Chicken červiš, a Nobleman’s tea
For your reference please use this link to navigate to my page on Hercegovački červiš, a tiller’s luncheon
Chicken červiš
A while ago I introduced you to červiš, a tiller's luncheon, made with beef, tarana (a type of pasta) and flavoured with plenty of garlic and a little vinegar.Today, I will show you an upmarket' variation of this very popular Balkan dish made with chicken, choice peppers, onions, virgin olive oil and, of course, plenty of garlic.
Servings: 6
Cost: 10 USD / 8 Euro
Equipment
- large deep pan or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 500 gram chicken breast cut away the fatty parts and then into cubes
- 250 gram dried tarana Tarana is a type of pasta of which there is a detailed description in my post on; červiš, a Tiller's luncheon
- 5 large red peppers de-seeded and de-veined
- 5 large green peppers de-seeded and de-veined
- 1 medium leek carefully cleaned of all soil (Leeks are notorious for collecting grit)
- 5 medium onions cut into 8-10 pieces
- 1 bulb garlic clean the cloves and cut roughly into bits
- 3-5 tbsp olive oil always use extra virgin
- 1 tbsp oregano In case you can get your hands on some real (Greek) mountain oregano, then just a teaspoon will do
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder use the best quality, always
- 1-2 cubes chicken stock mixed with 3 cups hot water
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into small cubes
- Cut the vegetables into cubes
- Roast the vegetables in the oven dish/pan (see picture), together with the olive oil, herbs and spices for about 1/2 hour at 220°C/430°F
- Then add the chicken, the tarana (see image) and the stock. Stir well. place the lid on top and return the oven dish to the oven. This time reduce the temperature to 170°C/ 340°F and cook for an other 30-40 minutes.
- That's it! The Lord's tea is ready
Notes
By the way; This dish pares well with a glass of Chardonnay and a simple cabbage salad.
The spices I mentioned in my recipe are just basic. Feel free to be creative.
You could add tomatoes, zucchini, chorizo or sausage meat for instance.
Also try and experiment by using any spices or spice mixes you love and that go well with chicken and pasta.
Some suggestions; tarragon is always a hit with chicken but use it sparingly as this herb can be overpowering. A ready mix such as 'herbs de Provence' or a 'taco mix' may also do the trick.
Enjoy!