Çerkez Tavuğu
Çerkez Tavuğu·(cher-KEZ tah-voo-oo)
Meze & Muhabbet (The Evening Table)
True Turkish meze culture isn’t about cutting corners with a tub of store-bought mayonnaise. The soul of this iconic Circassian dish lies in an ingenious, dairy-free emulsion of crushed walnuts, rich chicken broth, and stale bread. It’s an ancient, zero-waste testament to how immigrant grandmothers stretched their pantries into culinary gold. By utilizing a food processor and swapping the agonizing historical task of hand-squeezing walnut oil for a quick sizzle of spiced butter, you get all the profound, savory depths of the authentic spread without losing your Tuesday night to it.
Before you start
The Sunday hack.
Poach the chicken and strain the broth on Sunday. Keep the shredded meat and liquid in the fridge for up to three days, making the final assembly a ten-minute food-processor job on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients
- bone-in skin-on chicken breasts1 lb
- bone-in skin-on chicken thighs1 lb
- onion1 med
- carrot1 med
- fresh parsley stalks1/4 cup
- black peppercorns1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- water6 cup
- stale white bread slices4 large
- shelled walnuts2 cup
- garlic cloves3 med
- kosher salt1 tsp
- ground black pepper1/2 tsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- Aleppo pepper1 tsp
Method
- 01
Poach the chicken to build the foundation of the dish.
Place the chicken breasts, thighs, onion, carrot, parsley stalks, peppercorns, and salt into a large pot and cover with the cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the top, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
- 02
Strain the broth and shred the chicken completely by hand.
Transfer the chicken to a board to cool, then strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding the boiled vegetables, skin, and bones. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, use your fingers—never a knife—to pull the meat into fine, thin strands, ensuring the rich sauce will cling to every crevice.
- 03
Soak the stale bread in the warm chicken broth.
Lay the crustless bread slices in a shallow dish and ladle about 1 cup of the warm, reserved chicken broth over them. Let soak for a couple of minutes until completely soft, then lightly squeeze the bread to remove the dripping excess liquid.
- 04
Emulsify the walnuts, garlic, and soaked bread into a creamy paste.
Transfer the soaked bread to a food processor along with the walnuts, smashed garlic, salt, and black pepper. Pulse into a coarse paste, then, with the machine running, slowly pour in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the warm chicken broth until the mixture transforms into a velvety sauce with the consistency of hummus.
- 05
Fold the sauce into the shredded chicken and chill.
Pour the walnut emulsion over the shredded chicken and fold gently until every strand is heavily coated. Spread the mixture onto a wide, shallow serving platter, cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours or ideally overnight to allow the starches to set and the flavors to deeply meld.
- 06
Drizzle with spiced butter just before serving.
Let the dish sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before it hits the table. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stir in the Aleppo pepper, and let it sizzle for exactly 30 seconds until the fat turns a brilliant, fiery red. Drizzle the aromatic oil generously over the chicken, garnishing with the reserved walnut halves.
Notes
Do not skip the stale bread.
The starches from the bread are strictly necessary to bind the fats from the walnuts and the liquid from the broth into a stable, creamy emulsion that won't split.
Temperature matters for the emulsion.
Ensure your broth is warm, not boiling, when added to the food processor; boiling stock will cause the walnut oils to separate and turn the bread into a gluey lump.
From Cook Turkish in America.