Balkan Kajmak Chicken with Roasted Peppers and Potatoes 🍗✨

Description

Balkan Kajmak Chicken with Roasted Peppers and Potatoes is a rich, rustic main dish with golden chicken thighs, soft potatoes, sweet roasted peppers, garlic, paprika, herbs, and a creamy kajmak-style finish. It is hearty, saucy, deeply homemade, and perfect for a Balkan family table with bread, salad, and something pickled on the side.
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Hook ✨
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Golden chicken, roasted peppers, soft potatoes, garlic, paprika, herbs, and creamy kajmak melt into a bold Balkan main dish made for sharing. 🔥

Ingredients

• Chicken and potatoes 🍗
• 🍗 900 g chicken thighs, bone-in or boneless (2 lb)
• 🥔 750 g waxy potatoes, cut into chunks (4½ cups / 1.65 lb)
• 🌶️ 350 g roasted red peppers, sliced (2 cups / 12.3 oz)
• 🧅 220 g onion, sliced (2 cups / 7.8 oz)
• 🧄 5 garlic cloves, minced (5 cloves / 0.9 oz)
• 🫒 45 ml olive oil (3 tbsp / 1.5 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 7 g sweet paprika (2½ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🌫️ 2 g smoked paprika (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🧂 8 g fine sea salt (1½ tsp / 0.28 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🌿 2 g dried oregano (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🍃 2 bay leaves
• ‌
• Sauce 🍅
• 🍅 250 g crushed tomatoes (1 cup / 8.8 oz)
• 🍅 25 g tomato paste (1½ tbsp / 0.9 oz)
• 💧 220 ml chicken stock (1 cup minus 1 tbsp / 7.4 fl oz)
• 🍋 15 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• ‌
• Kajmak-style finish ✨
• 🥛 120 g kajmak, or thick sour cream as substitute (½ cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🥛 60 g Greek yogurt (¼ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🌿 20 g fresh parsley, chopped (½ cup loose / 0.7 oz)
• 🫒 10 ml olive oil for finishing (2 tsp / 0.3 fl oz)
• 🌶️ 1 pinch sweet paprika for topping

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Season the chicken 🍗
2. ‌
3. Pat the chicken dry. Season with salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, and 20 ml olive oil (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz). Rest for 10 min.
4. ‌
5. 2️⃣ Brown the chicken 🔥
6. ‌
7. Heat 25 ml olive oil (1 tbsp + 2 tsp / 0.85 fl oz) in a wide oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 4 min per side, then remove to a plate.
8. ‌
9. 3️⃣ Build the base 🧅
10. ‌
11. Add onion to the same pan and cook for 6 min until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste, then cook for 1 min so the flavor deepens.
12. ‌
13. 4️⃣ Add potatoes and peppers 🥔
14. ‌
15. Add potatoes, roasted peppers, crushed tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, and lemon juice. Stir gently until the potatoes are coated in the red paprika sauce.
16. ‌
17. 5️⃣ Return the chicken 🍗
18. ‌
19. Place the browned chicken on top of the potatoes and peppers. Spoon a little sauce over the chicken so the top stays glossy.
20. ‌
21. 6️⃣ Bake covered 🔥
22. ‌
23. Cover with foil or a lid and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35 min, until the potatoes begin to soften and the chicken cooks through.
24. ‌
25. 7️⃣ Finish uncovered ✨
26. ‌
27. Remove the cover and bake for 18 min more, until the chicken is golden, the potatoes are tender, and the sauce is thick around the edges.
28. ‌
29. 8️⃣ Add the kajmak finish 🥛
30. ‌
31. Mix kajmak with Greek yogurt. Spoon small dollops over the hot chicken and potatoes, then return to the oven for 4 min just until creamy and slightly melted.
32. ‌
33. 9️⃣ Rest and serve 🌿
34. ‌
35. Rest for 10 min. Finish with parsley, olive oil, and a pinch of paprika. Serve warm with bread, cucumber salad, or pickled peppers.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 1 h 12 min
🛋 Rest: 20 min
⏰ Total: 1 h 52 min

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