Easy Chicken Kapama

Boneless skinless chicken thighs make this easy kapama chicken with a rich cinnamon scented tomato sauce quick to the table. It’s so very delicious! 

Not that I’ve ever made it before but New York Times Cooking says that the traditional Greek version would be made with a whole chicken, cut into its typical pieces. But, of course, bone-in chicken takes much longer to cook so if you are looking for a weeknight dish, starting with boneless chicken is ideal. 

It's also a great make-ahead dish because it just gets better the next day! We liked it the first night but loved it even more as leftovers. 

Easy Chicken Kapama

This recipe is adapted from one on New York Times Cooking. It calls for ground cinnamon as well as two cinnamon sticks and it needs both for a more authentic Greek flavor. Serve it over buttered egg noodles or orzo.

Ingredients

1 lb 12 oz or 800g boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Ground cayenne

Ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (15 oz or 425g) can tomato puree

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon sugar

2-3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

For garnish:

2 tablespoons fresh herbs, such as Italian parsley and oregano, roughly chopped

For serving:

Buttered egg noodles or orzo

Grated kefalotyri cheese or Parmesan

Crushed red pepper, optional

Method

Season the chicken thighs well on both sides with salt, black pepper, cayenne and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Cut them into three or four pieces each.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium flame. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, cook the chicken until it is lightly browned on both sides. 

Remove to a plate as you cook each batch. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point but, worry not, it will finish cooking in the sauce. 

Slice the onion and garlic thinly. 

Add them to the skillet and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. 

Stir in the tomato puree, tomato paste and water equal to half of the tomato puree can. This also helps rinse the can so you are sure to use all of the puree. Stir well.

Add in the cinnamon sticks and leave to cook for a few minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices that have collected on the plate, stir to coat with the sauce and bring to a simmer. 

Turn heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors meld, stirring occasionally, 20-30 minutes. Add in the fresh oregano leaves, the spoon of sugar and crushed red pepper, if using, stir well. 

Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Serve the chicken over buttered egg noodles or orzo, spooning the tomato sauce on top. Top with the fresh herbs and grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 11th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter K. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the K recipes below:

• Baby Kale Salad with Steak and Citrus Vinaigrette from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Brown Sugar and Ketchup Pork Chops from Blogghetti
• Creamy Kohlrabi Pasta from Mildly Indian
• Easy Chicken Kapama from Food Lust People Love
• Individual No Bake Key Lime Pies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Kabocha Methi Garlic Rolls from Magical Ingredients
• Kachhe Kele Ke Kofte from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Kahlua and Cream: Brown Cow Cocktail from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Kielbasa Pasta Medley (Sicilian Medley) from A Messy Kitchen
• Kondakadalai Sundal / Chickpeas Sundal from Sneha’s Recipe
• Spicy Cheddar Krispies Crackers (Rice Krispies) from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup 

K. Easy Chicken Kapama - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin this Easy Chicken Kapama! 

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Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup

A traditional German dish, jägersuppe translates to hunter’s soup in English. This version features wild mushrooms, bacon, red wine and sour cream. 

A while back I was looking for soup recipes and came across the name jägersuppe. I am not familiar with German cuisine so, intrigued, I followed the links and went down a rabbit hole of recipes with all manner of wild game and foraged ingredients.

The recipe I finally settled on called for chanterelle mushrooms which my high-end local grocery store, Central Market, often carries. Much to my disappointment, they didn’t have any! So I picked up some baby bella mushrooms there instead and decided to hydrate some wild mushrooms to keep to the spirit of the recipe name. 

It turns out that chanterelle season here in the US is July through November so I’ll definitely be making this again later in the year. Even without the special mushrooms though, it was delicious, rich and satisfyingly savory. My husband said it was the best mushroom soup he's eaten in quite a while!

Jägersuppe – Hunter’s Soup

Use whatever nice fresh mushrooms you can find if chestnut ones aren’t available. If you have chanterelles, all the better! This recipe is adapted from one on Gute Kueche, Germany’s Good Food magazine. It makes four servings. 

Ingredients

1 oz or 28g dried wild mushrooms

8 oz or 227g fresh baby bella mushrooms

½ large or 1 small onion (Mine weighed 112g)

2 tablespoons butter

3 ½ oz or 100g bacon crumbles

2 tablespoons flour

4 ¼ cups or 1L beef stock

½ cup or 120ml dry red wine

½ cup or 120ml sour cream

¼ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste – depending on the saltiness of your stock

Optional for garnish - chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and set aside to soak. 

Clean the fresh mushrooms, trim any hard bits and slice them. 

Mince the onion.

Sauté the sliced mushrooms in the butter.

Keep cooking until they have released their liquid and turned a lovely golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set aside. 

Drain the dried mushrooms, reserving the liquid and straining out any dirt. Chop them finely with a sharp knife.

Fry the bacon crumbles in the same pan you used for the mushrooms.

Add in the minced onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent. 

Dust the bacon and onion with the flour. (I like to use a little sieve which helps avoid lumps.) Stir well and cook the flour for a minute or two. 

Pour in the stock and red wine and bring to a low boil.

Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms along with the soaking liquid. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the sour cream, season with salt, if needed, and white pepper and bring to a boil again briefly.

Stir well to combine.

Garnish with some chopped parsley to serve. Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 10th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter J. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the J recipes below:

• Aloo Tamatar Jhol - No Onion No Garlic from Sneha’s Recipe
• Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers from Blogghetti
• Coconut Cherry Jasmine Rice from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Cowboy Candy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup from Food Lust People Love
• Jasmine-Infused Tres Leches Bundt from Culinary Cam
• Jerk-Seasoned Caribbean Honey Mustard Sauce from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Juniper Butter Cookies from A Messy Kitchen
• Jicama Slaw with Carrots, Cucumbers, and Bell Peppers from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Vegetable Jalfrezi from Mayuri’s Jikoni

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin this Jägersupper – Hunter’s Soup!

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Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

Made with just a few ingredients, these Italian sausage stuffed mini peppers are a quick, easy and delicious appetizer. They will disappear in no time flat, I promise!

I was invited to a get-together a while back and was looking for inspiration in my local grocery store for something to contribute when I came across a marked down bag of mini peppers. They were a lovely mix of bright colors, perfect for a party.

My first idea was just to make a dip and cut them in slices for scooping said dip but then, on the same shopping trip, serendipity sent me Italian sausage on a two for one sale. SOLD! 

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

I used hot (spicy) Italian sausage for stuffing the mini peppers but you can substitute mild, if you prefer. 

Ingredients

8 oz or 225g hot Italian sausage

8 oz or 225g mini peppers

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 oz or 28g extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

Method

Brown the Italian sausage over a medium heat in a nonstick skillet, breaking it up into crumbles as you go. 

Drain on a paper towel. If your crumbles are not small enough for stuffing, you can chop them smaller with a sharp knife. 

Cut the mini peppers in half. I tried to leave the stems intact where I could because I like how they look. They are, of course, not edible. 

Put the peppers in a bowl, drizzle them with the olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the salt and toss again to distribute the salt evenly. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C and line a baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner. Spread the mini pepper halves on the lined baking pan. 

Spoon the sausage crumbles into the pepper halves. 

Top with the cheese. 

Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through to make sure they cook evenly. Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese. 

Serve warm. Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 9th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter I. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the I recipes below:

• Homemade Italian Dressing from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Indo Chinese Idli Fry - Leftover Idlis from Sneha’s Recipe
• Iru Puli Kuzhambu from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers from Food Lust People Love
• Mini Ice Cream Cakes from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Nutella Ice Cream from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Smaller Chocolate Eclair Cake (from scratch) from A Messy Kitchen
• Sun Dried Tomato Italian Dipping Oil for Bread from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin these Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers!

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Hazelnut Vodka

If you love Frangelico but think it’s a bit too sweet, like I do, this is the drink for you! Hazelnut Vodka is perfect for sipping straight or over ice. 

I’ve mentioned before about the amazing cherry tree in our back garden in Paris years ago but I don’t think I’ve written about the prolific hazelnut tree out front. It was actually in our neighbor’s yard, Madame Coucou we named her because that is what she called out over our party wall to get my attention. Coucou, coucou! Always with a big smile.

The tree grew right up near that wall so a goodly portion of it hung over our side. It took me a while to figure out what they were because I had never seen a fresh nut in its little fuzzy green outer coat. As they ripen, that turns brown and the nuts are ready for harvest, often falling to the ground on their own. During the season, hazelnuts were literally everywhere.

Unlike the cherries that we turned into jam and pie and cherry bounce, we just shelled and ate the hazelnuts. I wish I had had this recipe back then! 

Hazelnut Vodka 

If you have hazelnuts with the shells still on, it will take about 8 ¾ oz or 248g to get the required amount shelled for this recipe. This recipe is adapted from one in Abundance: Eating and living with the seasons by Mark Diacono.  

Ingredients

3 ½ oz or 100g shelled hazelnuts

¾ cup or caster sugar 

4 cups or 946ml vodka 

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Method

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking pan and roast them for about 15 minutes or so, checking after 10. The skins should darken but you don’t want them to burn!

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the hazelnuts into a towel.  

Wrap them up and leave them to steam for a couple of minutes. 

Rub them through the towel, squeezing and rolling to remove most of the skins. 

Pick the hazelnuts out of the skins and put them into a food processor. Use a few short pulses to grind them into a coarse rubble. You want some small bits and some medium bits. Nothing too fine. 

In a large, wide-mouthed jar, stir the sugar into 1 cup or 240ml of the vodka until it dissolves. 

Add the chopped hazelnuts, allspice and the rest of the vodka and stir together. 

Stir well! 

Screw the lid on and set it someplace out of direct sunlight, where you’ll see it. 

Shake the jar once a day. 

I left mine for about a week before tasting it. Divine! Very hazelnutty! Leave it another week or two if you’d like – I did - but it’s very drinkable after one week.

Strain through a fine sieve and/or muslin and funnel into a sterilized bottle or jar. 

Enjoy!

I made this last Christmastime and after we sipped a bit, I stashed it behind the bar and forgot about it. I pulled it back out when I was writing this post to discover that sediment had settled to the bottom. I decanted it, leaving that sediment behind and it's much less opaque now. Still delicious though! 

Welcome to the 8th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter H. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the H recipes below:

• 3 Ingredient Hot Fudge Sauce from Blogghetti
• Creamy Cilantro Herb Caribbean Potato Salad from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Haluski from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Harissa and Brie No Knead Focaccia from A Messy Kitchen
• Hazelnut Vodka from Food Lust People Love
• Homemade Chilli Oil from Sneha’s Recipe
• Honeynut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Hot Chocolate Rolls from Magical Ingredients
• Vegetable Hariyali from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Whipped Honey from Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin this Hazelnut Vodka!

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