Chicken Casserole

Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!

Last week I was in Nafplio for a business trip. Nafplio is situated in the southern part of mainland Greece and it was the first capital of the newly formed state after its liberation from the Ottoman Empire.

Nafplio is one of the most beautiful, picturesque towns of Greece and the fact that is situated by the sea makes it even more beautiful.

Nafplio was the capital of Greece from 1828 to 1833. The first governor of the State, John Kapodistrias, was murdered outside Saint Spiridon church by two of his opponents as retaliation for the imprisonment of the one of them.

According to the last census the city has about 14.000 inhabitants.

There are several monuments of interest for the visitors including Boùrgi a small fortress built on a tiny island in the Nafplio harbor, the Palamídi fortress on the mountain behind the city and the Its Kalé yet another Enetic fortress.

The city exists from the ancient ages and there are archaeological findings that support this.

It has also kept its traditional facade and one is able not only to walk on small and narrow alleyways, but also he/she can stay in one of the beautiful neoclassical buildings that now have been transformed into guest houses. I stayed in one of them and the hospitality and warmth of the owners was unique.

In a following post I will tell you more about this town and John Kapodistrias. I will also cook with some of the products I got from the local production.

Returning back home, I got sick with a cold that is been bagging me ever since. The only one reason I hate winter is all this sickness that comes along with it.

Anyway, I wanted to eat something that would really give me strength and help me cope with my cold. Soups and casseroles are the perfect things for such a situation. Since I would have my son whine if I made soup, I chose to make a casserole.

Needless to say that there was not even a tiny bone left and we all enjoyed it so much. This is a casserole not many Greek households make. Usually, when they cook chicken with tomato sauce, they make it in the pot as a stew. I do this, but I also bake it with tomato in the oven and let me tell you it is super delicious with the crunchy chicken skin and all the flavors from cinnamon, nutmeg, onions and garlic. Very easy to put together and if it wasn’t for the two hours in the oven, I would say very quick too. Well at least to prepare it, because from then on the oven takes in charge.

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts skin on, bones in

5 to 6 medium sized potatoes, cut in four

1 cup tomato juice

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves

2 cups water, divided

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1tsp cinnamon

3 bay leaves

½ cup olive oil

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 225° C / 435° F.

In a Dutch oven or a clay pot or another vessel with a lid, place the potatoes.

Add the garlic cloves and the bay leaves.

Sprinkle the 1 tbsp of salt.

Place on top the chicken breasts, skin side up.

Sprinkle the rest of salt, the nutmeg, the oregano and the cinnamon.

Pour the olive oil, the tomato juice and the water.

Add the onion rings on top of the chicken and the potatoes.

Move the vessel right and left to help mix everything.

Place in the oven and bake at this temperature for an hour.

Check the liquids and you may have to add another cup of water.

Lower the oven to 200° C / 400° F.

Return the chicken to the oven and bake uncovered for another one hour or one and a half.

Remove, let it rest for 5 minutes and serve.