Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

In This Recipe

Why It Works

• Blooming the spices in hot ghee enhances their aromas and results in a more flavorful dish.
• Gently simmering the chicken prevents overcooking and keeps it juicy and tender.
• Coating the rice with fat prevents the grains from sticking together, resulting in fluffier rice.

Sharkaseya, also known as Circassian chicken à la Egyptienne, pairs tender poached chicken and rice with a velvety walnut sauce—a combination that might sound more European than Egyptian. In fact, it’s a beloved staple in Egyptian homes and is popular across the Levant, especially in Jordan and Lebanon. Circassians, Muslims from the Northwest Caucasus, introduced Circassian chicken to Egypt when they fled from Russian persecution in the late 19th century. Traditionally, there is no rice in Circassian chicken; the original dish consists of boiled chicken served with a rich paste of crushed walnuts, and is garnished with paprika oil.

In Egypt, the dish has been reimagined with local flair: Dried bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice berries, cloves, black peppercorns, green cardamom, and mastic beads infuse the rice and chicken with a warm complexity. The cooked rice and chicken are layered in a Bundt pan, reheated briefly in the oven, then unmolded and served with a luscious walnut sauce for an elegant presentation. Today, it’s often served at special occasions and festive gatherings, including Ramadan.

Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

What Makes a Great Sharkaseya

The best sharkaseya I’ve ever had was at the home of my Egyptian-Belgian friend of Turkish descent, Gina. The first time she served it, I was mesmerized by the visual drama of her unmolding the chicken-rice mound onto a platter, letting the sauce flow into its center, then finishing it with toasted walnuts and fresh herbs. It was a dish that was striking in both presentation and comfort.

An epic sharkaseya begins with a fragrant chicken broth, layered with warm spices. Before making the broth, I dry-brine the chicken for at least an hour (though 8 hours is best), which deeply seasons the meat and helps it stay juicy during cooking. Then I sear the chicken in sizzling ghee with whole spices and aromatics until golden and deeply fragrant, then add water and gently simmer until the chicken is tender and the broth is fragrant.

How to Prepare Rice for Sharkaseya

Egyptian short-grain rice (or Calrose rice) is traditionally used in sharkaseya for its natural starchiness, which helps it absorb the flavors of the spices. It also holds its shape well once unmolded. For a lighter texture, basmati rice can be used, though it won’t hold its shape as well and will yield a looser final dish. Sautéing the rice in ghee is key here: Coating the grains in fat helps them stay separate, resulting in grains that stay separate and fluffy during the cooking process. A quick fluff with a fork once the rice is done cooking ensures the perfect texture: tender yet fluffy, with separate, plump grains that hold their shape without being sticky or mushy. When cooked properly, each grain should be soft at the core and slightly glossy on the outside.

Mastic beads come from the mastic tree, and are a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. They have an earthy, piney flavor, and here, they complement the spices and infuse the rice with a pleasant woodsiness.

Getting the Creamy Walnut Sauce Right

The walnut sauce is the soul of sharkaseya. To make it, I pulverize toasted walnuts with shards of lightly toasted bread, then add hot broth to form a luscious, spoonable base. In a separate pan, I bloom minced garlic and coriander in ghee, then stir it into the walnut mixture. A splash of cream rounds the edges, but I tread carefully, as too much can mute the sauce’s nuttiness. I’ve tested other ways to make the sauce, including with milk, paprika, and more cream, but found they tend to overpower the delicacy of the walnuts and dilute their flavor.

The sauce is velvety and aromatic, with a nutty richness from the walnuts that’s softened by a splash of cream. Infused with warm spices and enriched with chicken broth, it delivers layers of comfort—earthy, savory, and faintly sweet all at once.

Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

How to Assemble

What makes the dish so refined is how it’s presented: Layers of chicken and rice are pressed into a Bundt pan, heated briely, then inverted onto a plate for a showstopping dish that resembles an elegant layer cake.

If you’re serving it right away, invert the mold onto a large serving platter and pour the warm sauce into the groove that forms around the molded rice. Alternatively, you can prepare the mold in advance, refrigerate it, then reheat it in the oven before serving—just keep in mind you may have to bake it for a few more minutes. Unmold the sharkaseya and ladle the fragrant sauce over it, and serve the extra sauce on the side. Whether prepared for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion, sharkaseya is a dish that never fails to impress. And for many Egyptians, including myself, it’s a meal that will always feel comforting and nostalgic.

Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

Keep Screen Awake

For the Brined Chicken:

1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 whole medium chicken (about 3 pounds; 1.3kg), giblets removed

For the Chicken Broth:

3 tablespoons ghee (1 1/2 ounces; 45 g)

Brined chicken

3 green cardamom pods

3 mastic resin beads, see notes

3 dried bay leaves

1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon allspice berries

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved

1 head garlic, halved cross-wise

1 celery rib, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 sprig fresh sage

2 quarts (1.9L) water

For the Rice:

2 tablespoons ghee (1 ounce; 30 g)

2 cups short-grain Egyptian or Calrose rice (7 ounces; 200 g), see notes

1 1/2 cups (355 ml) hot chicken broth, from above

2 green cardamom pods

3 dried bay leaves

2 mastic resin beads, see notes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Walnut Sauce:

1 1/2 cup walnuts (5 1/4 ounces; 150 g)

4 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread lightly toasted, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups (240 ml) chicken broth, from above

1 tablespoon ghee (1/2 ounce; 15 g)

3 medium cloves garlic (1/2 ounce; 15 g), minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Assemble:

Neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola, for greasing

1/2 cup toasted walnuts (2 ounces; 56 g), for garnish, from above

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

1/2 cup shredded chicken, from above, for garnish

**For the Brined Chicken: **In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the salt with black pepper. Season chicken all over, inside and out, with salt mixture. Place chicken, back side down, on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

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**For the Chicken Broth: **Using paper towels, pat chicken dry. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt ghee over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the hot fat and sear on all sides until lightly golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the cardamom pods, mastic beads, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, whole cloves, and black peppercorns, stirring to evenly coat with the hot fat, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

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Add garlic, onion, celery, and sage, and cook until lightly browned in spots, about 7 minutes. Add enough boiling water to cover chicken and aromatics by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

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Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot, and continue to simmer until chicken is tender and soup is fragrant, about 45 minutes. Using tongs, carefully remove chicken, allowing broth to fully drain from cavity, then set it on a cutting board to cool slightly. Using a fork and your hands, shred meat from chicken into strips about 1-inch long and 1/2-inch wide.

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Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain broth into a large bowl; discard vegetables and spices. You should have 4 1/2 cups broth; set aside 3 1/2 cups broth for recipe and reserve remaining broth for another use.

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**For the Rice: **Place rice in a large bowl and cover by 2 inches with cool water. Using your hands, vigorously swish rice until water turns cloudy, about 30 seconds. Using a fine-mesh sieve, drain rice, discarding the cloudy water. Refill bowl with cool water, and repeat rinsing and draining process until water runs clear.

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In a large saucepan, heat ghee over medium heat until it shimmers. Add cardamom, bay leaves, and mastic resin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and resin has melted, about 1 minute.

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Add rice and cook, stirring to evenly coat with ghee, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Cover with 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is fully absorbed, about 17 minutes.

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Remove pot from heat. Uncover and discard bay leaves and cardamom pods. Using a fork, fluff rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rice rest, uncovered, until slightly cooled, about 5 minutes. Cover pot with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm; set aside.

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For the Walnut Sauce: In a medium pan set over medium heat, toast walnuts, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer walnuts to a bowl; let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

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In a food processor, pulse 1 cup toasted walnuts until finely chopped, about 10 pulses. Add bread and pulse until mixture is sandy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup warm chicken broth and let sit, stirring occasionally, until breadcrumbs fully absorb it, about 2 minutes, then blend until mixture is a thick white sauce. Coarsely chop remaining walnuts; set aside.

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In a large stainless steel skillet, melt ghee over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg, cooking until garlic is light golden and spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.

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Add walnut mixture, stirring to combine, and simmer until creamy but pourable, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually stir in 1 cup broth until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon but still pourable, similar to the consistency of melted ice cream, about 10 minutes. Add heavy cream, if using, and season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. (If sauce is too thick, thin with additional chicken broth, one tablespoon at a time, until loose enough to pour. Keep in mind that sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.) Remove from heat.

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To Assemble: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C).

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Using a paper towel or pastry brush, lightly grease a Bundt pan with neutral oil. Fill pan halfway with cooked rice, firmly pressing with a flexible spatula to pack it in. Top with all but 1/2 cup shredded chicken, then cover with remaining rice, pressing again to pack it tightly. Cover tightly with foil and cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

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Using oven mitts or a kitchen towel, carefully remove Bundt pan from oven. Remove foil and let rice cool slightly for 5 minutes. Cover the top of the Bundt pan with a large heat-proof plate or serving platter and quickly and carefully invert the pan. Pour 1/2 of the warm walnut sauce into the center of the rice. Garnish with remaining chopped walnuts, fresh cilantro, and reserved chicken. Serve immediately with remaining walnut sauce.

Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

Special Equipment

Large soup pot or Dutch oven, tongs, fine-mesh sieve, food processor, large stainless skillet, Bundt pan

Notes

You can use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs in place of a whole chicken.

Mastic gives the rice its signature piney aroma. Mastic can be found online or in Middle Eastern or Greek grocery stores.

Short-grain Egyptian rice (or Calrose rice) is ideal for sharkaseya because of its starchiness, which helps it hold its shape when molded. For a lighter texture, long-grain or basmati rice can be used, though it will yield a looser final dish. If you are using basmati rice, soak it for 15 minutes and then rinse until water runs clear and drain well before proceeding with step 8 of recipe. If using basmati rice, use a ratio of 1 part rice to 1 1/2 parts water.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The chicken broth and walnut sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Gently reheat walnut sauce in a saucepan set over medium-low heat, and add broth as needed to loosen.

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.