not catch. Stirring or agitation will only cause the vegetables and chicken pieces to break up.
Serve with thin pasta. Grate cheese generously over dish.
