Gjellë me Arra
Gjellë me Arra·(gyell-uh meh ahr-rah)
Gjellë & Jani: The Weeknight Simmer
The old-school way demands boiling a tough village bird for hours, but a Tuesday night in the American Midwest requires a smarter pivot. We're swapping the whole chicken for seared thighs and a rich bone broth, focusing our attention where it actually belongs: the qull. You must toast the flour in good butter until it smells like roasted hazelnuts, and obliterate the walnuts so finely they literally melt into the sauce. Forget the watered-down, egg-yolk-thickened fakes you see online. This is the real, deeply savory, garlic-heavy gravy as it’s eaten in Elbasan, practically begging to be mopped up with a ridiculous amount of bread.
Before you start
Process the walnuts and garlic.
Place the shelled walnuts and peeled garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until they resemble fine, wet sand. Do not leave them in large chunks; the traditional secret to this velvety texture is breaking the nuts down so completely that they release their oils into the gravy.
Ingredients
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs1 1/2 lb
- olive oil1 tbsp
- low-sodium chicken bone broth3 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- unsalted European-style butter4 tbsp
- all-purpose flour4 tbsp
- shelled walnuts1 1/2 cup
- garlic5 med clove
- white wine vinegar1 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- sweet paprika1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Sear the chicken.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and sear skin-side down until deeply golden and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, then pour the 3 cups of broth directly into the skillet to deglaze the browned bits.
- 02
Simmer the chicken.
Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and measure out 2 1/2 cups of the hot, infused broth from the skillet, adding a splash of water if you're short.
- 03
Build the roux.
In a separate heavy pot, melt the 4 tablespoons of European butter over medium-low heat, sprinkle in the flour, and whisk continuously for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not rush this; you want the flour to toast until it turns a pale hazelnut color and smells distinctly nutty.
- 04
Create the gravy.
Slowly pour the reserved hot broth into the toasted flour, whisking vigorously and constantly to prevent lumps. Keep whisking as the mixture bubbles and thickens into a smooth cream, which should take about 3 minutes.
- 05
Fold in the walnuts.
Reduce the heat to low, fold the finely ground walnut and garlic mixture into the gravy, and stir in the white wine vinegar. Let it simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes to mellow the raw garlic, but do not let it boil vigorously or the walnut oils will separate.
- 06
Finish the dish.
Nestle the chicken thighs back into the gravy, then melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan, stir in the sweet paprika for 10 seconds, and drizzle the red aromatic butter over the skillet right before serving.
Notes
Make it Dibran style.
For a traditional northern Albanian variation, swap the wheat flour for an equal amount of yellow cornmeal. This gives the gravy a deeply rustic, slightly gritty texture and a roasted corn flavor.
From Cook Albanian in America.