Wheat with Chicken (Tavuklu Keskek)

Wheat with chicken, arugula, radish and yogurt

If you do not know what to cook tonight, here is a very delicious and healthy recipe for you. It is called Keskek in Turkish, a combination of wheat and chicken. You would be addicted to this dish after the first trial. I learned this recipe from my lovely sister-in-law when she visited us last year. I had heard about this dish before but I never tried it until she made it for us during her visit. When she first made wheat with chicken, my husband had a strange look on his face since he did not know what it was. After I told him it was a wheat dish, he admitted that he would never imagine a dish made with wheat and chicken would be very delicious and he LOVED it. Then, he wanted me to get the recipe from my sister-in-law. Now, I make it almost once in every other week and he eats more than I do. I also wanted to share this recipe with you since wheat is a very healthy and valuable grain with a huge amount of dietary fiber and folate which make it very valuable in our kitchens. You should definitely eat wheat often if you have a constipation problem. It is a very good remedy for it. Also, it can help to lose weight if you eat right amount it with a bowl of green salad seasoned with a little salt, lemon juice and olive oil, and a small bowl of homemade yogurt. It is worth trying. 

This makes 4-5 servings.

Ingredients: 

4 chicken thighs (remove the skin and cut into two pieces lengthwise)

Peeled wheat

2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups peeled wheat
2-3 tbsp tomato paste (I use organic)
Black pepper
Salt
Boiled water (there is no exact amount for water. I add the water constantly until the wheat cooks) 
A few branch of fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1- Put oil in a large and deep pan on the stove in a medium heat and add chicken pieces to it. Cook a few minutes each side, then, mix onion and cook until onion gets soft.
2- In the meantime, boil approximately 1.5 liter water in a kettle and set aside.
3- Add tomato paste, black pepper and salt to the mixture and stir it for 1-2 minutes. 
4- Then, put the wheat into it and stir 1-2 more minutes. 
5- Add the water to the mixture little by little until the wheat gets soft enough, stirring often not to burn it. It should not be watery. It should soak all the water, so you should add water as needed.
6- After cooking, let it sit for 5 minutes covering the top of pan with a piece of paper towel and close the lit.
7- Chop the fresh cilantro and garnish with it after putting the dish in the serving bowl.

Enjoy it with a bowl of yogurt and arugula or salad!