Chicken Ragu (Kokkinisti Kota)

A family favourite, this traditional Greek meal goes next level with the addition of cinnamon, cloves and oregano!

Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons quality olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, depending on size, finely chopped
• 2kg free range or organic thigh cutlets (or 1.5kg thigh fillets, each fillet cut in half)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 8 ripe roma tomatoes (or alternatively a 400g tin diced tomatoes or jar of passata)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano (or alternatively 1 tablespoon dried oregano)
• 1 cup water
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 100g Greek mizithra (or alternatively parmigiano reggiano), finely grated, to serve
• Extra 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large open saucepan (which has a lid) over a medium-high heat, add the onions and saute until the onions are lightly caramelised. Add the garlic and stir about for a minute until it is also lovely and fragrant.
   
   
2. Add the chicken, turning occasionally until the pieces have browned all over. Add the cinnamon and cloves and cook for a minute before adding the tomatoes, sugar and oregano. Stir a little before adding the water. Season with salt and pepper.
   
   
3. Bring it to a boil then partially cover the saucepan and turn the heat down enough to allow the casserole to simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the salsa has thickened. If the ragu is a little runny, turn the heat right up and let the excess liquid evaporate. Take care of course if you do this and occasionally stir the ragu so that it doesn’t catch to the bottom of the saucepan!
   
   
4. Taste the salsa to ensure the salt and pepper is to your liking and then serve with rice, potato wedges or any type of pasta that can hold a meaty sauce (spaghetti or penne are my favourites with this dish). Sprinkle the mizithra (or parmigiano reggiano) and extra fresh oregano over the entire plate and serve!
   
   

Overview

My favourite type of cooking is simple cooking where family meals are produced by using the best quality ingredients, made with a minimum of fuss and the end result packing a bucketload of flavour. This ragu ticks all those boxes!

I was a bit of a picky eater growing up (no one ever believes it but trust me, my mum would tell you otherwise!) however if there was one meal that I remember with nothing but the fondest of memories, it has to be this! It was on constant rotation and absolutely never complained about!

Despite being quite a winter warmer type of dish, the ragu could easily be served in summer – our favourite summer version is simply to serve it with some pasta, mizithra and fresh oregano. The winter version is normally served with crunchy roasted potatoes or with rice…either way it’s ridiculously yum!

I also love the fact that it is a family meal that could easily be incorporated into meal prep for the week. It is a perfect casserole to cook one day and then pop in the fridge for one or two days later when you know you’re going to be a little short on time. Whilst cooking your pasta or rice, gently reheat the ragu and right there you have a beautiful nutritious family meal ready in no time at all!

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

H xx

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