This Greek-inspired Cinnamon Chicken Stew is one of the coziest weeknight dinners! Seared chicken thighs simmer in a rich tomato sauce until they’re fall-apart tender. Served over pasta or rice for a easy, flavorful meal in less than 45 minutes.
How to Make Cinnamon Chicken Stew
Classic Greek Chicken Kapama is traditionally made by braising a whole chicken in a fragrant tomato sauce for several hours until it’s falling off the bone. For this weeknight-friendly version, I swapped in boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Still super flavorful, but ready in a fraction of the time.
You’ll want to start by taking the chicken thighs out of the package and sprinkling them with kosher salt. Let that sit for about 10 minutes. This is going to allow the salt to displace some of the water in the chicken, making it even more tender and flavorful.
Next, rub ground cinnamon on both sides of each thigh. Sear them in a bit of olive oil to allow the cinnamon to bloom and release it’s flavor. Take the chicken out of the pan and make the tomato sauce.
The sauce is simple: just sauté an onion and a few garlic cloves until fragrant. Add your seasonings, tomato paste and a just a little sugar to enhance the flavor of the tomato. Deglaze the pan with red wine and pour in a can of crushed tomatoes. Bring everything back up to a boil before nestling in those seared chicken thighs. Let everything simmer over low heat for about half an hour until the sauce is thick and chicken is falling apart.
What to Serve with Cinnamon Chicken
While the cinnamon chicken simmers, I like to get a pot of water boiling for pasta. The shape you see in the photos is called cavatelli and it does a wonderful job of scooping up thick sauces. Other short-cut pastas like orzo, fusili and orecchiette would also work well. Whatever shape you choose, make sure to add plenty of salt to the water and immediately toss the pasta with olive oil after draining to prevent it from clumping.
If you’re looking for a healthier option, brown or white rice would also go nicely with Cinnamon Stewed Chicken!.
Also, this is one of those recipes that tastes even better once the flavors have a chance to meld, so it’s a great make-ahead meal. If you have any leftovers, simply refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat over low heat in a sauce pan with a little chicken broth until warmed through. The microwave also works if you’re in a hurry, but I find it messes with the texture a bit.
More Chicken Recipes to Try:
- One Skillet Pesto Chicken and Orzo
- Grilled Pesto Chicken Wraps
- Burst Cherry Tomato Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Salad
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Cinnamon Chicken Stew
This Greek-inspired Cinnamon Chicken Stew is one of the coziest weeknight dinners! Seared chicken thighs simmer in a rich tomato sauce until they’re fall-apart tender. Served over pasta or rice for a easy, flavorful meal in less than 45 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Cooked pasta or rice for serving
Instructions
- Remove the chicken thighs from their package and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Rub the chicken thighs with the cinnamon so they’re coated on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded pot over medium heat. When shimmering, add the chicken thighs and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the onions to the pot and sauté over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, sugar, oregano, cloves and tomato paste. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any caramelized bits on the bottom. Turn the heat up to let the alcohol cook off then add in the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, nestle in the chicken thighs and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
- Serve over cooked pasta or rice with a garnish of chopped parsley.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 521Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 208mgSodium: 488mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 47g
All nutritional info is an estimation
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