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.
Turkish
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
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.
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 28–30 minutes until chicken pulls cleanly into shreds.
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.
Build
Blend toasted walnuts, soaked bread, garlic, 1 tsp pul biber, cumin, sauce salt, and pepper with 400ml warm poaching liquid over medium heat until silky-smooth and pourable, about 3–4 minutes.
Saute
While sauce blends, melt rice butter over medium 30 seconds, add rice and toast 1 minute. Pour 360ml hot water with rice salt, cover, cook over low 12–13 minutes until tender and water absorbs.
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 1 tsp pul biber over medium 60 seconds until deep red and fragrant.
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.
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