This Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Chicken recipe is actually a combination of two meals, made into one simple, yet tasty dish. Turkish Bulgur Pilaf is absolutely delicious and can be served as a dish to your family and friends and then topped with specially marinated chicken with explosive flavours, gives you a whole new level of the perfect weeknight meal.
Bulgur topped with chicken and a side of salad
What is Turkish Bulgur Pilaf?
Turkish style Bulgur Pilaf is a delicious take on bulgur, which can be served as an alternative to rice or bread and pairs so good with salad and grilled chicken!
Especially common in the Middle East, bulgur is such a versatile and tasty cooking ingredient that is perfect when you need to put a dish together with no time to spare. It only takes about 10 minutes to cook bulgur in comparison to over an hour to cook brown rice.
There are three ways to prepare bulgur. You can either soak it with boiling water and fluff with a fork, you can boil it like pasta if you’re really in a rush or you can soak it overnight if your not stuck for time… either way, whichever way you prepare your bulgur, you can turn it into Turkish Bulgur Pilaf in no time at all!
Speaking of Turkish style bulgur, have you tried my Turkish Pepper and Egg Shakshuka? Or my Homemade Turkish Lahmacun?
Health benefits of Bulgur
Bulgur is super healthy! It is packed with fiber and a staple ingredient for vegans and vegetarians when thinking about something super filling and satisfying to eat.
The best thing about bulgur in my opinion, is that its a low calorie ingredient, which is just perfect! Imagine putting together a dish to eat and enjoy without the worry of counting calories?
Bulgur is so easy to cook and can be used as the main dish or added to so many other dishes, such as stews and salads! It is absolutely delicious and packed with all the vitamins and minerals you could ask for!
Turkish style bulgur, chicken and salad
Top Tips
Bulgur comes in so many different shapes and sizes. For this dish, to make your Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Chicken, it is best to use course bulgur for a better outcome.
Instead of using water to cook your bulgur, you can use a vegetable or chicken stock for a bit of added texture and flavour.
I love my salad simple, a bunch of coriander and chopped onions with some lemon juice and lots of sumac, but you are free to add as many vegetables as you like to your salad. Usually, I make this salad using parsley, but this time, I tried it with coriander instead. The taste and aroma the coriander gave to the salad, I’ll definitely be sticking to it from now on!
The measurements used in this recipe are perfect, and the dish turned out so good, my family absolutely loved it! In fact, my husband not only compared it to Bulgur Pilaf we’ve had in Turkey, but said it tasted even better! It was definitely a win for me 🙂
Explosive taste all round!
Ingredients
To make your Turkish Bulgur Pilaf:
- Bulgur
- Pul biber (Aleppo Pepper)
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Sweet pepper paste
- Green Turkish peppers or red sweet pepper
- Onion
- Water
- Ghee
For your chicken mixture:
- Baby chicken
- Sweet pepper taste
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Pul biber (Aleppo Pepper)
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
For your salad:
- Coriander
- Onion
- Lemon
- Sumac
Step by Step
Start by chopping up the onions finely and sautéing them with the ghee. Add the Aleppo pepper and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Once translucent and slightly golden, add the pepper paste and spices and sauté once more.
Wash the bulgur, add it to the mixture, and let it cook with 3 and a half cups of water on low heat until cooked and fluffy. This should take about 15 minutes altogether.
For the chicken mixture, mix together all the ingredients into a paste and massage into the chicken pieces.
Bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes.
To prepare your salad is very simple. Wash and chop a whole bunch of coriander. Chop up 2 onions longways and sprinkle with the juice of 1 lemon and sumac. You can never go wrong with generous drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Assemble your dish together on a serving plate, the bulgur, the chicken pieces and the salad.
Serve up and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make my Turkish Bulgur Pilaf beforehand?
Yes of course you can! Bulgur actually keeps very well so it can be a few beforehand and you simply heat it or microwave it when ready to serve.
How long can I store my Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Chicken?
Your dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.
Can I vary the spice?
Like with so many of my dishes, you can choose to spice it up the max or spice it down just as you wish 🙂
If you do make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you are all making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you 🙂
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Turkish Bulgur Pilaf with Chicken
Ingredients
For your Turkish Bulgur Pilaf
For your chicken mixture
For your salad
Instructions
For your Turkish Bulgur Pilaf
-
Start by chopping up the onions finely and sautéing them with the ghee. Add the Aleppo pepper and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes.
-
Once translucent and slightly golden, add the pepper paste and spices and sauté once more.
-
Wash the bulgur, add it to the mixture, and let it cook with 3 and a half cups of water on low heat until cooked and fluffy. This should take about 15 minutes altogether.
For the chicken mixture
-
Mix together all the ingredients into a paste and massage into the chicken pieces.
-
Bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes.
To prepare your salad
-
Wash and chop a whole bunch of coriander.
-
Chop up 2 onions longways and sprinkle with the juice of 1 lemon and bit of sumac.
-
Assemble your dish together on a serving plate, the bulgur, the chicken pieces and the salad.
