Rooster stifado with chestnuts, cardamom and orange

Rooster stifado with chestnuts, cardamom, and oranges is a delicious twist on a Greek classic.

Materials for four portions:

One whole rooster (2-2.5 kg)
One dry onion
Two oranges and their juice
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
100 gr. cow's butter
12 boiled chestnuts
24 onions for stifado, cleaned
One clove of garlic
One cinnamon stick
Ten cardamom seeds
150 ml dry red wine
20 gr. balsamic vinegar
200 ml vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp. cornflour
½ orange, the zest
salt, pepper

Procedure

Step 1

In a large basin with 3 litres of water, put 250 g. salt and mix with your hand until dissolved. Submerge the rooster, put a weight on top so it does not protrude from the water and leave it for 6 hours. Then, rinse the rooster and dry it. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan. Cut the onion into four thick pieces and put them together with the cups from the oranges into the rooster's belly. Season with salt and pepper inside and out, brush with olive oil and butter on the outside and cover with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour.

Step 2

Boil the chestnuts in a saucepan for 6-8 minutes. In a wide pot with olive oil and a little butter, sauté the onions, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Deglaze with red wine and vinegar. Add the stock and orange juice and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Add the boiled chestnuts and leave for another 5 minutes. Tie the sauce with the cornflour diluted in a little cold water. Remove from the heat, taste the salt and pepper, add the orange zest and sprinkle with olive oil.

Step 4

Remove the parchment paper from the rooster as it cooks, brush with a little more butter to prevent it from drying out and bake for 20 minutes at 160°C until golden. We do not cut the meat immediately to avoid losing its fluids. Serve the rooster on a large plate with the onions and chestnuts on the side.

Recipe by Fanis Maikantis. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos. 

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