This recipe started out as chicken and orzo from Aglaia Kremezi's The Foods of the Greek Islands, but it ended up as more of macaroni-and-cheese variant. As all ingredients are usually in my pantry (or freezer) at any given point, this is an easy dish to whip up in the cast iron dutch oven at little notice.
Greek-ish chicken and pasta
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, crumbled
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can chicken stock, low-sodium
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni[1]
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Place the sundried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with the canned tomatoes to allow for some reconstitution[2]. Add the oregano, pepper, and cinnamon stick.
Put a dutch oven[3] over medium-high heat and saute the chicken pieces in two tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown on all sides. Remember that frequent stirring interrupts the browning process, so let the chicken sit in one place for a minute and a half or so before flipping the pieces. Remove the chicken and set aside. Salt lightly.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and saute the onion until soft and browned. Add the tomato and spice mixture to the onions, and mix well. When the juice starts bubbling, add the chicken pieces and about half the can of stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven. Bake at 400F for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
While the chicken is cooking, boil the pasta until aldente (about seven minutes) in salted water and drain.
Move the dutch oven to the stovetop and add the rest of the can of stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir, then cover and return the dutch oven to the oven and bake for another fifteen minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Add water or more chicken stock if the pasta begins to dry out.
Sprinkle with cheese and black pepper directly before serving.
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[1] Other pasta works, but elbow macaroni is what I keep on-hand. |
