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Foti’s Karkaletso

A wholesome and delicious dish of chicken, sauerkraut and rice, enhanced with smoked paprika. This recipe originates from Argos Orestiko in Kastoria, Greece and is shared by our guest Foti Vassiliadis.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: chicken, greekrecipe, sauerkraut, smoked paprika, winterdish
Ingredients
For the Karkaletso you will need…
  • 100 g salted butter
  • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 8 chicken chops
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1.4 kg sauerkraut partially drained
  • 1 - 1 ½ cups medium grain rice
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
Preparing the Karkaletso
  1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot on medium-high heat
  2. Add the onions and cook till translucent
  3. Add the chicken pieces. Lightly brown them on both sides
  4. Add the paprika, mix and cook through a little
  5. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil; then reduce and simmer for half an hour
  6. Add the sauerkraut. Raise the heat to bubbling and then reduce to a simmer for a further 10-15 minutes
  7. Add the rice. Raise the heat to bubbling and then reduce to a simmer and continue to cook until the rice is cooked through
  8. Test for salt and season to taste
Serving the Karkaletso
  1. Serve the karkaletso warm with a few good turns of cracked pepper, a drizzle of EVOO and a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt. For some extra zing, you can squeeze some lemon juice on it too!
  2. 6-8 servings

Recipe Video

Key Points
  • Chicken chops are also known as ‘chicken thighs with bones’
  • The sauerkraut will have salt in it, so depending on your seasoning preference, you may or may not want to add additional salt
  • If the fluids are completely reduced and the rice hasn’t cooked through yet, add ½ cup of boiled water at a time and continue to simmer the dish till the rice has cooked. You may need to adjust your salt seasoning with the addition of extra water
  • Depending on how dry or brothy you would like the dish to be, you can adjust the rice quantity to achieve your preference. Use 1 cup of rice if you prefer a brothy dish or 1 ½ cups of rice if you prefer a ‘drier’ dish
  • You can easily switch out the sauerkraut for finely sliced fresh cabbage, if you want a less acidic finish to this dish
  • Recipe can be halved easily too