Chicken Kapama
This looks like it was stewed all day to yield these results, but it’s actually done in less that 40 minutes!
Of all the recipes in my series, The Koutala Volume 1, this is the most traditional. In Greek kitchens, dishes are prepared in an all-day fashion, where vegetables, proteins and seasonings are cooked low and slow, yielding a delicious melding of ingredients, fork-tender proteins and densely finished vegetables which have rendered their liquid, tender but never soggy or flavorless.
This “speedy” rendition of a “cooked-all-day” traditional recipe turns boring boneless, skinless chicken breasts into tender, juicy meat in a stick-to-your-ribs meal that is delicious year round, but a total bowl of comfort food in about 20 to 30 minutes. Here you have your choice of either grain-free cassava orzo pasta or cauliflower rice. Whichever you choose, cook to slightly less than al denté, because it gets added to the chicken to finish cooking and absorbing all of the liquid from the sauce. You want an al denté pasta or cauliflower, not an overcooked mushy consistency.
Chicken Kapama
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoons grass fed ghee
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 14 ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Chicken bone broth
- 1 14 ounce can Tomato sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick or additional teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 to 3 Bay leaves
- 1 8 ounce box Cassava flour orzo (I like Jovial), or 12 ounces fresh or frozen cauliflower rice for serving (optional)
- fresh herbs, such as Italian parsley and oregano, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
- First, cook the orzo pasta or cauliflower rice according to the package directions, slightly firmer than al dente, and drain. (As it will continue to cook with the chicken and sauce.)
- While the orzo or cauliflower is cooking, dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves, then proceed with the chicken.
- Cut the chicken into 1-1/2 inch to 2 inch cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper and ground cinnamon. In a large sauté pan, heat the ghee and olive oil over medium heat.
- Cook the chicken until it begins to brown, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. Note that it will not be cooked through at this point, which is fine.
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the sauté pan and cook until the onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and 1/4 cup chicken bone broth, then add the cooked orzo, stirring it into the sauce so it’s submerged. Pour the tomato sauce over, then add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, and cover until the chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add more water or chicken bone broth if needed during cooking, but ideally, there should be no liquid left in the pan.
- Scoop out the chicken and cauliflower or orzo and serve together topped with the fresh chopped herbs.
