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Kokoras krasatos
Kókoras krasátos: rooster or chicken braised in red wine with cinnamon and allspice, served over pasta
Sunday in a Peloponnese village often meant a rooster from the yard, braised for hours in the local Nemea red with tomato, cinnamon, cloves and allspice until the sauce turned deep, glossy and fragrant. It goes over thick spaghetti or hilopites with plenty of grated cheese. This dish contains red wine; for an alcohol-free version use the same amount of red grape juice with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. A supermarket chicken works well, cooked for less time. Common mistake: skipping the browning — the dark crust on the skin flavours the whole sauce. Chef's tip: let the wine bubble hard for 2 minutes before the tomato goes in, so its raw edge cooks off.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Pat 4 lb chicken or rooster pieces, bone in dry and season with ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Brown in 4 tbsp olive oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat, in batches, until the skin is deep golden. Lift out.
15 minStep 2: Lower the heat to medium, add 2 onions and cook until soft and golden, then add 3 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
8 minStep 3: Pour in 1 ¼ cups dry red wine, scrape up the browned bits and bubble hard for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste, 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 allspice berries, 3 whole cloves, 2 bay leaves, the rest of ¾ tsp salt and 1 ¼ cups hot water. Return the chicken, skin side up.
Step 5: Cover and simmer gently, turning once, until the meat is very tender and reaches 165°F by the bone: about 1 hour for chicken, up to 2 hours for a true rooster. The sauce should be thick and dark; uncover for the last 15 minutes if needed.
60 minStep 6: Meanwhile, cook 1 ⅛ lb thick spaghetti in plenty of salted water until al dente and drain.
11 minStep 7: Fish out the whole spices. Toss the pasta with a few ladles of sauce, top with the chicken and serve with 2 ⅛ oz grated kefalotyri or other hard cheese if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kokoras krasatos take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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