Albanian Chicken with Walnuts (Pulë me Arra) is a traditional chicken dish in Albania. It is surprisingly delicious and has a lot of potential for refinement. For those who love using tradition as a point of inspiration, there are small tweaks that can be done to turn this into an impressive meal, be creative! (Some examples: cooking the chicken in aromatized or spiced water, blending the sauce and passing it through a chinois for a smoother result…)
Albanian Chicken with Walnuts (Pulë me Arra)
Serves 4 people.
Cooking time: 1h 45min
Ingredients:
- 500 – 600 g chicken
- 3 – 4 tbsp butter
- ½ cup peeled walnuts
- 5 – 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 – 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 5 – 6 cups water
Directions:
- Crush the garlic cloves
- Coarsely chop the walnuts
Simmer chicken in water seasoned with salt to taste until tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken from cooking water, reserving 1-cup stock. Cool chicken slightly then cut into 4 portions.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and saute until lightly browned. Remove chicken pieces and keep warm.
Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Add stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Add vinegar, garlic, walnuts and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook until warm. Spoon sauce over chicken pieces.