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Azerbaijan · Main dish
Azerbaijani Lavangi (Walnut-Stuffed Roast Chicken)
Local name: Ləvəngi
A festive Azerbaijani roast chicken stuffed with walnuts, onions and sour plums and baked until tender.
- Servings4
- Prep50 min
- Cooking1 h 40 min
- Total time2 h 30 min
- DifficultyMedium
Contains dairyContains nuts
About this dish
Lavangi (ləvəngi in Azerbaijani) is a dish of chicken or fish stuffed with a filling of plenty of onions, walnuts and sour fruit, then baked in the oven. It is especially associated with Lankaran in southern Azerbaijan and is typically served as a celebratory main course.
What defines the Azerbaijani version is the walnut filling balanced with dried cherry plums (alcha) and pomegranate sauce. The sweet walnuts, sour plums and fresh coriander give a rich yet bright flavour, and the chicken bakes juicy and soft around the stuffing.
Ingredients
Tick the ingredients off like a shopping list.
Chicken
Filling
Basting
Method
Rinse the chicken and pat it completely dry. Rub salt and black pepper inside and out.
Soak the dried cherry plums in warm water for 15 minutes, then drain, pit and chop them roughly.
Melt the butter in a wide pan and cook the onions, stirring now and then, for 12 minutes until soft and golden.
Add the ground walnuts and turmeric and stir for 3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat, stir in the plums, coriander and pomegranate sauce, and let the filling cool for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the filling into the cavity, pressing lightly without packing it tight. Close the opening with toothpicks or kitchen string.
Brush half of the melted butter over the chicken and let it rest for 20 minutes while the oven heats to 190 °C.
Place the chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan and pour the water into the pan.
Cover the pan with foil and bake at 190 °C for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, brush with the remaining butter and bake 30 more minutes, basting once or twice with the pan juices, until golden and the thigh juices run clear.
Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, remove the string, then carve and serve hot with the filling.
💡 Tips
- Make sure the filling is only warm, not hot, before stuffing so the chicken cooks evenly.
- Do not pack the stuffing tightly; it expands slightly while baking and may split the chicken.
- The chicken is done when the juices from the thigh run clear when pierced with a fork.
- Use fresh walnuts with a clean smell and do not scorch them while frying, or they turn bitter.
- Spoon the pan juices over the carved chicken when serving.
🛒 Can't find it abroad?
- Dried cherry plums (alcha) — Use sour dried plums or dried apricots; add 1 tsp lemon juice to keep the sour note.
- Pomegranate sauce (narsharab) — Mix the same amount of lemon juice with 1 tsp honey or molasses.
- Fresh coriander — Use a mix of parsley and a little dill.
This recipe was prepared with the help of AI, following the traditional home-style method; quantities, times and steps were checked automatically for consistency. Ovens and stoves differ, so check doneness by eye.
