Baked Chicken With Okra And Tomatoes (Kotopoulo me Bamies in Greek) is a delicious summer dish that even those who dislike okra tend to enjoy! In this recipe, okra is firm yet soft to the bite, not mushy and slimy. And combined with the chicken results in a delicious and filling meal.

Table Of Contents

Fresh Or Frozen Okra?
What Does Okra Taste Like?
Preparing Okra
The Chicken
How To Make
Serve With
Recipe

Fresh Or Frozen Okra?

You can use both! Greek chicken with okra is a dish best made during the warmer months of the year. This means June and July mostly when fresh okra is in its prime season. And when you can also find some sweet and ripe tomatoes for this dish.

You can, of course, make this dish any time during the year by using frozen okra and canned tomatoes. Use the whole canned tomatoes and pulse them in a blender or food processor. You will need 1 (400-gram/ 14-oz) tin.

What Does Okra Taste Like?

Okra tastes like green beans and peppers combined into one. It's a delicious vegetable that gets undermined due to the slime it releases when cooked. There are ways to avoid this though and enjoy this really healthy vegetable!

Preparing Okra

When okra comes into contact with heat and a neutral pH liquid it will soften, open, and release slime. To avoid this, you have to pre-cook/marinate okra with something very acidic like vinegar (lemon juice works too).

To Prepare Fresh Okra: First, trim the stem in a cylindrical fashion. Do not cut and remove it. Second, rinse and drain. Spread on a sheet pan and drizzle with plenty of vinegar and some salt. Toss to mix well and then place in a warm place to sit for about 1 hour.

In Greece, this is traditionally done under the hot sun. But you can also do this inside a warm oven. Not warmer than 40°C / 105°F. Then cook the okra as instructed on step 6 of the recipe.

To Prepare Frozen Okra: Thaw in a big bowl with cold water. Then drain in a strainer. Heat a non-stick frying pan and toss in the okra. No need to add any oil. All we want is to drain the okra at this point. Pour in some vinegar and cook until it drains completely. When stirring okra in the beginning you may see some strings of slime. The more it drains the more these will go away.

The Chicken

I'm using a whole chicken (actually half of a whole chicken) weighing about 1300 grams. Or you can use a whole small chicken weighing about 1500 grams.

Cut the chicken into quarters and roast for a couple of minutes before adding the remaining ingredients to the pan. You can also make this recipe using only drumsticks or just chicken thighs.

It's best made with bone-in chicken but if you want to use chicken breasts skip the pre-roasting step. And add to the pan together with the potatoes, okra, and the tomato sauce.

How To Make

Here's how to make baked chicken with okra and tomatoes...

Step 1). Roast the chicken for about 15 minutes.

Step 2). Prepare the okra as mentioned above.

Step 3). Make the tomato sauce, by sauteing onion and garlic. Then add tomato paste and fresh grated tomatoes.

Step 4). Add the potatoes, okra, and chopped parsley to the baking pan containing the chicken.

Step 5). Spread the sauce on top and pour some water into the pan from the side.

Step 6). Cover and bake for about an hour. I cover the pan with parchment paper and then add 1-2 pieces of aluminum foil on top to secure in place.

Step 7). Uncover and bake for 20-30 minutes longer.

Serve With

A big piece of salty feta cheese is what we serve with Bamies (okra) in Greece. You can also cube some Kasseri cheese and toss it in the pan for about 5 minutes before taking the food out of the oven. It will melt and add a delicious cheesy goodness to the dish.

As for side dishes, a Saganaki with Feta cheese, or a Saganaki with Kefalotyri or Graviera cheese go best!

Recipe