Kokkinisto is the ultimate Greek comfort food and couldn’t be easier to make. Kokkinisto translates to reddened, which accurately describe how this sauce appears. You’ll love my version of this Greek chicken in tomato sauce, with an easy step by step recipe to follow below.

I recently got back from Greece where I was co-hosting a culinary retreat on the island of Andros. It was such an amazing opportunity to be able to cook and share my Cypriot heritage with others and teach a few family favourite recipes, including this Greek chicken in tomato sauce!

In Greek this dish is called kotopoulo kokkinisto, which translates to reddened chicken. It is such a comforting dish, and one that’s full of nostaglia for me. The flavours just make me think of my Cypriot granny’s cooking. It’s also incredibly quick and easy to make, the chicken takes next to no time at all to cook, which makes it perfect for a wholesome and delicious weeknight dinner.

Traditionally you are likely to find kokkinisto served alongside pasta or rice, and I personally love to pair this with hilopites, which is a type of egg pasta commonly found throughout Greece.

The perfect finishing touch is a sprinkling of mizithra or anari cheese, or alternatively even some finely grated halloumi (that’s the Cypriot in me speaking!) if you can’t find the former options.

I hope you love this one, and if you make it please leave a review below to let me know how you found it.

A close up photo of chicken thighs simmering in a tomato sauce, with bay leaves, all spice and cinnamon.

Ingredients

1 kg skin on, bone-in chicken pieces thighs, a whole bird broken down or drumsticks – whatever you like
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion finely diced
3 garlic cloves minced
150 ml dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon bark or cinnamon stick
5 all spice berries whole
20 black peppercorns whole
800 g canned chopped tomatoes
100 g mizithra or anari cheese to serve

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Start by patting the chicken pieces dry and seasoning with some salt.
Heat the olive oil over medium in a large pot, and add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook for around 5 minutes or until the skin is golden, then turn and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.

Depending on the size of your pot, you may want to do this in batches so the pan isn't overcrowded.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside, then add the diced onions and sauté until translucent – a few minutes
Add the minced garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.
Then deglaze with the white wine and reduce by half, before adding the all spice berries, peppercorns, bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
Allow the spices to cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and season with some salt to taste.
Nestle the chicken back in and add enough water to just cover.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes partially covered.
Serve with your favourite pasta – simply cook the pasta until al dente, then spoon over the sauce and place a piece of chicken on top.

If you want to serve this family style (on a platter), remove the chicken from the pan, add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix, then serve on a platter with the chicken placed on top.

Sprinkle over grated mizithra or anari cheese to serve.

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Greek chicken in tomato sauce (kotopoulo kokkinisto)