Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken

This is the sort of food I love in Greece, What Debbie Major, who works with me, calls 'a rustic, throw-it-together dish.' The more I watched cooks there, the more I was filled with an obvious thought.: that cooking shouldn't be difficult. They seem to cook just like breathing. Thrown-together such dishes may appear, but their ingredients are always perfectly balanced. This is a sweet and aromatic mix of sun-dried tomato, onion, oregano, cinnamon and chillies; best served with the rice-shaped pasta known to us by its Italian name, orzo.

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken Recipe (Serves 4)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)

Ingredients

• 1 x 2-kg free-range chicken
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 60 g sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 500 g vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 400-g can chopped tomatoes
• 7.5-cm piece cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A generous pinch of crushed dried chillies
• 150 ml chicken stock
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Season the inside of the chicken. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole., add the chicken and brown it on all sides over a medium heat.
2. Remove the chicken to a plate, add the remaining oil and the onion to the casserole and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh or canned tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, dried chili flakes, chicken stock, 1 tsp of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, replace the chicken and cover the casserole with some foil and a tight-fitting lid.
3. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is very tender.
4. When the chicken is cooked, and the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear, life it into a carving board, cover it tightly with foil and leave it to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes. Skim the excess fat from the surface of the sauce, place the casserole over a medium heat and leave to simmer vigorously until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce, stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning to taste. Carve the chicken. Spoon some of the sauce onto 4 warmed plates and place the chicken on top.
6. Serve with orzo, rice or crusty bread.