Turkey · Circassian communities in Turkey

Çerkez tavuğu

Make Çerkez tavuğu with poached shredded chicken, walnuts, stale bread, garlic and paprika-walnut oil for a rich Turkish Circassian meze.

Traditional Turkish recipe Meze / chicken and walnut
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Çerkez tavuğu with shredded chicken, creamy walnut sauce and red pepper oil
Çerkez tavuğu with shredded chicken, creamy walnut sauce and red pepper oil
Prep 35 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 2 hour 5 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients ↓
Overview

About Çerkez tavuğu

Çerkez tavuğu is shredded poached chicken folded into a thick walnut, bread and garlic sauce. Circassian communities across Turkey preserve related versions, especially around Düzce and Sakarya. The characteristic garnish is red pepper carried in walnut oil or butter, which brings colour and toasted aroma to the pale, savoury mixture.

Poach rather than aggressively boil the chicken so the meat stays moist and the broth remains clean. Grind walnuts finely but stop before they become an oily butter. Add warm broth gradually: the sauce should mound on a platter while remaining creamy, and it will firm as it cools.

A dependable Çerkez tavuğu begins before the heat is switched on. Measure 1.5 kg whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 bay leaves, 2 L water, and 10 g fine sea salt and keep the remaining ingredients grouped in the order in which they enter the recipe. Have Large saucepan, Food processor or mortar, and Fine sieve ready as well. The planned sequence is Poach the chicken, Make the walnut sauce, and Combine and finish. This mise en place protects the stated 8-serving yield and prevents a temperature-sensitive or fast-moving stage from being interrupted while an ingredient is still being weighed.

Use the clock as a planning guide, not as the only test of progress: allow 35 minutes of preparation, 45 minutes of cooking, and 2 hours 5 minutes overall. During Make the walnut sauce, Moisten bread with 150 ml warm broth for 5 minutes. The useful observation is specific: It should be soft with no dry core. At the finish, Warm walnut oil or butter, remove from heat and stir in paprika and pul biber; drizzle over and add walnuts. Do not serve merely because the nominal time has elapsed; wait until the spices should bloom without scorching.

Practical

Practical

  • Broth controlReserve more than you think; both bread and walnuts continue absorbing it.
  • TextureShredded chicken should remain visible in the sauce.
  • ServingOffer cool or at room temperature with bread and pickles.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Chicken and broth

  • 1.5 kg whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces
  • 1 onion halved
  • 1 carrot roughly chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 L water
  • 10 g fine sea salt

Walnut sauce

  • 300 g walnut kernels
  • 120 g stale white bread crumb crusts removed
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 g ground coriander
  • 2 g black pepper
  • 350–500 ml warm chicken broth
  • 5 g fine sea salt as needed

Red finish

  • 30 ml walnut oil or melted butter
  • 4 g sweet paprika
  • 1 g pul biber
  • 30 g walnuts roughly chopped
Directions

Directions

Poach the chicken

  1. Start in cold waterPut chicken, onion, carrot, bay, water and half the salt in a pot; bring slowly to a bare simmer, skimming foam.

    The liquid should tremble gently, not roll.

  2. Cook throughSimmer until the thickest meat reaches 74°C, 35–50 minutes depending on pieces.

    Juices should run clear and the meat pull cleanly from the bone.

  3. Cool and shredLift out chicken, strain broth and cool meat until safe to handle. Remove skin and bones and shred finely.

    Keep fibres rather than chopping to a paste.

Make the walnut sauce

  1. Soak the breadMoisten bread with 150 ml warm broth for 5 minutes.

    It should be soft with no dry core.

  2. Grind the basePulse walnuts, soaked bread, garlic, coriander, pepper and remaining salt to fine crumbs.

    Stop before the walnuts release a pool of oil.

  3. Loosen with brothProcess in warm broth gradually until the sauce is thick but spreadable.

    It should fall heavily from a spoon and look slightly looser than the desired final texture.

Combine and finish

  1. Fold in chickenMix shredded chicken with about three-quarters of the sauce, adding more broth if dry.

    Every fibre should be coated without disappearing into purée.

  2. Plate and coverMound on a platter and smooth remaining sauce over the top; cool for 30 minutes.

    The mixture should hold shallow ridges.

  3. Add red oilWarm walnut oil or butter, remove from heat and stir in paprika and pul biber; drizzle over and add walnuts.

    The spices should bloom without scorching.
Practical

Practical

Organise the measured components

Keep 1.5 kg whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 bay leaves, 2 L water, and 10 g fine sea salt visible and separate until their stated stage. Put chicken, onion, carrot, bay, water and half the salt in a pot; bring slowly to a bare simmer, skimming foam. This opening action establishes the moisture, seasoning and texture that later cooking can preserve but cannot fully repair. Before moving on, confirm that the liquid should tremble gently, not roll. If the sign is absent, correct the immediate mixture, heat or handling rather than compensating with an unrelated ingredient.

Read the food at every stage

The key checkpoints across Poach the chicken, Make the walnut sauce, and Combine and finish are The liquid should tremble gently, not roll., It should be soft with no dry core., and Every fibre should be coated without disappearing into purée.. These observations are more reliable than colour alone because pan material, starting temperature, ingredient size and heat output vary between kitchens. Work in the stated order, keep the batch dimensions similar and pause when a cue has not appeared. The final confirmations are Keep fibres rather than chopping to a paste., It should fall heavily from a spoon and look slightly looser than the desired final texture., and The spices should bloom without scorching.; together they describe texture, moisture and safe doneness more accurately than a single minute count.

Plan service and leftovers before cooking

Warm walnut oil or butter, remove from heat and stir in paprika and pul biber; drizzle over and add walnuts. Serve when the final texture is at its best, then move leftovers promptly to the storage condition specified for this dish. Cook chicken to 74°C and avoid contact between cooked meat and raw-chicken tools. Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 days. Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 days. This closes the recipe as deliberately as it began: service, cooling and reheating are part of quality control, not an afterthought once the pan has left the heat.

Control points

Control points

  • The mixture is dry Fold in warm broth a spoonful at a time.
  • It is oily Walnuts were over-processed; add bread and broth to rebalance.
  • It tastes flat Walnut dishes need confident salt, garlic and a small pepper finish.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories465 kcal
  • Protein34 g
  • Carbohydrates16 g
  • Fat31 g
  • Saturated fat6 g
  • Fiber4 g
  • Sugars3 g
  • Sodium620 mg

1 of 8 meze servings — Approximate values; actual nutrition varies with ingredients and serving size.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Contains walnuts and wheat/gluten; contains milk if butter is used.

Food safety: Cook chicken to 74°C and avoid contact between cooked meat and raw-chicken tools. Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 days.

Storage: Cook chicken to 74°C and avoid contact between cooked meat and raw-chicken tools. Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 days.

FAQ

FAQ

Is tahini used in Çerkez tavuğu?

No. Its creamy body comes from walnuts, bread and broth.

Can I use only chicken breast?

Yes, but mixed light and dark meat stays moister.

Why make it slightly loose?

Bread and walnuts absorb broth as the dish cools.

What matters most

What matters most

Moist chicken fibres in a rich, garlicky walnut sauce with a fragrant red-pepper finish.

Gentle poaching, restrained processing and gradual broth.

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