Turkish Eggs with Chili Butter
Poached eggs over thick garlicky yogurt, drizzled with sizzling chili butter. This is the brunch dish that made me stop ordering eggs benedict forever.
Breakfast · Prep 5 min · Cook 10 min · Serves 2 · Medium · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, large, for poaching
- 200 g Greek yogurt, full-fat, room temperature
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 40 g butter
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes, or regular chili flakes
- 1 tbsp white vinegar, for poaching
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- salt, to taste
The first time I had cilbir — Turkish eggs — at a little cafe in Istanbul, I genuinely could not believe something this simple could taste this good. Yogurt, eggs, butter. That is basically it.
The trick is the yogurt base. It is not cold yogurt from the tub — you beat it with raw garlic and a pinch of salt until it is smooth and creamy, then spread it on the plate warm. The poached eggs go on top, and then you make this incredible chili butter by melting butter with Aleppo pepper flakes until it sizzles. Pour that over everything and watch the red butter pool around the eggs.
It looks like a restaurant dish. It takes 10 minutes.
Pro Tips
- Bring the yogurt to room temperature before serving. Cold yogurt under hot eggs is jarring.
- Use Aleppo pepper (pul biber) if you can find it. It has a fruity, mild heat that is perfect here. Regular chili flakes work but are spicier.
- Poach the eggs in barely simmering water with a splash of vinegar. Aggressive bubbles will shred your whites.
- The butter should sizzle when it hits the pepper flakes. That is how you know it is hot enough.
Serving
Serve with crusty sourdough or Turkish bread for dipping. You need something to mop up that chili butter situation.
More breakfast recipes
- Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich (Easy · 12 min · serves 2)
A towering breakfast sandwich stacked with fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, melted cheddar, and creamy… - Açaí Smoothie Bowl (Easy · serves 2)
Purple, pretty, and packed with good stuff. This açaí bowl is basically a smoothie you eat with a spoon —… - Avocado Toast (Easy · 3 min · serves 2)
Perfectly smashed avocado on thick-cut toasted sourdough with a sprinkle of everything seasoning and a… - Avocado Toast with Dukkah and Soft Egg (Easy · 6 min · serves 2)
Yes, another avocado toast recipe. But this one has dukkah, a jammy egg, and pickled onion — and it is… - Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs (Easy · 5 min · serves 2)
The brunch classic done right. Creamy avocado, perfectly poached eggs, crispy sourdough. Simple? Yes.… - Baked Feta and Tomato Eggs (Easy · 30 min · serves 4)
Eggs baked in a bed of roasted cherry tomatoes with chunks of warm feta. Think of it as shakshuka's easier…