Perde Pilavi

5 from 1 vote

Perde Pilavi (or Perdeli Pilav) is a traditional Turkish dish made with chicken and rice filling flavored with nuts & spices, then wrapped up with a delicious pastry.

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time40

Total Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet: Low Salt

Servings: people

Calories: 797kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Equipment

1 kitchen scale
1 measuring spoons
1 Measuring cups
1 8" x 4.8" oven dish
1 sifter

Ingredients

For the Rice and Chicken Filling

1 small chicken 2 ⅕ to 2 ⅓ lbs (1 to 1 ⅕ kilo)
3 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup pine nuts
1 ⅔ cup short-grain rice such as Baldo or Tosya (330 grams)
¼ cup currants
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried mint
2 ¾ cups chicken broth from poaching the chicken (600 ml)

For the Dough

2 small eggs
¼ cup plain natural yoghurt
½ stick butter (softened at room temperature) (60 grams)
¼ cup vegetable oil or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 ¾ cups plain white flour / all-purpose flour (350 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon soft butter (to grease the baking dish)
½ cup whole almonds or almond flakes (to sprinkle on baking dish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing the Rice and Chicken Filling

Place the chicken in a large pot, add 4 cups (1 liter) of water and cook on medium heat for an hour, or until the core temperature of the chicken reaches 74 °C (165 °F).
Add vegetables like celery, carrot, and onion, and aromatics like bay leaves and peppercorns to add extra flavor to the broth.
Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool down while preparing the rice. Keep the chicken broth aside for cooking the rice.
Melt the butter in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the pine nuts, and sauté over medium heat until lightly golden.
Add the rice and sauté for another minute or until the rice is well coated and lightly toasted.
Stir in the currants, salt, pepper, dried mint, and paprika before adding the chicken broth.
Give the rice a good stir, cover the pan with a lid and gently simmer it until the rice absorbed all the liquid and is about two-thirds cooked through. Remove from the heat.
To prepare the chicken, remove the bones and the skin then shred it into bite-sized pieces.
Add the shredded chicken to the cooked rice and let it cool down while preparing the dough.

Preparing the Dough and Building the Dish

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (360° F).
Place the yogurt, butter, oil, and egg in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine well.
Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet ingredients until you have a soft and smooth dough.
Roll the dough out to a size of 40 to 45 cm (16 to 28") in diameter on a lightly floured surface. The size of the dough should be large enough to line the oven dish, leaving plenty of pastry hanging over the edges to be able to enclose the filling.
Generously butter the side and the bottom of the oven dish, and scatter the almonds around the base and sides of the dish in a single layer, using the butter to help them stick.
Line the dish with the pastry, then fill it with the cooled rice filling.
Fold over the over-hanging pastry to enclose the filling, trim the excess dough pieces, and place the dish into the preheated oven.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.
Let the dish rest for 10 to 15 minutes, turn it upside down on a serving plate, and serve.

Notes

Perde Pilavi is a great way to use up any leftover chicken, turkey, or rice pilaf.
Add vegetables like celery, carrot, and onion, and aromatics like bay leaves and peppercorns to add extra flavor to the broth.
Always check the best-by date before buying to ensure the freshness of the bird.
Using the right type of rice is extremely crucial for this recipe. Baldo rice is highly starchy and can absorb lots of moisture which makes it very creamy and tender but also keeps its shape well when cooked.

Nutrition