074Chicken in tomato with hilopites

Method

Baked oven-tray style. Serve hot, dusted with plenty of grated dry mizithra or kefalotyri.

You will need

• 35 x 25 cm ceramic or metal roasting tray
• large frying pan
• wooden spoon

1. Preheat a conventional oven to 190°C (375°F). 10 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: Oven preheated.
2. Season the chicken pieces thoroughly with sea salt and black pepper. 3 min Ready when: Evenly seasoned.
3. In a wide skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken skin-side down for 6 minutes until crisp and bronze, then turn and sear 3 minutes more before transferring to a plate. 9 min Ready when: Crisp and golden skin.
4. In the same pan juices, soften the onion and garlic over medium heat for 4 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and ground allspice for 1 minute. 5 min Ready when: Aromatics fragrant and slightly caramelised.
5. Stir in the canned tomatoes and remaining olive oil, bring to a simmer, and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. 3 min Ready when: Sauce begins bubbling gently.
6. Scatter the dry hilopites across the bottom of a 35 x 25 cm baking dish, pour the boiling water over them, and stir in the tomato sauce until the pasta is evenly submerged. 2 min Ready when: Pasta distributed uniformly in hot liquid.
7. Arrange the seared chicken pieces skin-side up over the pasta and transfer uncovered to the preheated oven. 2 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: Tray safely placed on middle rack.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, giving the pasta a gentle stir halfway through without disturbing the chicken skin, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed nearly all the liquid. 28 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: Pasta tender and saucy; chicken juices run clear.
9. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes so the hilopites settle and absorb the residual broth before serving. 10 min Ready when: Sauce thickens around the pasta without drying out.

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Make ahead and storing

Best eaten freshly baked, as hilopites continue to absorb liquid and will soften as they stand.

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days; loosen with a little hot water when reheating.

Substitutions

• kritharaki (orzo) or tagliatelle broken into small lengths for Greek hilopites (small square or ribbon egg pasta). Adjust liquid slightly if using orzo, which absorbs more water.

Common mistakes

• Adding cold water to the baking dish. Cold water drops the tray temperature and turns the delicate hilopites mushy before they start cooking.
• Baking with too little liquid. Hilopites are very thirsty; without ample boiling stock, they bake dry and stick in clumped sheets.

Regional variants

• Pot-braised stovetop version popular in mountain Epirus
• Kokkinisto chicken with hilopites boiled separately and dressed with brown butter

About the dish

Kotopoulo me hilopites is an quintessential Greek family dinner across Thessaly, Epirus, and the mountainous interior. Hilopites, traditionally handmade in late summer from village flour, fresh eggs, and sheep's milk, are cut into fine shreds or tiny squares and sun-dried on clean cloths. When baked in a wide enamel pan or clay gastra, the pasta drinks in the rich tomato and chicken stock, swelling into a comforting, saucy bed for the tender golden poultry.

Found in Thessaly, Epirus, Central Greece, Macedonia. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Tavuklu erişte (Turkish). Both pair braised chicken and rich broth with traditional cut egg-noodle squares.
• Pollo al forno con tagliolini (Italian). A related Mediterranean tradition of baking poultry with fine ribbon egg pasta in a baking pan.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

1147 kcal · protein 70.1 g · fat 63.2 g (saturated 15.9 g) · carbohydrate 71.4 g (sugars 7.2 g) · fibre 5.2 g · sodium 374 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Thessalian family oven cooking, uniting summer sun-dried pasta with farmstead poultry in one comforting tray..