Georgian Chicken Chakhokhbili in Thick Tomato Sauce
The Georgian poultry stew known around the world, chakhokhbili (ჩახოხბილი), was originally made with pheasant. The very name of the dish contains the type of meat: ხოხობი (khokhobi), pheasant. Nowadays, since pheasant is a rare bird even in the Caucasus, chakhokhbili is mostly made with chicken, less often with turkey.
The pieces of bird are first browned with no fat or very little, then stewed with onion and tomatoes without adding any liquid, and the dish is seasoned with spices, chili pepper, herbs and garlic. Essentially, as a first approximation, that's what chakhokhbili is all about. The pieces of chicken and the vegetables stew in their own juices, like chicken fricassee.
In old Georgian cookbooks, the recipe uses onion, and everything else is the cooks' own invention.
Chakhokhbili is a must at any Georgian restaurant, and today it's made mostly from young chickens or hens. Chakhokhbili is an ancient dish; it's said to date back to the time of the Argonauts, when pheasants were cooked without any oil. In modern cooking, the arguments about the finer points of the recipe, the ingredients and the methods most often resemble the quarrels of Gulliver's Big-Endians and Little-Endians.
In the Balkans and in Europe, a dish similar to chicken chakhokhbili is common: yahniya. Like chakhokhbili, yahniya is stewed meat and vegetables. But yahniya has no strict rule about which meat to use. It can be made with vegetables only, or with meat only.
Chicken chakhokhbili is worth learning to make: it isn't complicated and is easy to repeat even without any preparation. A young chicken or hen, ideally a pheasant (you never know), onions and ripe tomatoes. Garlic and spices are always on hand. Even after a working day, making chicken chakhokhbili is easy and effortless.
Ingredients
4 servings
- Chicken 1
- Onions 0.5 kg
- Ripe tomatoes 0.5 kg
- Garlic 1 head
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Chili pepper 1
- Cilantro 0.5 bunch
- Salt Spices
Step-by-step recipe
- If you have the chance to make chakhokhbili with pheasant, be sure to take it, and I even envy you. Unfortunately, pheasants are a rarity. So buy a farm chicken or a good-quality store-bought one. You can also make chakhokhbili from chicken parts if you like, such as wings, drumsticks or thighs. I'd add that stewed chicken works great with drumsticks: they have lots of meat and just one bone.
- For chicken chakhokhbili you'll need medium onions, the ripest tomatoes, a head of good garlic and a chili pepper, green or red. Plus half a bunch of fresh cilantro. You can also add parsley, dill and even a sprig of basil to the cilantro.
- Clean the whole chicken and, if necessary, remove any remaining feathers. Chop the chicken into pieces. The size is fairly arbitrary, but for convenience it's best to cut pieces you can easily pick up with your hand and eat. It's also worth trimming off excess chicken skin, especially where it's coming away from the meat.
- The classic chakhokhbili recipe calls for “dry” browning of the chicken. Without some skill, that can be tricky. So it's still worth melting a little butter, literally 1 tbsp, and browning the chopped chicken in it to a nice golden color. This initial browning is very important. Brown over high heat, uncovered, turning the pieces fairly often.
- Peel the onions and cut them into thick strips. Add the onion to the browned chicken and cook everything together, stirring fairly often, until the onion softens.
- While the chicken and onion are cooking, scald the tomatoes with boiling water and peel them. Seed the tomatoes and purée the flesh in a blender or chop it very finely with a knife.
- As soon as the onion starts turning golden, add the tomato pulp and a pinch of salt. Stir the chicken and vegetables. Once the vegetables come to a boil, cover the skillet, lower the heat and stew for 20 minutes. As I said, no liquid needs to be added to chakhokhbili. The onion and tomato give enough moisture for the chicken to stew.
- Peel the garlic and chop it finely with a knife. Don't grate it or use any gadgets: you'll get too much garlic juice. Carefully remove the seeds and white inner ribs from the chili pepper, since they carry most of the heat. Chop the chili finely with a knife too. Strip the herbs, mixed or just cilantro, of their tough stems and chop finely.
- Add the garlic, chili pepper and chopped herbs. Season with salt to taste. Stir everything and stew covered for another 10 minutes. By the end, the vegetable sauce will be quite thick. Take the chakhokhbili off the heat and let it stand for 5-6 minutes.
- Divide the chicken chakhokhbili among plates; you can sprinkle it with herbs. Since the chicken was stewed in a thick sauce, serve it with fresh lavash, which makes it easy to scoop up the sauce, or with fresh white bread.
- An amazing chicken dish, incredibly tasty and filling. I think a glass of good wine is not just welcome here but a must.
| Serves: | 4 servings |
| Calories: | 110 |
| Prep: | 15 mins |
| Cook: | 1 h 15 mins |
| Total: | 1 h 30 mins |
| Category: | Main Dishes |
| Cuisine: | Caucasian cuisine |
| Rating: |
⭐
⭐
⭐
⭐
⭐
5
(9)
|