20-Minute Pileshka Kavarma
Пилешка кавърма в тиган·(pi-lesh-ka ka-var-ma v ti-gan)
Mish-Mash & The 15-Minute Skillet
If you grew up in a Bulgarian household, the smell of onions, peppers, and summer savory hitting a hot pan is the smell of home. Traditional kavarma is a beautiful labor of love baked in a clay pot for hours, but when it is six o'clock on a Tuesday, practicality wins out. This native skillet adaptation swaps heavy pork for quick-cooking chicken thighs and forces those exact same rich, nostalgic flavors to develop in a fraction of the time, provided you respect the chubritsa.
Before you start
Chop all meat and vegetables before you begin cooking.
This is a fast, high-heat recipe that requires your ingredients to be ready to drop into the pan immediately.
Ingredients
- sunflower oil2 tbsp
- boneless skinless chicken thighs1 1/2 lb
- yellow onions2 large
- white button mushrooms8 oz
- red bell pepper1 large
- green bell pepper1 large
- roasted red peppers1/2 cup
- dry white wine1/2 cup
- tomato paste2 tbsp
- canned crushed tomatoes1/2 cup
- dried summer savory1 tbsp
- sweet paprika1 tsp
- sugar1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- fresh parsley1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken chunks without moving them for one minute.
Stir just until the outside turns opaque and white. You are not trying to cook the meat through yet, but rather sealing the surface to lock the juices inside.
- 02
Toss the coarsely chopped onions straight into the pan with the chicken and cook for about five minutes.
Stir occasionally until the onions soften and turn translucent, soaking up the chicken fat.
- 03
Add the mushrooms, fresh bell peppers, and a pinch of salt, then cover the skillet.
Turn the heat down to medium and let it cook undisturbed for five minutes. The trapped moisture will rapidly steam and soften the vegetables.
- 04
Remove the lid and pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom.
Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, roasted red peppers, summer savory, sweet paprika, sugar, and black pepper until it forms a rich red sauce.
- 05
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for ten minutes.
The sauce will thicken and marry the flavors perfectly. Remove from the heat, adjust the salt if necessary, and scatter the fresh parsley over the top.
Notes
The secret to the homeland flavor is summer savory.
Known as chubritsa in Bulgaria, this is entirely non-negotiable. It is sold as summer savory in the American spice aisle; do not substitute winter savory, which is far too bitter, or basic thyme.
Do not crowd the chicken.
If you scale this recipe up, sear the chicken in batches. Overcrowding the pan will cause the meat to steam in its own juices instead of searing, resulting in tough chicken.