Chicken with walnuts (Pulë me Arra)

This recipe is a traditional chicken dish in Albania. It is surprisingly delicious, and has alot of potential for refinement; for those who love using tradition as a point of inspiration there are small tweeks 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...)

Serves 4 people.

Execution 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

· Coarsley 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 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.