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Braised chicken with Cretan wine, herbs, and olive oil. Sunday cooking from the mountain villages.
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ingredients
•
🥩 MEAT
•
1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs), cut into 8 pieces
🍷 PANTRY
•
1.5 cups dry red wine (Cretan if possible)
•
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
•
2 tbsp tomato paste
•
Olive oil
🧅 PRODUCE
•
1 large onion, finely chopped
•
4 garlic cloves, minced
•
2 bay leaves
🌿 SPICES & SEASONING
•
1 cinnamon stick
•
4 whole cloves
•
1 tsp dried oregano
•
1 tsp dried thyme
•
Salt
•
Black pepper
Crete
Cretan Chicken with Wine
Chicken braised in white wine with herbs and olives.
Braised chicken with Cretan wine, herbs, and olive oil. Sunday cooking from the mountain villages.
Ingredients
🥩 MEAT
— 1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs), cut into 8 pieces
— 🍷 PANTRY
— 1.5 cups dry red wine (Cretan if possible)
— 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
— 2 tbsp tomato paste
— Olive oil
🧅 PRODUCE
— 1 large onion, finely chopped
— 4 garlic cloves, minced
— 2 bay leaves
🌿 SPICES & SEASONING
— 1 cinnamon stick
— 4 whole cloves
— 1 tsp dried oregano
— 1 tsp dried thyme
— Salt
— Black pepper
Prep
🍳 EQUIPMENT / PANS NEEDED
— Large wide Dutch oven or heavy pot — needs to hold all chicken pieces.
🔪 PREP FIRST
🥩 CHICKEN PREP
— Pat chicken pieces completely dry.
— Season all over with salt and pepper.
🧅 PRODUCE PREP
— Finely chop onion.
— Mince garlic.
Method
STEP 1 — SEAR THE CHICKEN
— Heat pot over high heat.
— Add:
— 3 tbsp olive oil
— Sear chicken skin-side down first.
— Cook 4–5 minutes until deeply golden.
— Flip and sear other side 2 minutes.
— Work in batches — do not crowd.
— Remove and set aside.
STEP 2 — BUILD THE BASE
— Reduce heat to medium.
— Add onion, cook 6 minutes until soft.
— Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
— Add:
— 2 tbsp tomato paste
— Cook 2 minutes until darkened.
STEP 3 — DEGLAZE
— Add:
— 1.5 cups red wine
— Scrape up all browned bits.
— Simmer 3 minutes.
STEP 4 — BRAISE
— Add:
— Crushed tomatoes
— Cinnamon stick
— Whole cloves
— Bay leaves
— Oregano and thyme
— 1 tsp salt
— Return chicken to pot.
— Cover and simmer on low 35–40 minutes.
— You're looking for:
— Chicken cooked through — juices run clear
— Sauce thick and deeply colored
— Spices fragrant throughout
STEP 5 — FINISH
— Remove cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves.
— Taste and adjust salt.
— Drizzle with olive oil before serving.
Chef's Note: Use a wine you'd drink. The Cretan character of this dish comes from the wine — a flat or sour wine makes a flat sauce.