Kvrguša - Knob Pie (with chicken)

Now this is a simple one! Juicy cuts of chicken meat in a soft and spongy dough/crust. The name is weird (in its original and translated into any language) but it does describe the final product to the point. Once pulled out of the oven you will have knobs of chicken meat peaking out of your delicious pie. 

Time needed: about 1 hour
Preparation and assembly: about 15 minutes
​Cooking: about 40 minutes

Ingredients:
6 chicken drums
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Vegeta*
1/4 tsp smoked paprika powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
* don't know what Vegeta is?
​Check description under the recipe!  

For the batter:
3 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt 
1 cup milk
250 g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For baking:
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Method:
1. Start with seasoning your chicken. Combine all the spices (salt, Vegeta, paprika powder, garlic powder, white pepper) and season your chicken with the mix. Leave the chicken in the refrigerator for couple of hours. (If in rush, just continue... it's still gonna taste delicious)
2. After your chicken has marinated preheating your oven to 200°C (400°F)
2. Take the 1/4 cup of oil (use vegetable oil that can heat up to high temperature) and put it into a oven proof dish. We are using a baking tray  32 x 20 cm (12.5 x 8 inch)
3. Put the baking tray with the oil in the oven and let it heat up. 
4. In the mean time start working on your batter by whisking up 3 eggs, salt and yogurt in a large mixing bowl. 
5. Add the milk and start adding the flour and baking powder (1/3 at the time) 
6. Combine all into a smooth batter (somewhat similar to American pancake batter in consistency - so a little thicker than the European pancake - crêpe)

7. By this time your oil is hot enough. Take it carefully out of the oven.
8. Pour the batter into the baking tray. If your oil is hot enough you should hear a light sizzle.
9. Place your chicken on top of the batter and put it in the oven.

10. Reduce the heat of your oven to 160°C (320°F) and bake for about 40 minutes.  ​​

Have a bite!

Tips:
Vegeta is something that makes you cook like a Croatian! :-) This seasoning mix is on the market since the late 1950's. It is produced by Podravka (Croatian food and beverage company) and was first available i the countries of the east block. Nowadays it  a available in quite a few countries around the world. It is widely used in all the countries of former Yugoslavia and their neighbors. Most of it is salt (over 50%) and than some dried vegetables, spices and flavor enhacers. It is not the healthiest thing but it does taste good and gives me a little taste of home. 
It is also available on Amazon:    

Amazon.de

Amazon.com

Finishing your Kvrguša
When your pie is done you can add some toppings to it, and spruce it up a bit. 
Some of the options are: 
- grate some cheese on top and put it back in the oven for another 5-10minutes for the cheese to melt
- mix 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1 egg, 1 clove of crushed garlic and a pinch of salt, spread over your pie and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes

- or as in our case: just served with a
​dip of
1/2 cup of yogurt,
​1 crushed garlic clove
​and a pinch of salt ​