Magarina bulli is a hearty and comforting Cypriot village dish. Pronounced 'mah-gah-ree-nah buh-lee', it was traditionally prepared for guests when they came over for dinner in the village and is still a family favourite today.
The fried chicken is delightfully crispy and pairs well with the bucatini pasta, which is drizzled all over with buttery oil and a generous sprinkling of grated halloumi mixed with dried mint. The combination of buttery, creamy and fresh flavours balance each other perfectly, while a generous squeeze of lemon juice over the fried chicken adds a zesty brightness that elevates the dish.
A rich stock is made from initially boiling the chicken before frying. This stock is used to boil the pasta, adding a rich depth of flavour. If you can find it, grated dried nor/anari cheese is a great alternative to halloumi as it complements the buttery flavours.
Serves 4 to 5 | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes | Additional time: 15 minutes to strain the chicken
Ingredients
500g bucatini pasta | 30g salted butter |
Half a medium-sized chicken (800g), cut into 5-6 pieces | 1 lemon, plus extra for serving |
1 tsp salt, or as desired | Sunflower oil, for frying |
Hot water | |
For serving | |
100g halloumi, finely grated | ½ to 1 tsp dried mint |
Hob heat settings
Method
Wash the chicken pieces and rub with a freshly cut lemon, squeezing the juice generously all over (this gives the chicken a nicer flavour).
Add the chicken and enough hot water to a large saucepan to cover by 2cm, and place on a high heat. Boil while loosely covered for 10 minutes before draining off all the water. Then, add enough hot water to cover by 2cm again, along with the salt and boil for 10-15 minutes more, or until the chicken has cooked through. For clearer stock, skim off any foam that forms with a tea strainer or spoon. You can top up with more hot water if needed.
Remove the chicken and place in a colander for at least 15 minutes to strain off the excess water (this will prevent it from splattering when you fry them later). Keep the stock you boiled the chicken in to use for the pasta later.
Add enough sunflower oil to a deep frying pan so that it is 0.5cm deep along with the butter and place on a high heat (the frying pan should be large enough to fit all the chicken pieces side by side). Once hot and the butter has melted, fry the chicken, turning over every 2-3 minutes until lightly browned and crispy on all sides (about 10-15 minutes in total).
While the chicken is frying, break each bucatini pasta tube into 4 equal pieces (you can do this with several tubes bundled together for speed). Cook in the stock according to the pack instructions. You can add a little more salt and hot water as needed.
Serve the pasta sprinkled with grated halloumi mixed with dried mint (if you have grated dried nor/anori, you can use that instead). Drizzle over a little of the buttery oil that was used to fry the chicken. Serve simply with some yoghurt on the side and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the chicken.