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Justine Doiron

just real good food

Breakfast, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Vegetarian · March 18, 2023

Çilbir Verde

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Çilbir Verde on a plate

While this recipe is not quite çilbir, the çilbir verde with a fried egg is just as delicious as its classic Turkish counterpart. Traditionally, çilbir is Turkish poached eggs, served on top of salty, garlicky yogurt with a chili oil drizzle. This recipe swaps a bright red chili oil for a chili oil verde, AKA, the green stuff. This green chili oil is DELICIOUS, filled with cilantro, honey, lime, Serrano peppers, and just the right touch of heat. You can drizzle it on your eggs here, or save it for countless other uses. And while çilbir means poached egg, I opted to make these fried, since I love a crispy, craggily edge.

This Turkish breakfast staple has now become one of my favorites for an easy (but impressive!) brunch, lunch, or even a quick dinner. It’s filled with flavor and protein, and served with crusty bread, it’s hard to find anything better. Read on for my take on a çilbir verde!

chili oil verde ingredients in a bowl

Table of contents

  • First, what is çilbir?
  • How does this recipe vary from traditional çilbir?
  • Ingredients needed for this fried egg çilbir
  • How to prepare this çilbir
  • Looking for other breakfast ideas?
prepared chili oil verde in a bowl

First, what is çilbir?

Dating back to the 15th century, çilbir has remained a beloved Turkish dish for Ottoman sultans and present day citizens alike. And what’s not to love? In its traditional iteration, a base of yogurt, usually seasoned with salt and flavored with garlic or herbs, is topped with a poached egg and a pepper sauce made by combining a fat, like butter, with some type of pepper pepper, usually Aleppo pepper or paprika.

How does this recipe vary from traditional çilbir?

While the key components of this dish are all present, a few important differences are at work in this çilbir verde when compared with the traditional recipe. My version swaps the soft, poached egg for a crispy-edged, fried version, and replaces the red chili oil for a chunkier green sauce. Paired with a crusty slice of bread, this dish ticks so many flavor and texture boxes, serving you crispy, crunchy, creamy, spicy, and herbaceous.

So truly, what more could you ask for from an easy breakfast?

çilbir verde on a plate with toast

Ingredients needed for this fried egg çilbir

The ingredients for this dish bring creamy, crispy, bright, and spicy elements to your plate all at once—no small feat. And it doesn’t even require a big grocery store haul. Here’s what you’ll need to make this çilbir verde:

  • 2 medium Serrano peppers, or one large jalapeño pepper
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp each of coriander and cumin
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp lime juice, the juice from 1 whole lime
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup greek yogurt or skyr
  • 2 slices bread of choice, toasted
  • 2 tsp Calabrian chili oil, for garnish

How to prepare this çilbir

A dish this good should require dedication, concentration, and effort, but honestly, it comes together pretty quickly and effortlessly. Here’s how you make çilbir verde.

Remove half of the seeds of the Serrano peppers and finely chop them up. Finely chop up the cilantro with the peppers and add to a large bowl.

In that same bowl bowl, grate in the garlic. Then add the coriander, cumin, honey, lime juice, and salt.

Heat up all but 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a small pan or pot. Let this get to about 325°F-350°F. Pour over the cilantro mixture and stir. Set aside.

Use the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to fry the eggs. In a pan on medium heat, add the oil and then add the eggs one at a time, tilt the pan and baste the top of the egg white with hot oil to help it cook all the way through.

To serve, smear the yogurt evenly onto two plates. Add one egg on each plate and drizzle with the green oil. See recipe notes for any leftover green chili oil!

Dot with Calabrian chili if you like extra heat, and serve with crusty bread!

Looking for other breakfast ideas?

Avocado Breakfast Bowl
This breakfast bowl is kind of like an avocado toast meets hash brown mash up. But instead of hash browns, we just have toasty crispy bread. It might be crazy, it might be genius. Either way, it let's me eat bread-cereal for breakfast so I can't be mad about it.
Check out this recipe
Kimchi Fried Eggs
These kimchi eggs are cooked on medium heat and covered to ensure the kimchi doesn't scorch, and the whites are perfectly set. What you are left with are easy, flavor-filled eggs with the perfect level of runny yolk. Serve on your crunchiest toast!
Check out this recipe
Avocado & Skhug Breakfast Sandwich
Skhug is one of my favorite condiments, and it takes the idea of "green eggs and ham" to a whole new level. This healthy vegetarian breakfast sandwich is bright green and filled with flavor. Perfect for any brunch craving.
Check out this recipe
Avocado Breakfast Sandwich with Skhug
çilbir verde served on a plate

And that’s everything for this Çilbir Verde!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Çilbir Verde

This fried egg version of Turkish poached eggs is simple, delicious, and covered in a homemade green chili oil. The fried egg gives a hint of crispy texture to the normally soft dish, and the green chili oil adds heat and a hint of freshness. All together it's my perfect breakfast.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:15 minutes mins
Cook Time:10 minutes mins
Total Time:25 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Turkey
Keyword: eggs, yogurt
Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Serrano peppers or one large jalapeño pepper
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp each of coriander and cumin
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp lime juice the juice from 1 whole lime
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup greek yogurt or skyr
  • 2 slices bread of choice toasted
  • 2 tsp Calabrian chili oil for garnish

Instructions

  • Remove half of the seeds of the Serrano peppers and finely chop them up. Finely chop up the cilantro with the peppers and add to a large bowl.
  • In the bowl, grate in the garlic, add the coriander, cumin, honey, lime juice, and salt.
  • Heat up all but 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a small pan or pot. Let this get to about 325°F-350°F. Pour over the cilantro mixture and stir. Set aside.
  • Use the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil to fry the eggs. In a pan on medium heat, add the oil and then add the eggs one at a time, tilt the pan and baste the top of the egg white with hot oil to help it cook all the way through.
  • To serve, smear the yogurt evenly onto two plates. Add one egg on each plate and drizzle with the green oil. See recipe notes for any leftover green chili oil!
  • Dot with Calabrian chili if you like extra heat, and serve with crusty bread!

Notes

Depending on your verve for sauce, this recipe will make a bit more chili oil than you’ll probably use. But don’t fear, this oil is great on roasted veggies, with avocado toast, on grain bowls, with yogurt for an egg-less savory yogurt dish, or even on pasta! It will last in the fridge for up to a week. Oil hardening in the fridge is normal, so just let it come to room temperature before using again. 

Posted In: Breakfast, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eva says

    March 24, 2023 at 12:41 am

    Amazing recipe, but my poaching technique needs some work. It took two attempts with the eggs to try and get it right, but it tasted fantastic. I added cherry tomatoes and roasted kale and swapped chili oil and chives on top. Thank you for the inspiration!

    • Justine says

      March 24, 2023 at 11:26 am

      So thrilled you liked it! And that’s why I opted for a fried egg haha, sometimes I don’t have the patience to poach!

  2. K says

    March 29, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    The recipe looks amazing, and will try very soon. I lived in Istanbul years ago, and loved having Çilbir for breakfast. Do you think basil would taste okay in lieu of the cilantro? I love cilantro, but have some friends that think they don’t like it, and won’t eat it – no matter how delicious the dish is.

    • Justine says

      March 30, 2023 at 3:07 pm

      I’d swap in parsley, basil can tend to get a bit overpowering and a tad bitter with this!

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Hey! I'm Justine. A recipe developer, highly dedicated eater, and bread enthusiast with an archive of both savory and sweet. This is where I store all my recipes, feel free to take a look around!
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