Kotopoulo me Krokos Kozanis

chicken braised with the deep-red PDO saffron of Kozani, white wine, lemon, and onion until golden, tender, and fragrant, the dish that celebrates Greece's own saffron in the land where the crocus was first tamed

Origin: Greece

From the journey of Saffron.

Greece is the homeland of the saffron crocus, the place where wild Crocus cartwrightianus was first selected into the cultivated Crocus sativus in the Bronze Age, and it remains, quietly, one of the world's great producers of the spice. In the plains around Kozani, in western Macedonia, a cooperative of growers has cultivated saffron since the seventeenth century, and their krokos Kozanis, protected today by a PDO, is reckoned among the purest and most intensely coloured saffron on earth. This dish puts that saffron at the centre of the plate. Chicken is browned and then braised gently with onion, white wine, a squeeze of lemon, and a generous infusion of Kozani saffron until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce is golden and deeply fragrant, the warm, honeyed, faintly metallic perfume of the saffron lifting the simple braise into something memorable. Served with rice, orzo (kritharaki), or good bread to soak up the golden sauce, kotopoulo me krokos Kozanis is a modern Greek celebration of the spice that Greece gave the world, eaten in the very landscape where the saffron crocus began.

Ingredients

The Chicken

1.2 kg chicken pieces, bone-in

The Saffron

0.5 tsp Kozani saffron threads (krokos Kozanis), steeped in 4 tbsp warm water

The Braise

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
150 ml dry white wine
1 lemon, juice of
200 ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To Serve

chopped parsley, to finish

Method

Season the chicken and brown it well in the olive oil in a heavy pan over a medium-high heat, in batches, until golden on all sides. Set aside.
Lower the heat and soften the onions in the same pan until golden and sweet, about 8 minutes, then add the garlic for a minute more.
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble and reduce by half, scraping up the browned bits from the base of the pan.
Return the chicken, add the stock, lemon juice, bay leaf, and half the saffron water, and season. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise gently for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
Stir in the remaining saffron water, uncover, and let the sauce reduce for a few minutes until lightly thickened and a glowing gold. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Discard the bay leaf, scatter with parsley, and serve hot with rice, orzo, or crusty bread.

Notes

Genuine Kozani saffron (krokos Kozanis PDO) gives the truest colour and fragrance, but any good saffron works. A spoonful of thick Greek yoghurt stirred in at the end, off the heat, makes a richer sauce. The dish is often made with a whole jointed chicken; thighs alone give the most succulent result. Bloom the saffron in warm, not boiling, water for the fullest colour and aroma.

The Gastrographer

Name: Kotopoulo me Krokos Kozanis
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greece
Ingredients: 1.2 kg chicken pieces, bone-in; 0.5 tsp Kozani saffron threads (krokos Kozanis), steeped in 4 tbsp warm water; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 150 ml dry white wine; 1 lemon, juice of; 200 ml chicken stock; 1 bay leaf; salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; chopped parsley, to finish

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control