Turkish · Dinner
Walnut-Crusted Poached Chicken
Cerkez Tavugu
Circassian poached chicken shredded into a velvety walnut-bread sauce with garlic and pul biber, finished with paprika-bloomed walnut oil drizzled across, served with rice for a regional Ottoman centrepiece.
$$
20 minsPrep
55 minsCook
75 minsTotal
HardLevel
Nutrition per serving
685Calories
38gProtein
42gFat
48gCarbs
4gSugar
4gFiber
720mgSodium
73mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Pat chicken dry. Halve carrots and onions, chop parsley. Tear bread into pieces. Mince garlic cloves. Measure all spices, poaching liquid, and rice ingredients into separate bowls.
2
Boil
Place chicken, bay leaves, carrots, onions, peppercorns, poach salt, and cold water in a wide pot. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat 5 minutes, then reduce to low and poach gently 25–30 minutes until chicken pulls cleanly into shreds.
3
Toast
While chicken poaches, toast 200g walnut halves in a dry skillet over medium heat 3–4 minutes until fragrant and golden. Set aside. Soak torn bread in 240ml warm poaching liquid off the heat 5 minutes until soft.
4
Build
Blend toasted walnuts, soaked bread, garlic, half the pul biber, cumin, sauce salt to taste, and pepper with 400ml warm poaching liquid over medium heat until silky-smooth and pourable, about 3–4 minutes.
5
Saute
While sauce blends, melt rice butter over medium 30 seconds, add rice and toast 1 minute. Pour 1.5 cups hot water with rice salt to taste, cover, cook over low 12–14 minutes until tender and water absorbs.
6
Wrap
Lift cooked chicken onto a board, pull into thick shreds with two forks, fold into walnut sauce until evenly coated and creamy. Heat walnut oil with paprika and remaining pul biber over medium 60 seconds until deep red and fragrant.
7
Plate
Spoon rice onto deep plates, mound walnut chicken over, drizzle red walnut oil generously across the surface, scatter parsley, and serve with bread alongside.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 480g (16.9 oz) chicken breast
- 2 small bay leaves
- 2 small carrots
- 2 small onions
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1.2 liters (5 cups) cold water
- 200g (7.1 oz) walnut halves
- 120g (4.2 oz) stale white bread
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp pul biber Aleppo flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
- 140g (4.9 oz) basmati rice
- 20g (0.7 oz) unsalted butter
- 360ml (1.5 cups) hot water
- 20ml (4 tsp) walnut oil
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 20g (small handful) flat-leaf parsley