Çerkez Tavuğu (Circassian Chicken) is a delicious mezze/appetizer made of shredded poached chicken mixed with a creamy walnut sauce.
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken or stale bread pieces.
Ready in 30 minutes, this unique chicken dish is perfect for quick weekday meals or big family gatherings.
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Cerkez Tavugu originates from the Caucasus region, near the Black Sea, and has adopted by the Ottoman cuisine during the early 17th century.
It is also popular in Eastern Mediterranean countries.
Although this chicken dish was typically served as a main course during the Ottomans, it became popular as an appetizer or meze in modern Turkish cuisine.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Just like Mutabal (Roasted Eggplant Dip), this easy recipe comes together only in half an hour; perfect for a quick weekday meal or big family gatherings/parties.
- This unique chicken dish is perfect to use up leftover chicken meat and stale bread pieces.
- You can serve cerkez tavugu as a meze/appetizer with some baguette slices/crackers or use it for making sandwiches!
- You can keep the leftovers for up to five days refrigerated in an airtight container.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Chicken - Both breasts and thighs work well with this recipe. For big gatherings and parties, use a whole poached chicken. Just like the Easy Chicken and Dumpling Soup Recipe and Chicken Macaroni Salad, you can also use leftover Baked Chicken Leg Quarters or Roast Chicken for this versatile delicious Circassian Chicken!
- Walnuts - I usually lightly toast the walnuts before using them. You can substitute them with pecans.
- Bread - The bread acts as a thickening agent for the walnut sauce. You can use any type of bread you have in hand.
- Spices - Adjust the amount of spices and salt to your taste. You can substitute the coriander with ground cumin.
- Garlic - You can turn it into a paste with a mortar and pestle or grate it with a Microplane.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This healthy & unique chicken dish is very straightforward to prepare.
However, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
Place the chicken in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Remove the chicken, reserve the liquid, and set it aside to cool while preparing the walnut sauce.
While the chicken is cooling down, lightly toast the walnuts and crush them between two layers of silicon paper using a rolling pin to release their oil.
Alternatively, you can use a food processor to speed things up.
Strain the chicken broth into a bowl through a fine sieve and then add the stale bread to the broth.
Break the bread into small pieces using your fingers.
Shred the chicken meat into small strips and place them into a large bowl.
Alternatively, you can use shredded leftover chicken roast.
Add the crushed walnuts, bread, garlic, salt, coriander powder, freshly ground black pepper, and paprika to the shredded chicken.
Mix them all together until nicely combined and transfer the mixture to a serving plate.
Heat the olive oil, flaked chili (pul biber), and coriander over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
Drizzle it on top of the dish and sprinkle on some crushed walnuts and parsley leaves.
Top Tip From The Chef
For big family gatherings or parties, you can make this dish with a whole chicken.
Poach the chicken with some aromatic vegetables&herbs (mirepoix) such as carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, and peppercorns to add extra flavor.
Recipe FAQs
The most common way to serve this chicken dish is to serve it as a part of a meze platter along with other mezes such as Arnavut Cigeri, Baba Ganoush Without Tahini, Muhammara - Acuka (Red Pepper Dip), Melitzanosalata (Roasted Greek Eggplant Dip), and Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze).
You can also serve it on some toasted bread, pita chips, or crackers as a party appetizer.
This chicken dish would make a light lunch, served with a bowl of green salad and toasted bread.
Cerkez Tavugu is also great for making sandwiches for picnics or packed lunches.
The leftovers would keep for up to five days when refrigerated in an airtight container. I don't recommend freezing Circassian Chicken.
Circassian Chicken is originally from the Caucasus region, near the Black Sea, which borders modern Turkey, Russia, and Georgia.
This delicious, unique, and rich chicken dish made its way into Turkish cuisine during the Ottoman period when the Ottoman Empire controlled much of this region.
Related Recipes
For more quick&easy weekday meals why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this unique chicken dish as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Çerkez Tavuğu
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken breast
- 2 cups water
- 100 g walnuts (crushed)
- 3 slices stale bread
- 1 ½ cup cooking liquid from the chicken
- 1 clove garlic (grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
For the Garnish
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon flaked chilli (pul biber)
- 1 tablespoon crushed walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Remove chicken, reserve the liquid, and set it aside to cool while preparing the walnut sauce.
- While the chicken is cooling down, lightly toast the walnuts and crush them between two layers of silicon paper using a rolling pin to release their oil. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to speed things up.
- Strain the chicken broth into a bowl through a fine sieve and then add the stale bread to the broth. Break the bread into small pieces using your fingers.
- Shred the chicken meat into small strips and place it into a large bowl. Alternatively, you can use leftover chicken and shred it into small pieces.
- Add the crushed walnuts, bread, garlic, salt, coriander powder, freshly ground black pepper, and paprika to the shredded chicken.
- Mix them all together until nicely combined and transfer the mixture to a serving plate.
- Heat the olive oil, flaked chili (pul biber), and coriander over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
- Drizzle the olive oil on top of the dish and sprinkle on some crushed walnuts and parsley leaves.
Notes
- Lightly toast the walnuts and crush them between two layers of silicon paper using a rolling pin to release their oil.
- This chicken dish is perfect to use up leftover chicken meat and stale bread pieces.
- Cerkez Tavugu is best served warm or at room temperature, and it tastes even better the next day.
- You can serve it as a meze/appetizer with some baguette slices/crackers or use it for making sandwiches!
- This easy chicken dish is perfect for quick weekday meals or big family gatherings/parties.
- For big family gatherings or parties, you can make this dish with a whole chicken.
- Poach the chicken with some aromatic vegetables&herbs (mirepoix) such as carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, and peppercorns to add extra flavor.
Nutrition
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Sandy
Excellent recipe. So simple and quick. Many thanks.
Constance Parker Galpin
I lived in Turkeyfor 7 years and really miss the great food. Thank you so much for the recipes..
Ayla Clulee
My pleasure, I hope you enjoy them, Parker!