Why You’ll Love This this Rustic Greek Chicken & Peppers
This rustic Greek chicken practically cooks itself while you binge-watch your favorite show, filling your kitchen with the most incredible aromas of cinnamon, allspice, and garlic that’ll have your neighbors wondering what magic you’re working over there.
The tender chicken falls apart at the touch of a fork, swimming in a rich, spiced tomato sauce that’s begging to be soaked up with crusty bread, because honestly, wasting even a drop of this sauce should be illegal.
It’s the kind of one-pot wonder that makes you look like a culinary genius when really all you did was throw everything together and let time do the heavy lifting.
Ingredients List
This traditional Greek recipe calls for simple, wholesome ingredients that transform into something absolutely magical when they simmer together.
- 6 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 3 lbs skinless chicken breast halves, obvious fat removed
- 3 large onions, halved and sliced (vidalias are very good in this)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 large bell peppers, peeled, seeded, halved and sliced
- Coarse salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-2 small hot red pepper (dried or fresh)
- 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
The beauty of this dish lies in its naturally healthy profile – lean chicken breast provides plenty of protein while the colorful bell peppers pack in vitamins A and C.
Those warm spices like cinnamon and allspice aren’t just flavor powerhouses, they’re loaded with antioxidants that your body will thank you for.
Sure, there’s butter involved, but when you’re feeding a crowd with 3 pounds of chicken, 6 tablespoons spread across the whole dish isn’t going to break anyone’s health goals.
The tomatoes and peppers give you a solid serving of vegetables, so you’re basically getting a complete meal that happens to taste like comfort food heaven.
Step by Step Directions
This rustic Greek chicken dish requires patient simmering to achieve its signature tender texture and rich, aromatic sauce.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Sear the chicken pieces in batches until lightly browned on all sides (7 to 8 minutes) and reserve.
- Add another tablespoon of butter and cook the onions, garlic and bell pepper, stirring, over medium heat until softened (about five minutes).
- Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the allspice, ground cloves, cinnamon, hot pepper(s) and diced tomatoes.
- Add enough water to barely cover chicken.
- Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chicken is very tender and the sauce is thick (about one and a half hours).
- Swirl in the remaining butter and serve hot with lots of bread to soak up the sauce.
For best results, use professional stainless steel cookware which provides even heat distribution and superior temperature control for this slow-simmered dish.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make it heartier – Toss in some quartered potatoes during the last 45 minutes of cooking. They’ll soak up all those gorgeous flavors and make this more of a complete meal.
- Herb additions – A handful of fresh oregano or parsley stirred in at the end brightens everything up.
Sometimes simple dishes just need that little pop of freshness.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This dish practically begs for some good crusty bread to mop up every last drop of that incredible sauce.
• Greek village bread or crusty sourdough** – Something with a sturdy crust that won’t fall apart when you’re doing some serious sauce-soaking**.
I’m talking about the kind of bread that makes that satisfying crunch when you tear into it.
• Simple rice pilaf or orzo – Plain white rice works too, but pilaf adds a little more character.
The grains catch all those beautiful spices and tomato bits that might otherwise escape.
• Greek-style roasted potatoes – Toss some potato wedges with olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano, then roast them while your chicken simmers.
They’ll be ready right when everything else is.
• A basic village salad** – Just tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and feta with good olive oil** and vinegar.
Sometimes you need something cool and crisp to balance all that rich, warming goodness.
• Steamed green beans or broccoli – Look, someone’s got to eat their vegetables, and something simple and green makes the whole plate look more complete.
Plus, those veggies will taste amazing with a little of that spiced sauce drizzled over them.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
This recipe is pretty forgiving, but there are a few tricks that’ll take it from good to absolutely incredible.
- Don’t skip the searing step – I know it’s tempting to just throw everything in the pot, but browning that chicken first creates layers of flavor that you simply can’t get any other way. Those little browned bits stuck to the bottom? That’s pure gold.
- Peel those peppers if you have time – The recipe calls for peeled bell peppers, and while it’s a bit of extra work, it makes the final dish so much more elegant. Just char them over a gas flame or under the broiler until the skin blistens, then steam them in a bag for 10 minutes. The skins slip right off.
- Go easy on the salt at first – This dish reduces down quite a bit during that long simmer, so what tastes perfectly seasoned at the beginning might be way too salty at the end. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back.
- Let it rest before serving – Give this dish about 10 minutes to settle after cooking. The flavors meld together, the sauce thickens up just a touch more, and everything gets happy together.
- Taste and adjust the spices – That combination of allspice, cloves, and cinnamon is what makes this dish special, but spices lose potency over time. If yours have been sitting in the cabinet since the last presidential election, you might need a little extra.
- Save some pasta water if you’re serving with orzo – A splash of that starchy water can help bind everything together beautifully.
Nutritional Facts
This hearty Greek dish delivers impressive nutritional value while keeping calories reasonable for such a satisfying meal.
Per Serving (serves 6):
- Calories: 320-350
- Protein: 45-50g
- Carbohydrates: 12-15g
- Fat: 10-12g
- Fiber: 3-4g
- Sodium: 180-220mg (varies with added salt)
- Vitamin C: 120% Daily Value (from bell peppers)
- Vitamin A: 25% Daily Value
- Iron: 8% Daily Value
- Potassium: 650mg
Notable Health Benefits:
- High-quality lean protein from chicken breast supports muscle maintenance
- Antioxidant-rich bell peppers provide immune-boosting vitamin C
- Anti-inflammatory spices like cinnamon and cloves offer metabolic benefits
- Lycopene from tomatoes supports heart health
- Low in saturated fat when skin is removed from chicken
- Naturally gluten-free for those with dietary restrictions
- Rich in B-vitamins from chicken, supporting energy metabolism
The long, slow cooking method helps break down tough fibers while preserving nutrients, making this both a comforting and nourishing meal.
Fun “Did You Know?”
Have you ever wondered why this traditional dish from Epirus uses such an unusual spice combination? I find it fascinating that allspice, cloves, and cinnamon reflect the region’s history as a crossroads between East and West.
These warming spices weren’t native to Greece but arrived through ancient trade routes connecting Europe with Asia and Africa.
What’s really interesting is that Epirus shepherds originally created this dish using wild game instead of chicken. They’d cook whatever protein they caught with foraged peppers and preserved tomatoes.
The spice blend helped mask any gamey flavors while adding aromatic depth that made simple ingredients feel luxurious.
