Youvetsi with Chicken
Tender chicken thighs baked in a rich tomato sauce with orzo make for a generous, home-style Greek dish.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs1 kg
- kritharaki (orzo)400 g
- onion1 pcs
- celery stalk1 stalk
- garlic2 cloves
- olive oil5 tbsp
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- canned tomato400 g
- dry red wine100 ml
- chicken broth1000 ml
- ground cinnamon0.25 tsp
- ground cloves0.25 tsp
- bay leaf1 leaf
- salt1 to taste
- ground black pepper1 to taste
- Gruyère80 g
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Rub the chicken thighs with 2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
In a deep ovenproof pot or large skillet, sear the chicken over high heat for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown, then transfer to a plate.
In the same pot, sauté the onion, celery and garlic in the remaining olive oil for 4–5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the red wine and let it reduce for 1–2 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, cinnamon, ground cloves, bay leaf and 800 ml chicken stock, season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer over low heat for 35–40 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, add the orzo and pour in the hot tomato sauce along with the remaining 200 ml stock; the liquid should cover the pasta by about 1–2 cm. Arrange the chicken on top.
Bake without fan setting for 30–35 minutes at 170°C, stirring the orzo after 15 minutes. If the pasta absorbs the liquid too quickly, add a little more hot stock.
Remove the youvetsi from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, discard the bay leaf and serve hot, sprinkled with grated Gruyère.
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