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Youvetsi with chicken in pure comfort food. Tender chicken and wonderful orzo baked in a rich tomato based sauce.
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4.95 from 17 votes

Youvetsi with chicken

Youvetsi with chicken in pure comfort food. Tender chicken and wonderful orzo baked in a rich tomato based sauce.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Greek
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 691kcal
Author: Helen Bitzas

Equipment

  • 1 large frying pan
  • 1 15 inch diameter round roasting pan or a large rectangular roasting pan (14 x 10 inch)

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • 1/4 cup Greek olive oil
  • 2 3/4 cups tomato sauce, or tomato juice
  • 7 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 500 grams orzo
  • 1/4 cup mizithra cheese (or a combination of parmesan and romano) optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan so that you can brown the chicken pieces.  Oil should be approximately 1/4 inch deep in pan.
    8 chicken thighs, 8 chicken drumsticks, vegetable oil for frying
  • Prior to placing chicken in frying pan, remove any excess fat and overhanging skin.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon over all the chicken pieces, on all sides. Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
    1 lemon, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
  • Fry chicken pieces until all sides are nicely browned, approximately 5 – 7 minutes per side (remember, you are not cooking the chicken through, simply frying the skin).
  • Once all of the chicken is browned, transfer the pieces to a baking pan. I used a round roasting pan which was approximately 15 inches in diameter.
  • To the pan add olive oil, tomato sauce, and boiling water.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.
    1/4 cup Greek olive oil, 2 3/4 cups tomato sauce, or tomato juice, 7 1/2 cups boiling water, 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Place in bottom rack of oven and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes
  • Carefully remove the pan from the oven and add the uncooked orzo.  Stir carefully.  Return pan to oven.
    500 grams orzo
  • After 10 minutes, carefully stir the orzo in the pan as it will have a tendency to stick to the bottom.  I found that the easiest way to do this was with a spatula (easy to scrape up the orzo pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan), using an oven mitt, while the pan was still in the oven.  Alternatively you can place the pan onto the stove top, mix, and then return to the oven. Repeat this every 5 minutes for the next 15 minutes.
  • The total cooking time after adding the orzo should be 25 minutes.
  • If at any point after adding the orzo, your meal appears too dry, you can add a bit of boiling water and mix well.
  • Remove from oven, let cool slightly and serve.
  • I love to sprinkle our serving with mizithra cheese; this is optional, but highly recommended :)
    1/4 cup mizithra cheese (or a combination of parmesan and romano)
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Note that the nutritional facts do not include the optional cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 691kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 801mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 303IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg