Podvarak- chicken sauerkraut recipe
Famous Balkan dish- chicken and sauerkraut recipe in oven
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 420kcal
Ingredients
- 2 kg sauerkraut
- 3 small onions
- 100 gr bacon
- a bit of oil
- chicken (the whole chicken or only preferred parts)
- ribs
- smoked meat (of your choice)
- meat broth (enough to cover sauerkraut)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- at least 2 teaspoons paprika
- at least 5 teaspoons bay leaves (even more if you like the taste)
Instructions
- In a large pan cook chicken and other meet and add at least one litre of water. The meat should be cooked enough but not overcooked because you will bake it later. The meat should be covered in water while boiling and when it is cooked, keep that water (broth) for later. If you cook only chicken, you should put some salt and pepper to the water, but if you added smoked meat, there’s no need to put salt in water, because smoked meat is salty and it will give a flavor and saltiness to the water. When the meat is cooked, season the chicken and ribs the way you like, even if you cooked them with smoked meat. My mum usually puts some salt and pepper. If you roast the whole chicken you can also season it from the inside.2. While meat is cooking, chop onions and put them in a large skillet or a frying pan with just a bit of oil. Stir them and cook them until tender.3. Add chopped bacon to the onions and stir them together.4. Squeeze sauerkraut and if it is too sour, put it in a strainer and rinse it with some water of normal temperature. 5. When onions and bacon are fried enough, add the sauerkraut in the pan and all the seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, chilli flakes, bay leaves). 6. Stir everything well a few more minutes, and add the broth. The sauerkraut should be covered in broth completely. If you don’t have enough broth, add warm water. 7. Leave it on a medium heat, for about 30 minutes to stew, or until there is broth left. 8. Place stewed sauerkraut in the casserole or any other pan you can use in the oven. Heat the oven to 200 degrees and bake it 20 minutes. 9. Then spread cooked meat all over the top. Make sure you seasoned chicken to your flavor before roasting. You can also season ribs, but smoked meat shouldn’t be seasoned because it is already salty.
10. Bake for another one hour. The baking time depends on the oven. Check the meat every 20 minutes, and once it gets crispy and golden, turn it on the other side.