Turkish Chicken with Walnut Sauce
Submitted by joang
Poached chicken layered with a silky walnut and coriander sauce, drizzled with paprika-infused walnut oil. Known as Circassian chicken in Turkish cuisine, this elegant cold dish is a showpiece for any gathering.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
4 hrsCircassian chicken is one of Turkey’s most celebrated cold dishes, and one bite will tell you why.
A whole chicken poaches gently with onions, lemon, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and a bouquet garni until tender. The bones go back into the pot for a rich, concentrated stock. That stock then blends with ground walnuts, toasted coriander, and bread into a creamy, nutty sauce unlike anything else.
Strips of chicken get layered with the sauce and fresh coriander, then topped with a dramatic drizzle of walnut oil stirred into paprika. Served cold with rice and a green salad.
Chef Tips
- Scald or toast the walnuts and rub off the papery skins for the smoothest sauce
- Grind the walnuts in small batches with bread to prevent them from turning into paste
- The sauce should be thick enough to coat and mask the chicken completely
- Make this a day ahead; the flavors develop beautifully overnight in the fridge
Ingredients
Directions
Put the bird into a pan, add the flavourings and enough hot (not boiling) water to cover the thighs.
Poach for 1¼ to 1½ hours until tender.
Let the bird cool in the pan, then skin and bone it.
Wrap the flesh to keep it succulent.
Return the chicken skin and bones to the pan and simmer for 2 hours more.
Strain and de-grease.
Reduce to ¾ pints and cool.
Scald or lightly toast the nuts and rub off the papery thin skins.
Then, using a spice or coffee mill, reduce the nuts and coriander seeds to a fine powder.
Process in small batches, adding the bread to minumise stickiness.
Transfer the aromatic powder to a bowl and gradually blend in as much of the stock as is needed to make a creamy-textured masking sauce ~ you probably won’t need it at all.
Cut the meat into small strips.
Put them into a pretty dish, adding some of the sauce and a little fresh chopped coriander between layers.
Spoon the rest of the sauce over the top to cover the meat completely.
Just before serving, stir ther walnut oil into the paprika.
Drizzle the mixture over the dish in a decorative red pattern and place a little bouquet of fresh coriander in the centre.
Serve with rice and a green salad.
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