Braised Chicken in Aromatic Tomato Sauce (Pastitsatha)
Ingredients
- 0.3 cup olive oil
- 1 each pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 3 cup chopped red onions
- 6 each whole allspice
- 1 each cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
- 0.5 tsp ground cloves
- 1 each ounce) can whole Italian-style tomatoes, drained, juices
Instructions
- 1
reserved, tomatoes chopped 1 cup water 2 tablespoon (or more) red wine vinegar 2 tablespoon tomato paste Pinch of granulated sugar 12 ounces perciatelli pasta or spaghetti Freshly grated kefalotyri cheese or Parmesan cheese Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- 2
Add chicken in batches and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.
- 3
Place chicken on platter.
- 4
Add onions to Dutch oven; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Add spices; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 6
Stir in tomatoes and their juices and water.
- 7
Return chicken to Dutch oven.
- 8
Cover; simmer over medium-low heat until chicken is very tender, about 35 minutes.
- 9
Transfer chicken to platter.
- 10
Tent with foil.
- 11
Add 2 tablespoons vinegar, tomato paste and sugar to Dutch oven.
- 12
Simmer until thickened to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- 13
Season with salt, pepper and more vinegar, if desired.
- 14
Remove from heat.
- 15
Cover to keep warm.
- 16
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
- 17
Transfer pasta to platter.
- 18
Top with chicken, sauce and cheese.