Cypriot Chicken with Okra

A lovely Greek Cypriot recipe I collected during my travel to Cyprus.

Approximately 1 hour

40-45 minutes

180ºC

Ingredients

Sun Seasoning Okra
¼ cup of cider vinegar
1 kilo Okra
Other
1 large chicken

- jointed
1 tbs plain flour

- seasoned with salt and pepper
2 red onions

- finely chopped
1 x 425g tin chopped tomatoes
1 cup olive oil
Large handful parsley

- chopped
3 cloves of garlic

- crushed
1 cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar

- to add to the casserole & deglaze the pan
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Oil and butter for frying

Instructions

Prepare okra:
01 Trim stems, wash and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the vinegar and sea salt and leave in the sun for one hour.
Prepare chicken:
02 Dust joints in seasoned flour and seal until golden in a hot pan of melted butter and oil. Remove to one side.
Assemble:
03 Heat cup of olive oil in a large pan, add chopped onions and garlic and soften 2-3 minutes. Add okra, stir for a further 2-3 minutes before adding tomatoes and parsley. Add 1 cup of water. Bring to simmer, top with chicken pieces. Deglaze the chicken pan with cider vinegar and pour over chicken. Bake in a moderate hot oven for approximately 40-45 minutes (20 minutes with lid on, and 20 minutes + with lid off).
04 Serve hot with plenty of fresh lemon, extra parsley and farmhouse crunchy bread to mop up the juices.

Notes

Don’t skip leaving the okra out in the sunshine – a natural chemical reaction occurs between the okra and the vinegar thus preventing any stickiness. Believe me it really works!