Circassian Chicken

Circassian Chicken

Serves 4-6

Pepper Oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons flavorless vegetable oil

2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (or a quarter teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes mixed with a teaspoon and a half of sweet paprika, or use about a teaspoon or so of Ancho chile powder)

Heat the oil in a small saucepan until warm, stir in the pepper, and set aside to cool completely.

Sauce

1-1/2 to 2 cups packaged chicken broth

2 to 3 slices of bread, whatever you have on hand (I used whole wheat sandwich bread)

1/2 pound walnut pieces (about 2 cups or so)

1 clove of garlic, smashed and peeled

a small chunk of peeled onion (a few tablespoon’s worth), cut into a few pieces

1-2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (or use 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder as described above)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak two slices of the bread with about a half cup of the broth.  With the food processor running, drop the garlic clove through the feed tube, then the onion pieces, and process until finely chopped.  Stop the processor, add the walnuts, process until finely ground.  Add the soaked bread, a cup of the broth, a teaspoon of the Aleppo pepper flakes, and the salt.  Process until thoroughly mixed and smooth.  The sauce should be thick but pourable.  Add some more broth if it’s too thick.  If it’s too thin, tear up a little of the third slice of bread and add it in (you don’t have to soak it).

Let the sauce sit for a few minutes, then taste it for spice.  You can add more pepper if you want — keep in mind that you also have the pepper oil to add more spice.

Chicken

1 store-bought cooked rotisserie chicken (about 3 or 4 pounds).

Shred or cut the meat from the chicken.  You can keep some pieces of skin if you want them (they add nice flavor), or discard them if you’d rather.  Put the chicken in a serving dish, pour the walnut sauce over the top, and spread it to cover the chicken.  Drizzle a third to half of the pepper oil on top, and put the rest in a small bowl to pass at the table.  Serve it at room temperature or chill it for a half hour to make it slightly cool.