Circassian chicken, is a superb illustration of how chefs can create elaborate, savory dishes from basic and affordable ingredients. Using chicken, ground walnuts, and stock that has been thickened with stale bread, Circassian chicken is a creamy paste. It is a fantastic meal for entertaining and usually comes cold as an appetizer. A scoop or two with some crispy bread or crackers can actually be very filling because it is so flavorful and satiating.
This dish originates from the Circassians, a tribe that once lived on the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. This region, which borders contemporary Turkey in the northeast, is today referred to as the Caucasus. During the Ottoman era, when the Ottoman Empire ruled most of this region, Circassian chicken entered Turkish cuisine. Circassian chicken recipe is now a popular meze or appetizer in Turkey and is offered to distinguished visitors at home or in higher-quality restaurants. It is very easy for Mama Fatma to bring this flavor to your tables, all you have to do is call us before you come and make a reservation.
What Is Circassian Chicken?
A typical meal from the North Caucasus area, notably from the Circassian people, is Circassian chicken. It’s a well-liked dish in Turkey, where it’s frequently offered as an appetizer or entrée. The dish Circassian chicken recipe consists of shredded boiled chicken that is placed under or in a rich walnut paste and stale bread stock. The Ottoman cuisine embraced the traditional Circassian dish known as Circassian Chicken.
The meal is typically made with chicken, but lamb or beef can also be used to make the walnut sauce. Use cooked beef only, then shred it and add it to the walnut sauce. Before serving, Circassian chicken benefits immensely from chilling time. Give it 24 hours to chill for the optimum results, then remove it an hour or so before serving to allow it to come at room temperature. Just before serving, garnish. You will taste the flavor difference. You are free to garnish the Circassian chicken. Melted butter that has been colored with Turkish peppers and some herbs is a common garnish. To add a little sourness, you might also think about adding nuts and seeds, pomegranate kernels, or a few drizzles of date- or pomegranate-molasses.
Ingredients
- 1 entire chicken weighing 5 pounds
- 3 salt teaspoons
- Black pepper, half a teaspoon
- One onion, peeled
- 1 big peeled carrot
- 1 lb. of walnuts
- 5 crustless pieces of stale white bread
- 2 to 3 smashed garlic cloves
- Paprika sweet, 3 tablespoons
- Whole walnut halves as a garnish
- 1 teaspoon paprika as a garnish
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for the garnish
How To Make Circassian Chicken?
In a big pot, add the chicken. Just enough water is added to the pan to cover the chicken. Add the whole carrot, onion, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cover. Allow the chicken to boil gently for approximately an hour, or until the meat starts to fall off the bones.
Crush the walnuts as the chicken cooks. The conventional method is to roll them between two sheets of wax paper and crush them. In order to achieve the mixture’s greatest flavor and consistency, this enables the oil from the walnuts to merge with it. If you are pressed for time, you may quickly turn the walnuts into a fine powder in a food processor.
Hold the pan covered and allow the chicken to cool after it has been properly cooked. Remove the chicken from the soup when it is safe to handle cooling and arrange it on a dish. Remove the onion and carrot and throw them away; keep the broth. Put on rubber gloves and separate the meat out of the bones, then throw away the skin, bones, and gristle. The meat should next be separated into thin strips. Pour the broth through a strainer made of fine mesh into a large basin while it is still heated. Break up any large pieces of stale bread with your fingers before adding it to the soup.
Mix well before adding the crushed garlic, crumbled walnuts, and paprika. Once blended, add the chicken that has been shredding, and taste-test the salt before adding. Before serving, cover and place in the fridge for a few hours. Place the mixture in a deep serving dish to get the meal ready for serving. Add walnut halves for decoration to the top. As a finishing touch, combine the paprika and olive oil and spread over the dish.
How To Serve Circassian Chicken?
Circassian chicken can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until needed. Resting for a while improves the flavor. Before serving, be sure to reheat it to room temp for the greatest flavor. Circassian chicken sauce is frequently offered as a component of a larger buffet, along with bread, raw vegetables, and a variety of different salads and dips. Circassian chicken sauce is also a favorite filling for sandwiches. With a few wafer-thin slices of cucumber and tomato, it tastes great sandwiched between toast. Thus, it becomes a simpler and more practical meal. Try some of these meals if you enjoyed the Circassian Chicken recipe; they all go well together. A spread of Turkish treats.
- Turkish Yogurt Meze, Haydari
- Turkish zucchini fritters, or mucver
- Salad with Turkish Beans (Fasulye Piyaz)
- Green beans from Turkey (Zeytinyagli Fasulye)
- Turkish Rice Pilav (Sehriyeli Pilav)
- Greek Sheftalia
- Shepherd Salad, a Turkish salad
- Beetroot and yogurt dip in Turkish
- Salad of Turkish Carrots
- Salad with Beets and Feta with Fresh Herb Dressing
How To Store Circassian Chicken?
In the refrigerator, Circassian chicken will remain fresh for up to a week. Bring to a room temperature before serving for the finest flavor. We once tried freezing it, but when we defrosted it, it turned a little watery, so we wouldn’t advise it.
