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Circassian Chicken | Turkish Recipes

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Chicken, Main Courses, Poultry
Cuisine Mediterranean, Turkish
Servings 6
Calories 258 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3-3½ lb (1.5 kg) chicken
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 1 celery stick, trimmed and sliced
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 3 slices of bread, crusts removed
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 3½ cups (14 oz/400 g) chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) walnut oil
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • Chopped walnuts and paprika to garnish

Instructions
 

  • #This is a Turkish dish which is popular all over the Middle East. The chicken is poached and served cold with a flavorsome walnut sauce.# Place the chicken in a large pan, with the onions, carrot, celery and peppercorns. Add enough water to cover, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 1 hour, uncovered, until the chicken is tender. Leave to cool in the stock. Drain the chicken, reserving the stock.
  • Tear up the bread and soak in 6 tbsp (90 ml) of the chicken stock. Transfer to a blender or food processor, with the garlic and walnuts, and add 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) of the remaining stock. Process until smooth, then transfer to a pan.
  • Over a low heat, gradually add more chicken stock to the sauce, stirring constantly, until it is of a thick pouring consistency. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and leave to cool in the pan. Skin and bone the chicken, and cut into bite-size chunks.
  • Place in a bowl and add a little of the sauce. Stir to coat the chicken, then arrange on a serving dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the chicken, and drizzle with the walnut oil. Sprinkle with walnuts and paprika and serve at once.
Keyword Chicken recipes