Greek Recipes
My Mother’s Special Sunday Lunch – Greek Chicken with Passata Sauce, Risoni-Rice and Baked Okra Recipe
I remake my mother’s Special Sunday Lunch – Kotopoulo Kokkinisto me Bamies kai Pilafi – a step-by-step guide on how to make a traditional Greek Chicken in a Tomato Sauce served with Risoni-Rice and Baked Okra Recipe. My mother would prepare this dish when she had special guests for lunch on a Sunday. I learned how to make it and I have been doing the same for many years!
Click here to see the Greek Risoni-Rice Recipe.
My Mother's Special Sunday Lunch - Greek Chicken with Passata Sauce, Risoni-Rice and Baked Okra Recipe
Ingredients
For the kotopoulo kokkinisto you will need…
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 medium brown onions, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Dried chillies, to taste
- 12 chicken thighs
- 1.5-2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp black pepper, cracked
- 675 ml passata
For the okra you will need…
- 1 kg okra
- EVOO
- Salt
For the risoni-rice (pilafi) using a rice cooker you will need…
- ⅔ cup risoni
- ⅛-¼ cup EVOO
- 2 cups medium grain rice
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups water
Instructions
Preparing the kotopoulo kokkinisto
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Sauté the brown onions with the EVOO, in a medium-large pan, on medium-high heat, till lightly golden
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Add the garlic and sauté very briefly
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Add the chicken thighs and brown on each side – if using a non-stick pan – or till some fond forms if not using a non-stick pan
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Add the dried chillies, salt, pepper and passata and stir through
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Heat till it comes to a gentle boil
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Cover pan with slightly vented aluminium foil and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 1 hour
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Remove the foil and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, till the chicken browns a little and all of the water has been reduced out of the pan
Preparing the okra
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Using a paring knife, make an angled incision into the okra just below the visible line that separates the stalk from the fruit. Continue cutting around the okra to form a conical pyramid at the top of the okra.
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Wash the okra and drain
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Place in a medium to large pan, drizzle with EVOO and season with salt
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Bakein an oven preheated to 180°C for 30 minutes or so, till the okra brown on the underside
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Thentoss them in the pan and return them to the oven for 15-20 minutes so they brown some more
For therisoni-rice using a rice-cooker
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Brown the risoni with the EVOO in a fry pan
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Wash the rice well
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Add the rice, risoni, water and salt to the rice-cooker and cook according to the Rice-Cooker’s cooking instructions
Alternatively, if you would like to use a regular pot to cook the risoni-rice, follow this method - https://www.kali-orexi.com.au/kos-risoni-rice/
Serve the kotopoulo kokkinisto me bamies kai pilafi
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Fill a lightly-oiled cup with the pilafi and gently pack it in
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Turn the cup upside down over a serving plate and gently tap it to release the mound of pilafi
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Add 1-2 chicken thighs to the plate and pour some of the tomato sauce on top
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Add okra to the plate and a generous dollop of thick Greek yoghurt
Kali Orexi!
Recipe Video