Braised chicken in aromatic tomato sauce, served with macaroni

Inspired by a traditional dish from Corfu Island, the "pastitsada". A delicious recipe traditionally cooked with cockerel but it is also very tasty with chicken. The bird is slowly cooked and it melts in the mouth and in combination with the thick macaroni is one of the favourites all around Greece!

Ingredients (for 4 people):
1 large chicken, cut in portions (or cockerel)
500gr. of thick macaroni (Bucatini is a good choice)
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
1 tea-cup of sweet red wine (Greek "Mavrodafni" wine if possible)
500gr. of large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped (and their juices)
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
5 whole clove berries
5 whole oldspice berries
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tsp of granulated sugar
1-1 1/2 tea-cup olive oil
salt
Greek Kefalotyri cheese, grated (or parmesan or pecorino)

Method:
In a deep pot warm the 1 tea-cup of oil on medium-high heat and sauté the chicken until coloured on all sides. Add the onions, and once they get coloured, pour over with the red wine.

Sauté the chicken for 1-2 more minutes so the flavours come together. Then add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the bay leaf (if used), season with salt and pepper, add the sugar and the the spices.

Gently stir the ingredients, cover with the lid, turn the heat down to low and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the food ends up with a nice and thick-ish sauce.

If the chicken absorbs the wine but it is not ready yet then add some more wine (or hot water). Our aim is the meat to become really tender and tasty. The more it is being cooked, the more juicy and soft it becomes.

In the meantime, boil the pasta in plenty of salted water according to your preference. Drain in a colander and transfer back to the pot to keep it warm. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, gently stir and leave.

For the serving, arrange the pasta on a big flat serving platter, put the chicken pieces on top with plenty of the red sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheese and some extra ground cinnamon.