Greek Chicken (or Lamb)

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 (2 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into serving pieces (see below for suggestions on using lamb)
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sherry wine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups uncooked rice

Recipe

• 1 wipe chicken dry and sprinkle with salt& pepper.
• 2 melt butter in a dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces on all sides; remove and set aside.
• 3 to the same pot, add onions and garlic and saute until onions are soft; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and cinnamon, then stir in sherry.
• 4 return the chicken to the dutch oven and correct seasonings with the salt& pepper.
• 5 simmer for 25 minutes, adding hot water as needed, until chicken is tender (you do want this saucy as you will need a cup of sauce for the rice, plus extra to pour over the finished dish).
• 6 (if you are using lamb, depending on the cut, cook longer as needed until the lamb is tender).
• 7 remove from the heat.
• 8 in another pot, combine the chicken broth with 1 cup water and 1 cup tomato sauce in which the chicken was cooked; bring to a boil, add the rice, salt lightly, and stir.
• 9 cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes (do not uncover during cooking).
• 10 remove the rice from the heat, stir gently with a fork and cover, and let stand a few more minutes.
• 11 while the rice is standing, if you wish, reheat the chicken.
• 12 to serve, pack the cooked rice into demitasse cups or teacups and unmold with the chicken on warmed plates.
• 13 pour more sauce over the chicken and rice.
• 14 if needed, arrange any remaining chicken and rice on a platter and pour more sauce over all.
• 15 notes: i've used shoulder lamb chops, lamb stew, and shanks, but my favorite was to sometimes get a thick slice (about 1 1/2") from the leg or shoulder from a butcher; it made almost a potted lamb roast that way and was delicious sliced up and served in the same manner as the chicken.