From its garlicky yogurt bed to its perfectly poached egg to its pretty quick prep time, there’s so much that I love about Annie Petito’s recipe for çılbır, a hot meze and light meal cooked in homes all over Turkey. My favorite part, though, has to be the dish’s stunning finishing touch: A spiced red-orange butter that’s poured over the plated egg and yogurt just before serving.
Ingredients
Drizzle This Roasty, Ruddy Turkish Spiced Butter Over Everything
This nutty-toasty topper is as delicious as it is beautiful.
By Published Apr. 18, 2022
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In addition to making for striking color contrast, this butter infuses the whole dish with richness, toastiness, and gentle spice. Better yet, for all that complexity, this topper consists of only two ingredients: If you’ve got a jar of red pepper flakes in the spice drawer (Turkish pul biber are most traditional; Aleppo pepper works too) and a couple of tablespoons of butter in the fridge, you can whip up a batch in minutes. Here’s how:
How to Make Turkish Spiced Butter
- Heat two tablespoons of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it sputters.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon of pul biber or ground dried Aleppo pepper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately.
With a method this simple, there’s no need to limit making spiced butter to when you’re making çılbır: Pretty much anything can benefit from a ruddy drizzle. Here are a few more ideas for how to put this butter to work in your kitchen.
4 More Ways to Use Turkish Spiced Butter
Stir Into a Dip
The striking red of this butter instantly jazzes up a monochrome dip like yogurt dip, feta dip, or hummus.
Drizzle over roasted vegetables
Roast a batch of broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, or potatoes and top with a drizzle of spiced butter for the simplest of side dishes.
Spoon over corn on the cob
Nutty toastiness is the perfect compliment to sweet kernels.
Top roasted fish fillets
Mild white fish serves as a blank canvas that lets this vibrant condiment shine.
And of course, if you end up with extra butter, It’s quick and easy to whip up a plate of çılbır to go with it.
More colorful condiments:
Harissa
Harissa is a spicy and aromatic paste used both as an ingredient and as a condiment throughout North Africa.Get the Recipe
Spicy Cilantro Sauce (Zhoug)
This warm-spiced, garlicky chile-herb sauce takes shakshuka to the next level.Get the Recipe
Sichuan Chili Oil
The hallmark of Sichuan chili oil is a balance between là—the concentrated heat from dried chiles—and má—the numbing effect of Sichuan peppercorns.Get the Recipe
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Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.