Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Chili Crunch
I’ve seen this Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Chili Crunchrecipe in magazines and social media now for awhile, and it has always intrigued me, so today I decided to try it. It was surprisingly easy, and I even did a pretty good job of poaching eggs, something I haven’t tried in awhile.
What are Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Chili Crunch?
Turkish Eggs are a Turkish dish (surprise!) of poached eggs nestled in a savory and room-temperature yogurt puddle that’s been traditionally infused with the flavors of garlic, paprika and/or dill, cilantro, parsley or mint and lightly drizzled with a warm butter/chili sauce. It’s believed to date back to being favored by Ottoman sultans as far back as the 15th century and was even served as a light dinner. Since I think just about everything is better with chili crunch, I decided to forego the Aleppo pepper and substitute with that and it didn’t disappoint me! We are loving these Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Chili Crunch and they come together really quick!
Now, before you make a horrible face and think you won’t like it, I encourage you to try it once. I’ll admit, it isn’t for the picky palate, but it’s a great way to get a good whallop of healthy protein in and if you have a palate for Mediterranean cuisine, you’ll love it like I do.
Ingredients for Turkish Eggs
- Greek Yogurt – use quality thick Greek yogurt for Turkish Eggs, not that watery regular stuff.
- Fresh Garlic – use a grater or garlic press as you don’t want giant pieces of garlic to bite into but just meld into the yogurt. You could also use the pre-grated stuff, but fresh is always better. However I won’t judge you.
- Fresh herbs – dill, cilantro, parsley, or mint – I’ve seen all of these used. It’s up to your taste palate. Try them all!
- Salt & Pepper- to season the yogurt and maybe a sprinkle more on the eggs when you serve them.
- Butter and/or Olive Oil – again I’ve seen both. I use a combination of 1/1 of each.
- Chili Crunch- I use Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion, Momofuku or Laoganma Spicy Chili Crisp Sauce
- Smoked or regular Paprika – it gives the sauce a punch of flavor and adds a rich deep orange hue to it as well
- Eggs – the fresher the better -they poach better. Again I won’t judge.
- Vinegar or lemon juice -to poach the eggs. It helps them hold together better. Also optional – add in lemon juice to the yogurt mix.
- Warm Crusty Bread or Pita – to mop it all up!
How to make Turkish Eggs
- Warm the Greek yogurt – please make note of this: do NOT serve this on ice cold yogurt from the refrigerator but GENTLY warm your yogurt first. Old fashioned means would have you put it in a double boiler, and you totally can if that’s your thing, but I would recommend spooning your yogurt in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwaving, then stirring starting at 10 seconds and adding more if you need it. It should be almost room temperature, not hot. I use about 2/3 cup of Greek yogurt per portion. I also think a squeeze of lemon would be yummy in the yogurt. You can absolutely let your yogurt sit out until it comes to room temperature, but I just never seem to have time for that.
- Mix your add-ins to the yogurt– stir in (to taste) a sprinkle of salt and pepper and your herbs of choice – cilantro, dill, parsley or mint. There is no law here people, just use what you love. Start with a teaspoon and add more if you want. Always taste and adjust. It’s the motto of my kitchen. Also use a grater or garlic press and add 1 medium clove of fresh garlic. Mix it all in well.
- Poach or fry your eggs- I poach my eggs by filling a one-quart saucepan about 2/3 with water (at least 4 inches, more water makes a prettier round shape). Bring the water to a boil. Crack your egg into a small fine strainer and shake gently over a bowl and let sit and drain while waiting for the water to boil. This will remove the thin watery whites of the eggs and you won’t get all that frilly egg white mess in your pan. If you want more eggs, put the finished ones in small cups while you wait. Add about 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to your pot, and when the water boils, reduce it to a gentle simmer and take a large spoon and make the water a gentle whirlpool by stirring it. Slide one of your eggs in and the whirlpool will help the white wrap around the yolk to make a perfect poached egg. Add in any additional eggs quickly and set a timer for 3 minutes for a runny yolk or 4 minutes for a firmer one. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. You can make these in advance (keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days in cold water) and then put them back in simmering water to warm up for 20-30 seconds when you need them. You can absolutely use fried eggs if you’d like and you could even meal prep these by soft boiling eggs ahead of time, slicing them in half when you’re ready to eat!!
- Make the garlic/butter/olive oil/pepper sauce -in a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil (per serving – so for 2 servings you’d use 2 tablepoons each of butter and olive oil). Heat just until fully-melted. You can just use entirely olive oil if you want a healthier Turkish Egg. Add in chili crunch to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon to start) and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika (I love smoked paprika). Originally the recipe would call for Aleppo pepper, or pepper flakes (about a teaspoon).
- Assemble your bowl – You should already have your Greek yogurt in a bowl fully mixed with salt, pepper and herbs. Gently place your poached or fried eggs (standard serving would be two) and drizzle with your chili crunch butter oil mix. Top with more fresh herbs if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve with toasted bread or pita – Dip up all the flavors with a warm crusty slice of bread or pita!
To Meal Prep Turkish Eggs
- Soft Boil Eggs and peel –From cold state in refrigerator, lower eggs with a spider into boiling water. Boil exactly 7 minutes then remove to an ice bath. Peel eggs.
- Make sauce – keep in separate container
- Mix the yogurt with add ins- (as instructed above) and portion into desired amount of lidded bowls. Double, triple etc. for the number of bowls you want.
- Add in desired number of eggs.
- To serve- remove eggs and warm yogurt (as instructed above). You can also warm eggs as well, 10 seconds per egg. Slice eggs in half and place back in yogurt. Warm sauce in microwave and drizzle on desired amount.
Love unique breakfast meals like these Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Chili Crunch? Try one of my other delicious and quick breakfast ideas!
Turkish Eggs (Çılbır) with Chili Crunch
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This easy Turkish Eggs Recipe serves poached eggs over a bed of garlic and herb-infused yogurt with Chili crunch butter sauce drizzled over top.
Author: Katie
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- ⅔ c. Greek yogurt
- ¼ t. salt
- dash of black pepper
- 2 t. fresh lemon juice (optional)
- 1 finely grated garlic clove
- 1 T. minced fresh dill
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 T. butter
- 1 t. chili crunch
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 1 T. white distilled vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- Coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- Finely minced fresh mint, cilantro, dill or parsley (I use 1 T. minced)
- Optional: toasted bread or pita
- Optional: more herbs for topping
Instructions
- In a wide flat bowl, mix the yogurt, salt, and pepper, and herbs (and lemon juice if desired). Microwave at 10 second increments until it's room temperature. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the butter and olive oil and heat over low to medium heat until it’s melted. Stir in the chili crunch and smoked paprika, stir, and cook for 1 minute - reduce heat to barely simmering so as not to burn.
- Heat a medium pot of water over medium heat just until simmering. Pour in the vinegar.
- Crack the eggs into a strainer to drain off the watery, loose egg whites from the firmer egg whites. Shake very gently to speed it up the draining.
- With a large spoon, gently create a swirling whirlpool in the pot.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the water, keeping them a few inches apart.Cook exactly 3 minutes for a runny yolk or 4 minutes for a harder yolk.
- Set them to the side on paper towels to drain any excess water.
- Add the eggs to the yogurt bowl and drizzle on some of the chili crunch oil. Season with salt and pepper if more is desired.
- Finish with more herbs if desired
- Serve with optional toasted bread for dipping.
