Thessaloniki Kotopoulo Giouvetsi (Κοτόπουλο Γιουβέτσι)

Thessaloniki kotopoulo giouvetsi is chicken baked with kritharaki, the small rice-shaped pasta, in a tomato sauce scented lightly with cinnamon. The dish belongs to the northern home table: practical, generous, and made in the same pot that comes to the table. The region is the dish's surname, and this Macedonian version keeps the spice quiet and the tomato deep.

The whole dish depends on the kritharaki. Toast it first, then give it hot broth, and it bakes up separate and glossy instead of collapsing into a thick paste. That's the difference between giouvetsi and a pan of overcooked pasta with chicken sitting on top. One small step, no drama.

I like bone-in thighs and drumsticks here because they forgive a busy cook and give the sauce real flavor. Use good tomato, good olive oil, and patience. My mother's Thessaloniki kitchen made this on weekdays as often as Sundays, because a pot like this feeds people without asking for applause.