Tavuk Sote (Turkish Chicken Saute)
Juicy chicken pieces sizzled with peppers, tomatoes and a rich double-paste sauce — the weeknight hero of every Turkish home kitchen.
Ask Bio about this recipe
Ingredients
600 g chicken breast fillet, cut into 2 cm cubes
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 large onion, sliced into half moons
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 charliston (or pointed green) peppers, sliced
1 red pepper, cut into strips
2 ripe tomatoes, diced (about 300 g)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon mild pepper paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Half a teaspoon ground black pepper
Half a teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, plus more to serve
1 teaspoon salt
150 ml hot water
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken cubes dry with kitchen paper and season with half the salt and the black pepper.
- 2
Heat the sunflower oil in a wide, heavy pan over high heat and sear the chicken in a single layer for 4-5 minutes, turning once, until golden. Remove to a plate.
- 3
In the same pan, soften the onion for 3 minutes, then add the garlic, charliston peppers and red pepper strips and saute for another 4 minutes.
- 4
Push the vegetables aside, add the tomato paste and pepper paste to the centre and fry them in the oil for 1 minute until fragrant and darkened.
- 5
Stir in the diced tomatoes, oregano, pepper flakes and remaining salt, then return the chicken with any resting juices.
- 6
Pour in the hot water, bring to a lively simmer, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- 7
Uncover and bubble for 2 final minutes to glaze, then rest for 5 minutes before serving over rice pilav with extra pepper flakes.
Tavuk sote is what Turkish home cooks make when the family is hungry and the clock is against them. Cubes of chicken breast are seared hard, then simmered briefly with charliston peppers, sweet red pepper, tomatoes and the pair of pastes that define so much of Turkish cooking: domates salcasi and biber salcasi. In lokantas across Turkey it arrives bubbling in a shallow pan, always with a mountain of buttery rice pilav.
Two small habits make all the difference. First, dry the chicken well and do not crowd the pan, so the cubes brown instead of steaming. Second, fry the tomato and pepper pastes in the oil for a full minute before any liquid goes in — that toasting step wakes up their deep, sweet-savoury flavour.
Serve it straight from the pan with rice or bulgur pilav, a cold glass of ayran and warm pide bread for mopping up the sauce. Every store-cupboard ingredient here, from the pastes to the oregano, is on the Turkish Online Market shelves.
More recipes
Main DishesSehriyeli Pilav (Turkish Rice Pilaf with Orzo)
The classic Turkish side dish: fluffy baldo rice studded with golden toasted orzo, cooked in butter so every grain stands separate. Foolproof method included.
Main DishesKiymali Makarna (Turkish Pasta with Minced Meat)
The ultimate Turkish weeknight dinner: pasta tossed with a rich minced meat and tomato paste sauce, finished with butter, grated cheese and a spoon of yoghurt.
Main DishesZeytinyagli Taze Fasulye (Green Beans in Olive Oil)
The definitive Turkish olive oil dish: flat green beans slowly braised with onion, tomato and plenty of extra virgin olive oil, then served at room temperature with lemon. Simple, healthy and endlessly moreish.
Main DishesPatlican Kebabi (Aubergine & Meatball Kebab)
A classic southern Turkish tray kebab where smoky aubergine slices are layered with spiced meatballs and baked in a rich tomato sauce. Pure comfort food, easily made in a UK home oven.
