Circassian Chicken

Name: Circassian Chicken
Ingredients: One 4-pound chicken, quartered; 1 onion, halved; 4 allspice berries; 4 whole cloves; 4 black peppercorns; 3 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; Water; Salt; 1 pita bread, torn into pieces; 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half; 2 cups walnuts (6 ounces); 2 garlic cloves, smashed; Freshly ground pepper; 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro; Turkish red pepper, such as Aleppo or Urfa (optional)

16 ingredients

16 steps

Ingredients

One 4-pound chicken, quartered
1 onion, halved
4 allspice berries
4 whole cloves
4 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Water
Salt
1 pita bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
2 cups walnuts (6 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Turkish red pepper, such as Aleppo or Urfa (optional)

Directions

1

Put the chicken in a large soup pot.
2

Add the onion, allspice, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and coriander seeds.
3

Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil.
4

Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.
5

Transfer the chicken to a plate and when it is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and pull the meat off the bones in shreds.
6

Strain the fragrant chicken broth and transfer 3 cups to a small saucepan.
7

Boil until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
8

Season with salt.
9

In a small bowl, mash the pita in the milk until it is completely soaked.
10

Transfer the pita to a food processor.
11

Add the walnuts and garlic and process to a paste.
12

With the machine on, add about 1 cup of the reduced broth in a thin stream until a thick sauce forms; add more of the broth if necessary.
13

Season the walnut sauce with salt and pepper and scrape half of it into a bowl.
14

Fold the shredded chicken and the cilantro into the walnut sauce.
15

Mound the chicken on a plate, top with a pinch of Turkish red pepper and serve.
16

Pass the extra walnut sauce at the table.