Poulet a la Grecque
Poulet a la Grecque
This is a reinvention of a meal I had in a Greek restaurant in New York. The meal was prepared with rabbit and was outstanding. Unfortunately we do not have access to a lot of rabbit, and most of my friends would not be able to get over the idea of eating Bugs Bunny. I substituted chicken thighs which make an agreeable replacement. Candidly the rabbit was better. The name in French means “chicken in the Greek style.”
- 6 – 8 Chicken thighs, depending on the quantity of people and the size of the thighs
- 1/2 Large red onion
- 1 Large Carrot
- 1/2 Bell pepper
- 4 Cloves garlic
- 6 – 8 Pitted olives
- 1 Tablespoon Capers
- 2 Large sprigs of rosemary
- 1 28oz Can crushed or dices tomatoes
- 2 Bay leaves if fresh, or 1 if dried
- Olive or vegetable oil
- Flour for coating the chicken
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a one gallon food storage bag add about four to five tablespoons of flour, about a teaspoon of salt and a couple of turns from the pepper mill. Place four of the chicken thighs in the bag, close the bag, and shake the contents so the thighs are evenly coated. Remove the thighs to a plate. Add the remaining thighs and repeat.
In a Dutch Oven add enough enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil until the shimmering stage but before its starts to smoke. Add three or four chicken thighs, or enough to fill the bottom of the pot without touching. Brown until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the thighs and repeat the browning process. Remove the thighs to a plate. Repeat the process until all the thighs are cooked in the same manner, adding more oil if it becomes necessary.
Chop the onion, carrot, and the bell pepper into a medium dice. Dice the garlic into a fine dice or put it through a garlic press. Remove the rosemary from the stems and dice finely.
Once the chicken thighs are browned, in the remaining oil, which should be about one to two tablespoons, add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and the bay leaves. Sprinkle the mixture with a little salt and pepper. Allow the vegetable to saute until the onion is wilted about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the rosemary and allow the fragrances to bloom in the pot for about 1 minute.
Chop the olives into quarters.
Add the canned tomatoes to the pot. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bring the mixture up to the simmer. Add the chicken thighs to the pot trying to bury them as much as possible. You may have to add a little water to the mixture if the tomatoes are too thick to submerge the chicken. Sprinkle the capers and the olives over the tops of the chicken and sauce. Bring the mixture back to the simmer. Place the lid on the dutch oven and place the pot into the oven for about 1 hour.
Remove the pot from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. To serve use a good pair of tongs as the chicken will want to break up as you remove it from the pot. I usually serve the chicken with mashed potatoes. However, pasta or rice will work just as well.
The presentation with the mashed potatoes works well if you are serving family style. I made this for a group of eight people, two of whom were from the French side of Belgium. The serving tray loaded with chicken and mashed potatoes received a standing ovation from the Belgian couple.