Poached Eggs with Yogurt and Chili Butter is a Simple Turkish Staple that Opens a World of Flavors (Patreon)

This article and recipe are a Super Frienji and Cookbook Club exclusive. Join the club to get the full build, trade notes with fellow kitchen obsessives, and hang with a community of cooks and food nerds swapping tips, stories, and secrets.

Hey Super Frienjis — this week’s video takes us to Turkey for a quick breakfast classic. Çilbir is a simple dish of poached eggs over seasoned yogurt drizzled with a bright red Aleppo chili butter. It's often served as part of a big spread of meze, but I think it's a worthy breakfast (or light lunch) just on its own with some good bread for scooping.

If you’re in the Cookbook Club tier, you might remember last week’s Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas with Turkish Chili Butter—a warm salad built on yogurt and spiced butter. The idea for that recipe came directly from çilbir.

I first came across the flavor pairing years ago in Istanbul while eating manti—Turkish dumplings stuffed with spiced lamb and served with yogurt and chili butter. I didn’t know it at the time, but that same sauce forms the foundation of çılbır, which swaps the dumplings for poached eggs. The yogurt brings tang and salt, the butter adds richness, and the chili rounds it out with warmth and fruitiness.

Since then, yogurt and a chili-flavored butter or oil has become one of my favorite flavor combinations. I used it in the cucumber salad with yogurt and chili crisp you may have cooked from my second book, The Wok. It's wonderful as a simple dip for crudité, or served under lamb meatballs. I love it with broccoli or cauliflower that's roasted until charred and nutty, or with grilled squash or eggplant. Grilled salmon or trout work with the combo hot or cold. Virtually any fried vegetable or fritters—artichokes, falafel, hushpuppies, clam fritters, etc.—will pair nicely with it. It's a powerful tool to have in your cooking arsenal.

I loved çilbir it so much that last year, when I helped my friends at Backhaus Bakery in the Bay Area redo their breakfast menu for their Burlingame location, we included a version of it. That one was a little more built out—a fresh herbs salad, a few extra spices, some lemon—but the heart of the dish was the same.

The version I make at home and show here is closer to the traditional one: just yogurt, butter, and eggs. You can make it in about ten minutes.

All Aboard the Strain Train

The only part that can give a little trouble is the poached eggs. As someone who spent years working breakfast service, I know how intimidating poached eggs can be. Here's the good news: most issues—wispy whites, cloudy water, uneven cooking—come from the same thing: the loose outer whites that separate when the egg hits the water.

The fix is simple. Crack each egg into a fine-mesh strainer and let the thin, watery white drain off. What’s left is a tidy egg that holds together when poached. You can even strain multiple eggs at the same time (don't worry, they separate when you cook them). My record is over four dozen eggs strained and poached simultaneously. Once theyve drained, I slide them out of the strainer into a pot of salted water that I've heated to the barest simmer—a few bubbles rising from the bottom every so often.

As soon as they go in, I use a spoon to create some gentle under-water currents to lift the eggs off the bottom of the pot, which ensures that they don't stick, and that they get an even shape. Three to four minutes gets you set whites and runny yolks, at which point you can lift them with a slotted spoon and gently blot them on a paper towel.

I developed this straining method years ago while writing The Food Lab. At the time, I was testing every way to poach an egg—vinegar, swirling water, cling film—and this turned out to be the most reliable, least fussy solution. It gives you a perfectly formed poached eggs with clean whites and intact yolks.

(Incidentally—poached eggs can be cooked ahead of time, chilled in cold water, then stored in a container of water in the fridge. To reheat, put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them and let them sit for a minute. It's a great way to streamline your brunch if you have guests coming over, or to prep poached eggs for the week in one big batch.)

Feeling Hot and Buttered

Turkish chili butter is just butter and ground chili cooked together briefly so the chili blooms and colors the fat. The two most common peppers used are Aleppo and Urfa Biber.

Aleppo has a bright, lightly acidic flavor and moderate heat.

Urfa Biber is darker, with a raisin-y sweetness, mild heat, and a smoky aroma.

If you can’t find either, you can substitute with ancho, Kashmiri chili, or even a roasted Thai or Sichuan chili. The flavor profile will change, but the fundamental idea of heat tempered by dairy and acid will remain, and that's the important thing for balancing the dish.

You can use unsalted or salted butter (or even olive oil), just make sure you season it to taste with salt if you're using an unsalted option. I melt the butter just until foamy and fragrant, before it starts to brown. Brown butter is great, but in this case, I like the clear, clean flavor of regular butter so that the fruitiness of the chili can really shine through. Once the butter is foamy, I add in the chili, stir it for a moment, then take it off heat to steep. If you want to go the extra mile, you can skim the foam off the top of the melted butter using a spoon for maximum clarity when adding it to the finished dish, but for a quick meal like this, I typically don't even bother.

The Whey I Want

Traditional çılbır uses thick, strained Turkish yogurt (süzme yoğurt). Greek yogurt or labneh both work well. Full-fat versions hold up better when you pour warm butter over them—they won’t break or get watery.

If all you have is regular plain yogurt, strain it through a paper towel or coffee filter for an hour to thicken it. Season with salt and, optionally, a drizzle of olive oil. Some versions include a little garlic, but I usually leave it out. Whatever type of yogurt you use, it's important to really beat it with a spoon so that it is completely smooth and creamy, which makes the plating much simpler.

When plating the yogurt, I spoon it into the center of the plate then use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges, creating a little next for the eggs to sit in when they're done.

Once the eggs are cooked, drained, and blotted, I add them to the yogurt and spoon the chili butter over and around them. Most classic versions do not have any herbs added to them, but I love this dish with chopped parsley, dill, or chives.

Recipe: Poached Eggs with Yogurt and Turkish Chili Butter (Çilbir)

Yield: Serves 1–2

Active time: 10 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Notes: Aleppo or Urfac Biber chili can be found in a good spice market or ordered online. If you can't find it, you can use other types of crushed chilies, such as ancho or Korean gochugaru. Use the freshest eggs you can. Older eggs spread more in the water.

Ingredients

For the yogurt base

¾ cup (180 g) thick strained yogurt (Such as Greek yogurt or labneh, full fat prefered)

Salt, to taste

A few teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)

For the chili butter

4 tablespoons (55 g) unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo or Urfa Biber chili flakes (see note)

Salt, to taste

For the eggs

2 large eggs

Salt for poaching water

For finishing

A sprinkle of chopped chives, dill, or parsley

Flaky sea salt

Crusty bread or pita, for serving

Method

Season the yogurt: Stir yogurt with salt and olive oil until smooth. Spread onto a shallow plate and make small wells for the eggs.

Flavor the butter: Melt butter over medium-low heat until foamy. Add chili flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook gently until the butter and chili flakes for 10 seconds. Remove from heat and let steep while you cook the eggs.

Poach the eggs: Bring a pot of salted water to a bare simmer. Crack the eggs into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, let the loose whites drain (they can be frozen or otherwise saved for another use), then slip the eggs into the water. Using a spoon, create a few gentle currents to move the eggs around the pot and ensure they aren't sticking to the bottom. Poach until the whites are just set but the yolks are still liquid, about 3 minutes. Lift out the eggs with a slotted spoon and blot dry. on a paper towel-lined plate.

To assemble: Place the eggs on the yogurt and spoon the warm chili butter over and around them. Finish with herbs and flaky salt. Serve immediately.