Tasty & Easy2Make Chicken Casserole with Lemons and Green Olives
Chicken with Lemons and Olives from the island of Kos – Nisiotiko Kotopoulo Me Elies
Ingredients
4 tblsp olive oil
1 kg chicken (2.2 lbs) cut into 6–8 pieces*
1 large onion, thinly sliced
800 g (32 oz) tin peeled & chopped tomatoes with juice
1 cup dry white wine
2 cinnamon sticks, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 bay leaves or 2 tsp lightly crushed fennel seeds
2 tblsp freshly chopped leaf parsley – optional
18 – 24 pitted green olives (to taste)
1 whole lemon sliced into wedges or 2 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp sugar – optional
Salt and peppercorns – to taste
Preparation method
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and brown chicken pieces on all sides. Transfer chicken to a large Pyrex or oven-proof dish.
Sweat the onions in the same olive oil; add the tomatoes with juice, white wine, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, bay leaves or fennel seeds and the chopped leaf parsley and stir. Bring sauce to boil, remove from heat and pour evenly over the chicken. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and cook in a pre-heated oven (180C or 375F) for about 30 minutes.
Remove aluminum foil. Add the pitted green olives and the lemon wedges or lemon juice mixed with sugar to the chicken and stir carefully. Cook for another 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Season with salt* and pepper and if you like, garnish with flat leaf parsley and lemon slices.
Serve with crusty white bread, steamed rice or orzo pasta.
Yield: 4 main course servings
Be careful with the salt as the olives are already quite salty!
This dish is great for doing ahead of time as I think it gets even tastier when re-heated!
If you live in a country where the tomatoes are as tasty as in Greece. . . . then always use freshly grated tomatoes !
