Chicken kleftiko is Greek comfort food at its simplest: chicken breasts, feta and a pile of vegetables sealed in parchment paper with olive oil and sweet wine, then slow-baked until the chicken is meltingly tender and swimming in its own juices. This version from Culinary Flavors makes my mouth water, and I'm pretty sure it will do the same for you. I love how Katerina shares Greek history with so many of her recipes.
This recipe was contributed by Katerina Delidimou from Culinary Flavors.
What Is Kleftiko?
Kleftiko (sometimes spelled klephtiko) is a Greek method of slow-baking meat that's sealed up tight, traditionally lamb, so it cooks gently in its own steam and juices. The history of the dish goes back many, many years. Greece was under Ottoman rule for about 400 years, from 1453 until the revolution of 1821. During that period the Ottoman Empire delegated certain roles to certain people to keep control of the region: the Armatoles and the Klephts.
The Armatoles were recruited by the Ottoman government to police areas that were hard to reach or plagued by brigands. They carried guns and tried to maintain a delicate status quo with the Ottoman authorities. In direct contrast, the Klephts were anti-Ottoman insurgents, the descendants of Greeks who had retreated into the mountains to escape oppression.
Kleftiko means "in the style of the Klephts." Hiding out in the mountains, they had to cook without being discovered, so they needed tricks to eliminate any smoke and even the smell of food cooking. Their answer was to cook their meat, lamb back then, sealed inside a covered pit. Today, any meat cooked sealed in parchment paper (or wrapped up in a similar way) is called kleftiko. This chicken is wrapped in parchment and tied closed with thin kitchen twine, so it falls squarely into that category.
The result is amazingly soft and bursting with flavor, because all the juices from the chicken and the wine and olive oil stay trapped around the meat and keep it tender. At the end, ten minutes under the broiler gives the layer of vegetables on top the browned, deeper flavor they need.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless breasts of about 6 ounces each cook through in the hour without drying out, thanks to the sealed packet. Boneless thighs work too and are even more forgiving.
- Feta cheese. A slab of Greek feta on each breast softens into a salty, creamy layer. Buy it in a block packed in brine if you can; it has much more flavor than pre-crumbled feta.
- Vegetables. Tomato, green bell pepper, carrots and onion create the traditional topping and release lots of juice as they bake. Red or yellow peppers are fine if that's what you have.
- Sweet wine. Katerina uses the famous sweet Muscat wine of Samos, but any sweet white wine works. For an alcohol-free version, use chicken broth with a squeeze of lemon and a little extra sugar.
- Olive oil. A good extra-virgin olive oil adds richness and becomes part of the sauce. The recipe uses a generous, traditional amount; you can cut it in half for a lighter dish.
- Dried oregano and parsley. Greek dried oregano is the signature seasoning here, with fresh parsley on top for brightness. Fresh dill is a nice swap for the parsley.
- A little sugar. Just half a tablespoon per packet balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Leave it out if your tomatoes are very sweet.
Helpful Tips
Use plenty of parchment. Cut each sheet about 15 inches square so there's enough paper to gather up over the filling and tie closed with room to spare. A roll of unbleached parchment paper is the easiest to work with, and a small ball of cotton kitchen twine keeps each bundle sealed.
Pack the parcels snugly. Set the open packets side by side in a 9x13-inch baking dish before you pour in the wine and oil. Crowded together, they hold each other upright so no liquid spills out, and the dish catches any drips.
Spritz the paper with water. A quick spray of water on the outside of the packets before baking keeps the parchment from browning too fast on the lowest rack of the oven.
Watch the broiler closely. Once the packets are opened, ten minutes under the broiler browns the vegetables on top. Broilers vary a lot, so stay close to the oven; they can go from golden to burnt in a minute or two.
Don't skip the sauce. The liquid left in the packets is the best part. Boil it for five minutes to concentrate the flavor, and thicken it with a little cornstarch slurry if you like a glossier sauce to spoon over the chicken.
Variations
- Lamb kleftiko. Go back to the original with chunks of boneless lamb shoulder or leg. Lamb needs longer and lower cooking: bake the sealed packets at 325°F for about 3 hours, until the meat falls apart.
- Bone-in chicken thighs. Use 6 bone-in, skin-on thighs (two per packet). They stay extra juicy and need about 1 hour 15 minutes before broiling.
- With potatoes. Add a layer of thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes under the chicken in each packet for a complete one-pan dinner. Slice them thin so they're tender in the same time.
- Lemon and garlic. Tuck a few lemon slices and a sliced garlic clove into each packet for a brighter, more classic Greek flavor.
- Kasseri or graviera cheese. Swap some of the feta for a melting Greek cheese like kasseri or graviera for a gooier topping.
Serving Ideas
You can serve the kleftiko right in the opened parchment for a rustic presentation, or transfer it to a platter and spoon the reduced sauce over the top. Either way, have crusty bread or warm pita nearby to soak up the juices.
For sides, a crisp Greek salad is a natural match, and a tray of Mediterranean roasted vegetables or a simple summer orzo salad rounds out the meal. Plain rice or roasted lemon potatoes are great for catching the sauce, too.
If you like the idea of cooking in a sealed packet, try these citrusy baked orange roughy foil packets next. And for more easy oven chicken, our easy marinated baked chicken and loaded chicken and potato casserole are weeknight favorites.
Storing & Reheating
Let leftovers cool, then store the chicken, vegetables and sauce together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keeping them in the sauce stops the chicken from drying out.
To reheat, place the chicken and vegetables in a baking dish with the sauce, cover with foil and warm in a 325°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave individual portions covered, in short bursts, until hot. You can freeze cooked kleftiko in its sauce for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The vegetables will be softer after freezing, but the flavor holds up well.
More Chicken Recipes
If you loved this recipe, here are a few more chicken dinners you might enjoy:
- Honey Sesame Chicken Breast
- Ginger Lime Chicken
- Simple Grilled Chicken Halves
- Copycat Bourbon Street Chicken
Recipe
Chicken Kleftiko
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 6 oz / 170 g each
- 7 ½ oz feta cheese sliced or crumbled, divided
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 3 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon sugar divided
- ¾ cup sweet white wine such as Samos Muscat, divided
- 9 tablespoon olive oil divided (3 tablespoon per packet)
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional, for thickening the sauce
- 1 tablespoon water optional, for thickening the sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut three large sheets of parchment paper (about 15 inches square), each big enough to hold a chicken breast with its vegetables and liquid and still gather up into a sealed bundle.
- Place one chicken breast in the center of each sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each breast with ½ teaspoon of the oregano and top it with a third of the feta (about 70 g / 2 ½ oz).
- Divide the vegetables evenly between the three packets, layering them over the chicken in this order: tomato slices, green pepper, carrots and onion, then finish with the parsley. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of sugar over each.
- Set the open packets snugly side by side in a baking dish so they hold each other upright. Pour ¼ cup of wine and 3 tablespoons of olive oil into each packet, then gather the parchment up around the filling and tie each bundle tightly closed with kitchen twine.
- Lightly spritz the outside of the packets with water (this helps keep the paper from scorching) and bake on the lowest oven rack for 1 hour.
- Remove the dish from the oven and carefully open the packets, watching for hot steam. Move the oven rack to the middle position and switch the oven to broil (or raise it to 437°F / 225°C). Broil the open packets for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables on top are browned at the edges. Stay close to the oven, because the broiler can scorch the vegetables quickly.
- Carefully pour the cooking liquid from the packets into a small saucepan and boil it for 5 minutes to reduce. For a thicker sauce, whisk in the cornstarch dissolved in the water and simmer for 1 minute more.
- Check that the chicken reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter, spoon the sauce over the top and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Leave a Comment