Toyuq çığırtması (Chicken Squeak) / Azerbaijan

What kind of dish is this?

This is an Azerbaijani dish where chicken is cooked with lemon, butter, spices and eggs.
There are various versions, such as those made with vegetables.

Name

Toyuq çığırtması＝Chicken squeak
The name comes from the sound of cooking meat.

History

The history of this dish is unknown.
However, after researching the history of Azerbaijan and its ingredients, I realized that this dish reflects the history of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is a country blessed with fertile land and climate between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
As a result of many countries fighting for this land, Azerbaijan has taken in many different cultures.

First, there are the lemons.
The conquest of this land by the Sassanid dynasty (3rd-7th century), an Iranian dynasty, led to the development of an agricultural culture.
Not only that, but the use of lemons and other sour fruit juices as seasonings also developed.
Lemons originated in the northeastern part of India. Lemons were definitely cultivated in the Sasanian dynasty.

Next, dairy products.
In the 11th century, a nomadic Turkic dynasty conquered Azerbaijan.
Ninety percent of Azerbaijanis are of this Turkic origin.
The nomads developed and possessed a variety of dairy products for both long-term preservation and nutritional intake.
In other words, dairy products were developed at this time, in my opinion.

Next, topped with egg.
In the 16th century, the Safavid dynasty of Iranian descent conquered Azerbaijan.
The cookbooks of this dynasty describe a dish in which the ingredients are topped with egg.

To sum up…
The Sassanid dynasty established the use of lemon as a seasoning.
During the Turkic dynasties, butter and other dairy products came into use.
During the Safavid period, lemon and butter were used as seasonings, and dairy products such as butter were used.
I think this is what happened.

In fact, it could have existed since ancient times, or it could have been created relatively recently.

Others

In Azerbaijan, it seems that they often eat with pilaf, but I ate with regular rice because I wanted to enjoy the taste of chicken and eggs.
The sourness of lemon and tomato, the sweetness and aroma of cinnamon, the taste of chicken and the texture of eggs.
Similar to Japanese Oyakodon but with a completely different taste.
This is also delicious.
But, I think it’s definitely better when eaten with seasoned rice, such as pilaf or fried rice.

Recipe of Toyuq çığırtması

Local Recipe

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Azerbaijani

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

No.1

• 40 g butter
• 1/2 onion / slice

No.2

• 300 g chicken / cut to the size you like
• 200 g tomato can
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/3 tsp pepper

No.3

• 3 egg

Instructions

 

• Stir fry the onions with butter. Transfer to a plate.
• Stir fry the chicken. Put the onion back. Add tomato, lemon juice, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix. Cover. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the beaten eggs. Cover. Stew until you like it.

  Finish.

Notes

・This is what is eaten locally with pilaf. So if you want to eat it with unseasoned white rice, you may have a different preference.

Keyword chicken, egg, rice