Pastitsada is a traditional Greek dish of chicken cooked in a flavorful, spiced tomato sauce. The chicken is served over hollowed pasta (Macaroni), which is tossed in the sauce to absorb it.
What Is Pastitsada?
Greek Pastitsada is a traditional, local dish from the island of Corfu. With its origins coming from Italy. The heart of the dish is the fragrant spice mixture that's used in the sauce.
This spice mixture is called Spetsiotiko. And it's a flavorful, ultra-fragrant mix made of the following spices: allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and red pepper (usually sweet red pepper and a small amount of hot red pepper).
The sauce is very concentrated, traditionally made with only tomato paste and red wine for a bold flavor and deep red color. Another characteristic of this dish is the pasta mixed into the sauce to serve with it.
Pastitsada is served with macaroni (as we call it in Greek) or Pastitsio noodles (also used in making the popular Greek Pastitsio). It's a hollow pasta, like a larger bucatini.
Chicken To Use
The original recipe for Pastitsada uses a free-range rooster. This results in a truly hearty, oily sauce (because it's pretty fatty). You can, of course, make it with plain chicken, and if you like more of the original flavor, a free-range one.
Cut the chicken into 8 pieces or ask your butcher to do it for you. If you want to use specific chicken parts, like legs, thighs, or drumsticks, you can certainly do so. As long as it's bone-in chicken.
Pasta Substitutes
If you want to serve this delicious chicken in tomato sauce with a pasta other than Macaroni-Pastitsio, you can use Bucatini, Penne, or even Elbow Macaroni. Ideally, a hollow pasta to absorb the sauce well.
TIPS
- Pat-dry the chicken so it sears properly.
- Sear the chicken well. We use plenty of olive oil to sear the chicken so the skin gets golden and slightly crispy. If it browns here and there its even better. This will give the sauce a strong flavor.
- The key to a hearty, flavorful sauce lies in caramelizing onions. Sauté the onions until they look almost caramelized.
- Also, sautéing the tomato paste reduces its acidity and brings out a caramelized sweetness.
- Use double-concentrated tomato paste or tomato puree. Otherwise, the sauce will be too thin. If it's not double-concentrated, you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two.
- Slow-cook the chicken in the sauce, covered, over low heat. Gentle heat helps it become very tender.
- Let the sauce thicken; don't rush it. Once the chicken is cooked, raise the heat slightly and partly cover the pot. Cook until the sauce reduces to a thick, stew-like consistency. Moreover, you can remove the chicken from the pot, cover it to keep warm, and thicken the sauce further.
Storing
If you plan to have leftovers of this chicken in sauce, it's best not to mix all the pasta with the sauce at once. Mix the pasta with the sauce when you are ready to serve; store them separately until then.
It would be even better if you cook the chicken in tomato sauce ahead of time and cook the pasta when ready to serve. And even use a splash of the pasta water to reheat the sauce, before mixing in the pasta.
You can store this chicken in tomato sauce in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Serve With
Serve this traditional chicken pasta with a sharp and salty Greek cheese such as Kefalotyri or Kefalograviera. If you cannot find any of those two, then Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese is similar in flavor. You can even serve it with crumbled feta cheese.
Recipe
Greek Chicken Pasta in Sauce - Pastitsada
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 kg (3.3 - 4.4 pounds) whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
- 250 grams (1 very large or two small) onions minced
- 2 large garlic cloves skin on for subtler flavor
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) red wine
- 2 loaded tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 700 ml hot water or chicken/ vegetable stock
- 500 grams (17 ounce) Pastitsio Pasta No.2 or Bucatini pasta
- Kefalotyri, Kefalograviera, or Pecorino Romano cheese to serve with
For The Spice Mix:
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or hot red pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅔ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Pat-dry the chicken with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine all the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a cooking pot.
- Sear the chicken in two batches over high heat. Let the chicken sear well, especially on the skin, and allow it to crisp and brown slightly. Remove from the cooking pot and set aside.
- Saute the onion until almost caramelized over medium-low heat.
- Add the garlic cloves and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot. Add the bay leaves.
- Return the chicken to the pot. Cook for 2 minutes or until it no longer smells of alcohol.
- Sprinkle with the spice mix and pour in the hot water or stock. Shake and tilt the pot to help everything combine. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Simmer covered over low heat for an hour.
- Uncover partly and simmer for about 20 minutes, raising the heat slightly, until the sauce thickens. NOTE: It won't be a thick pasta sauce, but a stew-like sauce. If the sauce is still too thin but the chicken is starting to stick to the bottom, you can carefully remove the chicken from the pot and keep it aside covered while you thicken the sauce on its own.
- Boil the pasta in salted water for 1 minute less than the package instructions state. Drain for 2-3 minutes in a strainer. Then return the pasta to the hot pot.
- Ladle most of the sauce (leaving a small amount to serve over the chicken) into the pasta and over low heat, stir and cook for a minute to help the macaroni absorb it.
- Serve the pasta with the chicken on top coated with the remaining sauce. Top with freshly ground pepper and plenty of grated cheese.
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