Name: Instant Pot Greek Chicken Kapama
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 6 chicken leg quarters or a whole chicken cut into pieces; 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, grated; salt, to taste; freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 bay leaf; 1 cinnamon stick; 28 ounces crushed tomatoes; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional); 1 cup water; 2-4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley; serve with: feta, olives, salad

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A classic warm cinnamon tomato chicken stew just made our weeknight meal list!

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Chicken Kapama is a delicious Greek classic braised cinnamon chicken stew that I’ve shared with you before. It has simple warm spice ingredients and usually takes about two hours to make. However, I’ve figured out how to make it into a quick weeknight meal… the Instant Pot! You can also use your pressure cooker. Just follow your pressure cooker instructions. They’re all pretty similar. My family is so excited to have this classic any night of the week now!

This stew will become a regular

Fall off the bone Chicken
Warm cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce
Tender noodles
Classic Greek Kapama any night of the week!

My opinion on the Instant Pot

If you know me, you know that I’m not typically into large kitchen gadgets, but so many of you love the Instant pot that I had to get one. It took me a while to get to know mine, but I’m so glad we became friends! I’ve been able to turn several of my more time-consuming recipes into weeknight meals. I went with the 8-quart Instant Pot Pro Duo because we’re a family of 7, and I cook large batches. Here’s that link (affiliate) if you’d like to read more about the one I have.

Chakhokhbili – chiken stew with cilantro (parsley) in tomato sauce in a clay bowl,traditional dish of georgian cuisine.Top view with copy space.

Warm Greek chicken stew ingredients

Chicken leg quarters or a whole chicken cut into pieces
Olive oil
Onion –finely chopped
Garlic cloves –grated or minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Bay leaf
Cinnamon stick
Crushed tomatoes
Dried oregano
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Water
Fresh chopped parsley
Serve with: feta, olives, salad

The best type of chicken to use

For this recipe, I use skinless bone-in chicken leg quarters. The bone adds so much flavor, and dark meat stays moist and delicious. You don’t have to use this particular cut of chicken. A whole chicken that’s been broken down into pieces would be good, too. I don’t recommend using chicken breast meat by itself because it tends to dry out. And since the sauce needs to cook down a bit, the chicken breast will end up overcooked and dry. So use a combination of cuts of chicken if you’d like to add chicken breast.

How to make Instant Pot Chicken Kapama

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper.
Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté setting.
Add the oil and let it heat up.
Then, brown the chicken in 2-3 batches –about 4 minutes per side.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the onion to the pot and sauté until soft and golden –about 10 minutes.
Then, add the garlic and warm through for a few seconds.
Return the chicken to the pot, and add the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and a cup of water.
Stir to combine and secure the lid.
Set the valve to lock and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release for 10 minutes naturally.
Then, open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serving

I used to add oregano to this stew while cooking, but I noticed that it turned out bitter. So, chop up your parsley and sprinkle the stew with the oregano and parsley before serving. Traditionally you would serve Chicken Kapama over rice or pasta or with roasted potatoes. But you can add any side you like. I recommend a side salad and bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce. Serve feta and olives on the side for anyone that wants to add it to their stew, and enjoy. Kali Orexi!