Chicken Ostropel
Golden-browned chicken pieces braised in a thick tomato sauce with plenty of garlic — a simple, classic Romanian home-style dish.
Ingredients
- chicken in small pieces700 g
- oil30 ml
- salt1 to taste
- black pepper1 to taste
- onion1 pcs
- garlic5 cloves
- canned tomato400 g
- tomato juice150 ml
- dry white wine100 ml
- water200 ml
- thyme1 stalk
- bay leaf1 leaf
- parsley20 g
Instructions
Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towel, season with salt and pepper. In a wide skillet or shallow pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Brown the chicken for 4–5 minutes on each side until golden, then transfer to a plate.
In the same oil, sauté the finely chopped onion for 4–5 minutes until softened. Add half of the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, without letting it brown.
Pour in the dry white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spatula, and let the alcohol cook off for 2 minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes, tomato juice, water, thyme and bay leaf. Stir, return the chicken to the sauce, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and braise over low heat for 25–30 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the remaining garlic 5 minutes before the end.
Remove the thyme and bay leaf, taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve hot with the tomato-garlic sauce.
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