Chicken kokkinisto pasta bake

Chicken kokkinisto pasta bake 🍗🍅🍝 A classic family dish, kotopoulo kokkinisto, or chicken in red sauce, is normally served atop pasta that’s cooked separately. On a roll lately with my twists on Greek classics, here I turned it into a pasta bake and whoa was it delicious!

I did this out of sheer necessity because I didn’t have enough chicken to serve everyone individually... so I turned it into a pasta bake, making the chicken go farther. I didn’t expect it to turn out to be so tasty!

On another note, I’ve been quiet here on Insta for almost a week now. With school starting in this new reality, I’ve found new challenges to what is already a busy time of year. My son started kindergarten yesterday and is lucky to be going in person, but for virtual learning on campus! So he’s in a room with a dozen other kids - all masked up and on their individual iPads learning from their teacher virtually. He’s such a trooper, and didn’t bat an eyelash at wearing a mask all day. Proud mama here!

Hope you’re all well and enjoying these last few days of summer! ☀️

#RECIPE:

4 tbsp olive oil
5-6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 small onion, grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
4-6 allspice berries
18oz (500g) jar whole plum tomatoes
2/3 c (160ml) water
1 lb (500g) penne pasta
1 c grated cheese, such as graviera or manchego

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and season well with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides.
Once chicken is browned, add onion and cook till softened. Stir in tomato paste and allspice, and cook for a minute. Add tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Cook gently until chicken is nearly falling off the bone, about 30 min. Check to ensure sauce isn’t too dry, adding hot water if needed.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and boil until just shy of al dente. Drain well.
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
Once chicken is ready, remove from heat and and place chicken in a large bowl. Using tongs and a fork, remove bones and roughly chop chicken.