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Turkish-Style Chicken Soup with Yogurt, Chickpeas and Bulgur

Turkish-Style Chicken Soup with Yogurt, Chickpeas and Bulgur

By Courtney HillApril 6, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    35 minutes
  • Rating

There are many different versions of düğün çorbası, or Turkish wedding soup, and a good number of them are made with lamb. But a chicken-based recipe from “Anatolia” by Somer Sivrioglu and David Dale inspired this soup, which is rich and satisfying but not at all heavy. We opted out of the egg and flour that enriches and thickens classic düğün çorbası, but we include both chickpeas and bulgur for substance and texture. Butter infused with Aleppo pepper finishes individual bowlfuls, adding color, aroma and depth of flavor. Aleppo pepper is mildly spicy, with a touch of fruitiness and smoke.

Tip

Don’t rinse the chickpeas. Instead, just drain them of their canning liquid. The liquid left clinging to the chickpeas lends the soup a little body. Also, don’t put the soup back on the burner after whisking in the yogurt. Additional heat may cause the yogurt to separate and curdle.

Ingredients
  • 1

    pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch chunks

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 6

    tablespoons (¾ stick) salted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, divided

  • 1

    medium yellow onion, chopped

  • ¾

    cup coarse bulgur

  • 4

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 1

    quart low-sodium chicken broth

  • 15½

    ounce can chickpeas, drained (do not rinse)

  • 1

    tablespoon Aleppo pepper or 2 teaspoons sweet paprika plus ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1

    cup whole-milk yogurt

  • ½

    cup chopped fresh dill

Step 1

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper; set aside. In a large pot over medium-high, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.

Add the onion, bulgur and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion browns and the bulgur darkens in color, 5 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth, 1 cup water and ¾ teaspoon black pepper, then bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium, and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the bulgur is softened, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and chickpeas, then cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the chicken no longer is pink at the center and the bulgur is very soft, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons butter until bubbling. Add the Aleppo pepper and cook, swirling the pan, until the butter is bright red and fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside off heat.

Step 4

When the chicken and bulgur are done, remove the pot from the heat. Whisk in the yogurt and dill, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of the Aleppo butter over each.