This chicken with dried apricots, almonds and raisins is a distinguished recipe from Ottoman cuisine, and its original Turkish name is Mahmudiye. The dried fruit and an eventual addition of honey give a sweet touch to this chicken, which is contrasted with a little lemon juice. The crunch of almonds and a particular perfume of spices such as cinnamon and turmeric or saffron are also added.
Ingredients for two people:
250 gr. boneless chicken (thigh or breast)
3 shallots (or one onion)
A handful of dried apricots
A handful of almonds
A spoonful of corinths (or raisins)
A spoonful of honey (optional)
The juice of half a small lemon
A little chicken broth
A teaspoon of turmeric (or a few saffron threads).
A cinnamon stick
Salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil
If the dried apricots and raisins are very dry and hard, start by soaking them in warm water. On the other hand, it is usual to briefly blanch the almonds so that they can then be peeled, but this is optional.
Heat a little extra virgin olive oil (or butter) in a frying pan and fry the shallots over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. Then add the chicken cut into bite-size pieces and salt. When it has browned, add the cinnamon along with pepper, honey, lemon, raisins and dried apricots cut into 2 or 3 parts, depending on their size. Add the broth and turmeric (or saffron). Bring to a boil, then cover and cook over moderate heat for 20 to 25 minutes.
Toast the almonds for 3 or 4 minutes in a frying pan over low heat. Serve our mahmudiye with almonds on top and serve along some rice, pilav or orzo pasta.
Tips and tricks:
- Corinth raisin or currant is a type of small grape that comes from the Greek city with same name. They are small, sweet and seedless, and are primarily used to make raisins. In Türkiye they are known as kuş üzümü. If you cannot find them, you can replace them with any other type of raisins.
- Shallots belong to the same family of onions, but their flavor is more delicate and their size is smaller. Therefore we can peel them and fry them whole or cut them in half. They can eventually be replaced by an onion.
- I like the decorative detail that the cinnamon stick provides when serving, but it can be replaced with a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- For this recipe we can use either chicken thigh or breast, depending on our preference. The former are juicier and do not dry out during cooking, thanks to their higher fat content. The latter are, in exchange, less caloric.
- This dish is always accompanied with rice or orzo pasta, known in Türkiye as arpa şehriye. Not to be confused with Italian orzo (barley grain), which is a cereal. Orzo pasta is made with durum semolina and is shaped like a grain of rice.