10 Poultry Recipes

Poultry on the Russian table is usually represented by roast goose stuffed with apples, and by chicken. Duck was rarer. However, only a well-off peasant could afford it and only at big holidays. Since a pagan tradition of sacrificing chickens remained rather long in Russia, poultry was considered sacred food at weddings for a long time later on. Kurnik, as a wedding pie, still exists. In Russian cuisine, chickens and poulets are boiled, stewed, roasted, fried and minced to make burgers and other dishes.  Normally, chickens, geese and ducks used to be slaughtered and cooked in autumn. Hence the Russian version of the idiom "Don"t count your chickens before they are hatched" is "Count your chickens in autumn". It is used to tell someone not to be too sure that what they are hoping for will happen. Today we are presenting an interesting selection of Russian recipes for poultry dishes.

Poulet Pots with Mushrooms

1 poulet
1-2 carrots
6-8 ceps or other mushrooms
4 tbsp butter
fresh parsley and salt

Cut the prepared poulet into serving pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Slice the rinsed mushrooms and peeled carrots finely, and scald them. Put 1 tbsp butter into each pot, the poulet pieces, the mushrooms and the carrots, then 1/2 tbsp butter, cover and put in the oven. Half an hour later add the chopped parsley, stir, and braise until ready. 

Poulets under White Sauce with Gooseberries

2 poulets
1 cup gooseberries
5-6 cubes sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 carrot and parsley root each
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
50 g melted butter
salt

Joint the poulets into 4 pieces and boil with the roots. Put the unripe gooseberries in a pan, add 2 cups of the stock in which the poulets were boiled, add the sugar, cover the pan, and simmer until the berries are soft, but not too soft. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the flour and 2 cup of the stock. Bring to the boil, add the poulets, the gooseberries, and heat 2-3 min. Alternatively, coat the poulets in eggs and breadcrumbs, fry a little, and add the gooseberry sauce.

Moscow Chicken

1 chicken
1-2 onions
200 g fresh mushrooms
250 g soured cream
80 g butter
20 g flour
2 tbsp dill
salt

Cut the chicken into serving pieces and sprinkle it with salt. Chop the onions and slice the mushrooms. Put the chicken in a frying pan with heated butter, add the onions and the mushrooms, and fry a little. Put the fried chicken in a pot. Add the flour to the pan and fry it a little. Add the soured cream, stir until smooth, and bring to the boil. Add the prepared sauce to the chicken and sprinkle it with the dill. Make dense dough and cover the pot with it. Braise 30-35 min in the oven. Remove the dough and serve the chicken in the pot. Garnish with boiled rice.

Russian Chicken Pilaf

1 chicken
1.5 cup rice
3 cups stock or water
2-3 tbsp butter or cooking fat
pepper, salt, greens

Cut the chicken into small pieces, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, press them with hands, and fry a little in butter or cooking fat. Rinse the rice several ties and boil 15 min. Drain the rice on a colander and rinse with cold water to make it friable. Put the chicken in a pan, add the rice, the fat from the frying pan, some more butter, a half-glass of water, cover, and cook 20-25 min until ready. When ready, put a piece of butter and crushed garlic on top, and leave to rest under lid for about 10 min. Serve with spicy vegetable salads as a side dish.

Russian Chicken Roast

1 1kg chicken
400 g onions
50 g raisins
50 g shelled walnuts
50 g fresh mushrooms
15 g butter
fresh herbs
salt and ground black pepper
for sauce:
25 g high-quality flour
400 g soured cream
25 g butter

Rinse and dry the chicken, cut it into 8 pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper, fry until half-ready. Slice the onions into half-rings and fry until golden. Julienne and fry the mushrooms. Fry the walnuts, remove thin skin, and crush. Rinse and dry the raisins. Make the soured cream sauce: heat the butter in a stew pan, add the sifted flour, and fry stirring until it smells like fried nuts. Gradually stir in the heated soured cream. Put the chicken in pots (2 pieces a pot), add the raisins, mushrooms, onions and nuts. Add the soured cream sauce. Braise 20-25 min in the oven at 180 C. Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs.

Pkhali from the Chef of Kharcho Restaurant

Marinated cod

Fresh sea bass carpaccio with citrus sauce

Tuna with orange sauce from Chef of Lesnaya skazka Restaurant