Oltenian Ostropel with chicken

I stumbled upon this one Sunday when I wanted to recreate something my grandmother used to make, but of course, with what I found in the fridge. I started grilling, already thinking about trying a different style of chicken, not the usual plain grill. I also had some dried garlic from the neighbors, picked last autumn, and a few tomatoes that were begging to be grilled. The first time, I admit the brine turned out a bit too salty, and the chicken was a bit thick in the breast; it didn’t cook through enough. Now, however, I think I know exactly what it needs and how much patience you should have. And the trick with the polenta cut with string I saw from someone older than me, at one of those long family tables. Remember: don’t complicate things with “finesse.” It’s simple food, but really delicious.

Time: about 1.5 hours, if you move decently. Servings: 4 people (2 very hungry + 2 with normal appetites). Level: I’d say it’s medium, meaning it’s not quite for your first grill ever, but it works if you’re careful.

Ingredients and their uses:

1 whole chicken (1.4 – 1.8 kg, about what you find at the store, or free-range if you have one). I prefer a younger one, not an old one, because you don’t want to chew on it for an hour.
1 head of garlic (small, but if you’re a fan, nothing stops you from using a bigger one). For that aromatic and slightly spicy flavor in the brine.
7-8 healthy tomatoes (about 500-600g, enough to make a generous sauce). For the brine – especially if they’re juicy, it makes the job quicker.
4-5 hot peppers (or at least 2, if not everyone can handle the heat). For those who want, it’s not mandatory to put them directly in the brine, as not everyone can take it.
Coarse salt (essential, for rubbing the meat and crushing the garlic). Without coarse salt, it doesn’t taste the same.
Freshly ground pepper, or a simple spice mix for chicken (I used what the lady at the store had: a mix with a bit of paprika, thyme, pepper, and dried garlic).
1-1.5 liters of hot water (for the brine, it doesn’t need to flow, but enough to cover the meat).
For the polenta: 400g cornmeal (not instant!), 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 30g of butter (not mandatory, but it makes the polenta taste better), and add more water if you feel it’s getting too thick.
For the roasted pepper salad: 6-8 bell peppers or cornet peppers (I mixed them up, to avoid boredom), about 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, 1-2 cloves of garlic (not everyone adds this, but that’s how I do it).

How I do it, step by step, including the hiccups:

1. First thing: the chicken. I wash it well, pat it dry with a towel, and cut it up. I mean, I cut the thighs (at the joints, so the bones don’t hit the knife), the wings, I split the breast lengthwise, and I score each piece on the meaty side. Don’t make thin strips, as it will turn out dry; you want it to have thickness but still cook through.

2. Salt the meat on all sides, enough but not excessively. Grind some pepper, sprinkle on the chicken mix if you have it, but don’t drown it in spices, so you don’t lose the chicken flavor on the grill.

3. In the meantime, heat up the grill. If you have a yard and wood, that’s another story, but it works on the stove, with a grill pan or on a grill. Grease the grill with a piece of bacon or oil so it doesn’t stick.

4. Put the tomatoes on the grill first. Score an X on the bottom and let them roast well on all sides until you can easily peel the skin off. Be careful not to let all the juice drip into the coals. If you have a spacious grill, you can roast the peppers at the same time – just make sure to keep turning them.

5. Boil about 1-1.5 liters of water. In a large bowl, crush the garlic with coarse salt. Mash it well until it turns into a paste (don’t forget to wash your hands afterward, or you’ll smell like garlic for a day).

6. Quickly peel the roasted tomatoes while they’re still warm, and crush them with a fork directly over the garlic. Don’t turn them into complete mush; leave some texture for a heartier brine.

7. Pour the boiling water over the garlic and tomato mixture, just enough to cover. You can pour 1 liter first, then add more if you see you have more meat. Taste: if you feel it lacks salt, add more (the brine should be saltier than soup, not as salty as the Dead Sea, but enough to feel it’s not just plain water).

8. Once the grill is hot, add the meat. Start with the thicker pieces; don’t rush the fire, you don’t want to burn the chicken outside and leave it raw inside. Turn the pieces every 4-5 minutes until you see some clear juices coming out of the cuts. For a normal chicken, 25-35 minutes is fine. If it has skin, let it brown, then set it aside when serving if you don’t like it.

9. While the chicken cooks, take the roasted peppers off the grill, place them in a bowl covered with a lid or foil to sweat – they peel easier. After about 10 minutes, remove the skin, stem, and seeds.

10. Make the polenta: boil water with salt, when it’s boiling, add the cornmeal in a rain-like fashion while stirring, so it doesn’t clump (I pour with my hand, not with a cup). On low heat, for about 25 minutes, stir occasionally. If you see it’s too thick, add a little hot water. When it’s done, add the butter, take it off the heat and let it “settle” for 3-4 minutes, then turn it onto a wooden board. If you have string, cut it that way; if not, use a well-watered knife.

11. Tear the roasted peppers into strips, place them in a bowl, add salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, and, if you feel like it, finely chopped garlic. Mix gently, don’t crush them.

12. When the chicken is done, move it directly to the bowl with the brine. If it doesn’t all fit, pour the brine over the meat in a deep dish. Don’t cover it completely, just let it sit in the sauce for a while (15-20 minutes, enough to absorb the flavors).

13. When serving, everyone puts their chicken on their plate, with a ladle of brine, alongside steaming polenta and roasted pepper salad. The roasted hot pepper is served separately, and everyone takes as much as they can handle. You’ll see how great it is to “savor” the brine with a piece of polenta...

Why do I make it quite often? It’s the kind of food that brings people together at the table without much philosophy. It’s made with simple ingredients, pulling you out of the daily boredom of soups or baked meats. Plus, it doesn’t require you to be stuck in the kitchen; a good part can be prepared with friends at a grill, outdoors. It’s hearty, and you don’t need complicated sides. For us, when we want something rustic, this works best.

Tips, variations, serving ideas

Tips (really useful, I’d say):
Don’t place the meat too far from the coals, but not too close either – 10-15 cm is ideal. If you cook it too close, it burns on the outside and stays raw in the middle.
Don’t leave the chicken marinating beforehand; there’s no point here; the charm is to absorb flavor directly from the brine and grill.
The brine should be saltier and more garlicky than you think at first; otherwise, once you pour it over the meat, it becomes a bit bland.
Don’t take the polenta off too early; let it boil for at least 20-25 minutes, so it’s not raw in the middle.
For the pepper salad, don’t skimp on the oil and don’t add too much vinegar. It’s better to taste and adjust.

Substitutions:
If you can’t stand garlic, use less or just rub a few slices with salt and leave the rest aside.
It also works with turkey thighs or breasts if you don’t have chicken. Even rabbit – it makes a great brine.
For gluten-free polenta, as it is, just don’t use butter with traces of anything else.
You can replace the vinegar in the pepper salad with lemon juice if you don’t have anything else at home.
It’s also fine with pre-cut chicken from the store – if you’re short on time or don’t like cutting it up.

Variations:
For those who want it spicier, you can add chopped hot pepper directly to the brine, but be careful, it’s spicy! Easier for kids: remove the hot pepper completely.
I’ve seen variations with a bit of fresh lovage or parsley in the brine; it adds freshness, but I don’t always put it.
Some also add roasted onion, cut into thick slices, alongside the tomatoes – I don’t mind, but it seems simpler this way.
With free-range chicken (if you have one), you’ll need longer cooking time, but the taste is completely different.
Don’t skip the polenta. If you make it too thin, it won’t hold in the brine; if too thick, it’s hard to chew. Find a middle ground.

Serving ideas:
It’s best to place everything in the center of the table for everyone to serve themselves. The polenta on a wooden board, the meat with brine in a large dish, the roasted peppers in another bowl.
It goes well with quick pickles (cucumbers in brine) or with sliced tomatoes and onions on the side.
If it’s cold outside, a small shot of plum brandy goes well at the start – if not, cold water from the fridge.
For dessert, simple fruits: apples, plums, grapes – nothing fancy.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use boneless chicken or just breasts?
Yes, it’s possible, but it’s not as juicy. Meat with bones retains moisture better and doesn’t dry out as easily on the grill. If you use breasts, cut them in half lengthwise and score them well so they don’t stay raw in the center.

2. What do I do if I don’t have a grill?
You can use a grill pan on the stove or even in the oven on the grill setting, but the result will be slightly different – you won’t have that wood smoke. Still, it’s tasty that way. Make sure to turn the meat often so it doesn’t dry out.

3. Can I use another type of meat?
Yes, turkey works well, even lean pork, although it’s not as traditional. For pork, reduce the grilling time since it cooks faster.

4. How do I know the chicken is done?
Insert a thin knife into the thickest part – if the juices run clear, it’s done. If not, leave it a few more minutes. Don’t just rely on the color outside.

5. Can I make the brine with tomato paste or canned tomatoes?
Yes, but the texture will be different. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, use whole canned tomatoes or crushed ones, but not thick tomato paste, as you won’t have the same freshness and taste.

Approximate nutritional values

If we look at a “standard” serving (a piece of chicken, 150g of polenta, brine, and salad), it comes out to about 500-600 kcal per serving (depending on how much skin and oil you add to the salad). Grilled meat doesn’t have excess fat, and the polenta provides clean carbohydrates. Garlic and tomatoes bring vitamins and antioxidants without weighing you down. It’s hearty but doesn’t sit heavily in your stomach. For those who care about macros: about 30g of protein per serving, 50-60g of carbohydrates, 15-20g of fat (more if you don’t remove the skin from the chicken or add more butter to the polenta). It’s a meal that really fills you up.

How to store and reheat

If there’s leftover meat and brine, put them in a container in the fridge, separate from the polenta (which you should wrap in foil or a container to avoid absorbing smells). It keeps well for 2-3 days. When you want to reheat, put the meat with the sauce on low heat in a small pot, or in the microwave, but without boiling too hard, as it becomes dry. Polenta is best fresh, but if you want to revive it, cut it into slices and place it in a non-stick pan with a splash of oil; it browns nicely. The roasted pepper salad, if there’s any left, keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days and even gets tastier.

That’s how things go for me with this dish. It’s food with purpose, not fuss.

The recipes for polenta (I prefer the softer version that can be turned out and cut with thread like in the pictures) and the recipe for preparing roasted pepper salad will be the subject of separate posts for easier searching. PREPARATION OF OSTROPIOR In the yard, in a sheltered place from the wind and dryness, a wood fire is lit from which we eventually obtain embers for grilling the chicken. We grab an eco chicken from the yard. We skip the horror episode, and it turns out that the chicken was already cut (butchered/portioning), singed of feathers, and placed on the cutting board. Usually, I remove the skin, but on the grill, it cooks better if we keep it (the fat is necessary in this case); we just won’t eat it when it’s on the plate if we don’t want to. 1. We cut the breast in half lengthwise and score it in diamonds so that it cooks well. If the chicken is small, we skip this step. We cut the thighs in half at the joint, or if we want them whole, we score them deeply at the joint so that they don’t remain bloody. We also score deep diagonals about 1 cm in the meaty areas. 2. The meat is moderately salted and seasoned on both sides. 3. The pieces are placed on a pre-greased and heated grill, at a convenient distance from the embers so that they cook through before burning on the surface. The meat pieces are turned periodically, maintaining the embers so they don’t go out. The grilling time varies depending on the size of the chicken. It also grills well on a round grill with water placed on the stove; the flame should not be extremely hot because it doesn’t have time to cook through. It takes about 20-30 minutes. 4. If the grill is large enough, tomatoes and peppers can be roasted alongside. Otherwise, we roast them before the chicken because we need the tomatoes for the brine. The large tomatoes are scored in quarters to cook faster and more evenly. 5. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil. 6. Meanwhile, peel the garlic, press it or crush it with a teaspoon of coarse salt in a wooden mortar for garlic. Pour it into a large bowl. 7. The roasted tomatoes are peeled and partially crushed with a fork in the same bowl. 8. Pour hot water over them. The roasted hot pepper is left separate because not everyone eats spicy. Since I prepared the roasted pepper salad separately, I didn’t add bell pepper to the brine; otherwise, we add them peeled. 9. Keep covered until the chicken is ready. 10. The grilled meat is submerged in the brine, and if there isn’t enough room, we cover it with brine using a wooden spoon. 11. Meanwhile, the polenta is also made, which we turn out onto a wooden board and cover with a cloth until serving. Polenta is best cut with thread. May it be useful to you! Nowadays, this dish can be prepared in any season, as vegetables and meat are available all year round in stores.

 Ingredients: FOR OSTROPIOR1 you need: garlic from the rope - 1 small head, garden tomatoes - 8 pieces, garden bell peppers (the variety suitable for crayfish dishes, something between fatty and capia) - I didn't use them because I made a salad, hot peppers - 4 (or according to the number of guests), salt and pepper (I used a mix of spices for grilled chicken), well water. FOR ROASTED PEPPER SALAD: red and green garden peppers (fat, capia), oil, salt, pepper, garlic (optional). FOR POLENTA: cornmeal, salt, well water.

 Tags:  chicken ostropel