Braised Chicken in Aromatic Tomato Sauce (Pastitsatha)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
3 cups chopped red onions
6 whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 (28 ounce) can whole Italian-style tomatoes, drained, juices reserved, tomatoes chopped
1 cup water
2 tablespoon (or more) red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon tomato paste
Pinch of granulated sugar
12 ounces perciatelli pasta or spaghetti
Freshly grated kefalotyri cheese or Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken in  batches and cook untilbrown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.

Place chicken on platter. Add onions to Dutch oven; sauté until tender, about 5  minutes. Add spices;stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juices and water. Return chicken toDutch oven. Cover; simmer over medium-low heat until chicken is very tender, about 35 minutes.
Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with foil. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar, tomato paste and sugar toDutch oven. Simmer until thickened to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.Season with salt, pepper and more vinegar, if desired. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Transfer pastato platter. Top with chicken, sauce and cheese.