The word “Lavangi” might be heard a lot in Azerbaijani cuisine but I am going to tell you all about a kind of Lavangi from north of Iran.  The fact that Lavangi made it to both Iran and Azerbaijan is perhaps because Iran shares borders with Azerbaijan through the beautiful city of Astara.

The Azerbaijan Lavangi Chicken is made with chicken breast, or whole chicken, stuffed with onions, walnuts, raisins, and prunes. But Astara Lavangi contains slightly different ingredients. The Astara Lavangi is made with a whole chicken stuffed with crushed walnut, medlar paste, pomegranate molasses, tomatoes, barberries, and caramelized onion. The two Lavangis are similar but certainly different in taste.

Lavangi stuffed chicken is usually made for special occasions or it is served in big gatherings and family feasts. The taste of Lavangi is somewhat sweet and sour and that comes from the pomegranate molasses and medlar paste.

Medlar or Mespilus germanica is the name of the fruit that is widely cultivated in Astara and it grows in wintertime. When medlar is ripe it gets really soft and surprisingly bletted. Medlar is very popular in the north of Iran and medlar paste is made from its fruit. The medlar paste is not available outside of Iran and I have replaced it with sour plum paste. If you have access to medlar you can make it at home.

The medlar paste is made from smashed peeled medlars. If you want to make it yourself, then take 2 cups of smashed medlar combined with ½ cup of sugar and place it in a pan and stir/cook it over low heat until a rich chocolate color with a thick paste texture is achieved.

The pomegranate molasses also is responsible for the sour and sweet taste of Lavangi and it is not a common ingredient in supermarkets outside Iran. Pomegranate fruit could be sweet or sour depending on the climate it is growing in Iran. This is why pomegranate molasses made out of fresh pomegranates could vary from sour (dark brown) to sweet (light brown) as you move from the northern part of the country to the hotter climates in the south.

For this recipe, if you cannot find molasses in the supermarket, just make homemade pomegranate molasses by cooking down the pomegranate juice in a pan for about an hour until it thickens to a brown paste. For a sweeter taste, you can add sugar as well. The leftovers can be easily stored in a refrigerator.

The recipe I am sharing today is from my dear grandma who used to be very patient with me while sharing her recipes and her secrets. I still feel all the sweet and sour taste of her Lavangi under my tongue.

Ingredients of Lavangi stuffed chicken

• Whole Chicken
• Large Onions
• Pomegranate molasses
• Sour Plum Paste
• Barberries
• Walnuts
• Tomatoes

How to make Lavangi Chicken

Start by removing the giblets and neck from the chicken cavity.  Rinse the chicken thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Coat the chicken with turmeric, salt, pepper, and pomegranate molasses. Make sure inside and outside of the chicken is fully coated. Set the chicken aside for 30 minutes or you can leave it in the fridge overnight.  

For preparing the stuffing start by chopping the onions and caramelizing them with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over low-medium heat. 

The next step for preparation is to crush the walnuts in a food processor until they are finely chopped.

In a bowl, mix the pomegranate molasses, sour plum paste, caramelized onion, crushed walnuts, tomatoes, and barberries until a dark paste is achieved.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F and grease the oven pan.

Spoon the stuffing lightly into the neck and body cavities of the chicken.  Fold the loose skin over the stuffing and either sew the skin to close it or use toothpicks.  Tie the ends of the drumsticks together using thread.

This dish is traditionally made in a pot over the stove, but it is now cooked in the oven. Place the chicken in the oven pan and cover the chicken with the left-over of the stuffing. Close the lid of your pan and cook it on bake for 1 hour until you get a golden-brown glazed chicken. Enjoy Lavangi chicken on Persian rice or on its own! Bon Apetit!

Lavangi stuffed chicken

Lavangi is a whole chicken stuffed with barberries, pomogarante molases, medlar paste and crushed walnuts which originates from the north of Iran, Astara.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Resting time 30 mins

Total Time 2 hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 Whole Chicken
• 3 Onion Large
• 1/2 Cup Pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 Cup Sour Plum Paste
• 1/2 Cup Barberries
• 1 Cup Walnuts
• 2 Tomatoes Large
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tbsp Turmeric
• 1 tbsp Salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken cavity.  Rinse the chicken thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Coat the chicken with turmeric, salt, pepper, and pomegranate molasses. Make sure inside and outside of the chicken is fully coated. Set the chicken aside for 30 minutes or you can leave it in the fridge overnight.
• Prepare the stuffing start by chopping the onions and caramelizing them with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over low-medium heat. 
• Crush the walnuts in a food processor until they are finely chopped.
• In a bowl, mix the pomegranate molasses, sour plum paste, caramelized onion, crushed walnuts, tomatoes, and barberries until a dark paste is achieved.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F and grease the oven pan.
• Spoon the stuffing lightly into the neck and body cavities of the chicken.  Fold the loose skin over the stuffing and either sew the skin to close it or use toothpicks.  Tie the ends of the drumsticks together using thread.
• Place the chicken in the oven pan and cover the chicken with the left-over of the stuffing. Close the lid of your pan and cook it on bake for 1 hour on 350°F or until you get a golden-brown glazed chicken.

Notes

1. If you cannot find pomegranate molasses in the supermarket, just make homemade pomegranate molasses by cooking down the pomegranate juice in a pan for about an hour until it thickens to a brown paste. For a sweeter taste, you can add sugar as well. The leftovers can be easily stored in a refrigerator.
2. The medlar paste is not available outside of Iran supermarkets and you can replace it with sour plum paste.
3. If you have access to medlar you can make it at home. The medlar paste is made from smashed peeled medlars. If you want to make it yourself, then take 2 cups of smashed medlar combined with ½ cup of sugar and place it in a pan and stir/cook it over low heat until a rich chocolate color with a thick paste texture is achieved.
4. In order to wash the barberries, soak them in a bowl of water, and gently scoop them out of the water with a strainer. This way their residues will sink down into the bowl and barberries are washed. 

 

Keyword Lavangi, stuffed chicken