kotópoulo me araká #lathera
Winter time calls for heart warming dishes and I cannot think of anything better than latherá. There is a pot of chicken thighs with peas bubbling on the hob, kotópoulo me araká.
Head straight to the recipe.
There is something extremely cosy and heart-warming listening to the pot slowly bubbling away on the hob. Especially in the short days of winter, slow cooking seems even more suited to any day of the week. Lathera, means cooking with olive oil and there is a family of dishes, for both winter and summer that form the core of Greek family cooking.
Chicken and peas normally go well with dill, it’s a classic Greek seasoning. Sometimes I do it this way, sometimes I don’t. I recently favour star anise. I make sure the star shaped pod is always in my cupboards and this time it went into my one-pot.
Star anise is a great match with poultry as its sweet flavour complements it and gives a delicate aroma. If you find it too strong, you can try aniseed as a substitute.
Simple dishes need not be simplistic. For this one-pot, make sure to give your chicken thighs a good browning first and then allow everything else to come into the pot and a slow simmer. For the peas, please don’t rush them in. A mistake we so hastily and unforgivingly make. Add them towards the end. Garden peas, fresh or frozen cook at no time and quick cooking times keep them firm on your fork.
Chicken thighs with peas in a pot
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- 1 large onion chopped
- 250 gr chantonnay carrots peeled
- 300 gr frozen peas
- 400 gr chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 star anise
- ½ teaspoon of honey
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat up just a bit of olive oil and add the chichen thighs to cook until golden.
- Remove browned chicken thighs and add in fresh olive oil, the onion allow to sweat and follow by adding in the tomato paste, minced garlic and star anise.
- Return the chicken on the hob with the sauce base, add in the chopped tomatoes and enough warm water to cover. Bring to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer.
- After about 40 minutes, season with salt and pepper and add in the chantonnay carrots and peas; allow to simmer for another five to ten minutes until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.
- Before serving, add an extra spoon of fresh olive oil and if you wish you can finish it off with a few sprigs of fresh dill.
Latherá dishes such as this chicken thighs and peas pot, are best enjoyed with a fresh loaf of bread. Dive in with your little bread morcels and mop up all the sauce.
From London with love,
Eugenia
by 
Brilliant idea for this time of year! Will pin.
Brilliant idea for this time of year ! Will pin
It’s one of the best for this weather! Do enjoy! ??
This is one of my favourite Greek dishes!!
You are not alone! ?☺️
This is fabulous. I love chicken thighs so much but I use them rarely because my husband only wants breast meat. But sometimes I sneak them in… and he eats them! Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Thanks so much for your kind words Mimi! Thighs are so tasty! Maybe you can try sneak these in too! ☺️☺️