Chkmeruli in Georgian, recipe

Chkmeruli is a famous dish of Georgian cuisine. It is fried chicken baked in cream. A sufficient amount of spices is added there, so the bird turns out to be very aromatic. The recipe comes from the village of Chkmeri, which is located in the mountainous region of Racha, famous both for its dishes and for its professional chefs.

There are several options for preparing chkmeruli. You can cook chicken in cream in a frying pan, or in the oven. Instead of cream, milk or sour cream is often used, although the taste suffers. It is allowed to take breast, thighs or legs instead of a whole chicken. In this case, the dish will not lose its authenticity.

Chkmeruli in Georgian

Components:

chicken - 1 piece;
cream (20-30% fat) - ½ liter;
vegetable oil;
garlic - 1 head;
hops-suneli - 1 teaspoon;
mint - ½ teaspoon;
coriander - ½ teaspoon;
black pepper - ½ teaspoon;
cilantro - ½ bunch;
parsley - ½ bunch;
salt.

Recipe:

First the chicken needs to be processed. To do this, cut off the ends of the wings, tail and excess fat.
The chicken is cut lengthwise along the keel bone, as for tapaka chicken. You also need to clean off any remaining offal from the inside of the bird.
Next, the chicken needs to be divided into 4 parts: along the ridge, and then into 2 more halves across.
The resulting pieces must be thoroughly beaten with a special hammer to make the meat softer.
Now you need to marinate all parts of the chicken. For the marinade, you need to mix vegetable oil, salt, black pepper and rub all parts with this mixture.
Place the marinated chicken in the refrigerator for several hours, or better yet, overnight. To make it more convenient to turn it over, you need to put everything in a plastic bag, which then just needs to be shaken several times.
The sauce for chkmeruli is prepared after we fry the chicken. First you need to bring the meat to half-cookedness and only then bake it in the sauce.
The marinated pieces are fried in a dry frying pan, first on one side, then on the other.
While they are frying, you need to prepare the cream with spices. To do this, add finely chopped cilantro and parsley leaves and chopped garlic to the thick cream.
Dried mint, crushed coriander and suneli hops are also sent there. Salt the sauce to taste.
The oven is heated to 190 degrees.
The pieces fried until half cooked are placed in a mold so that they all fit next to each other. The meat is covered in a spicy cream sauce.
The mold must be placed in the oven for 15 minutes.

Chkmeruli is served with bread, lavash or flatbread. With their help, you can get a delicious sauce, which is so much that it is not completely absorbed into the chicken.

Home cooking

Chkmeruli (or shkmeruli), chicken in garlic and cream sauce, is a Georgian dish that is easy to prepare and delicious. However, there are no tasteless dishes in Georgian cuisine. If you haven't cooked it yet, try it! My family loves two more poultry dishes from Georgian cuisine - chakhokhbili and satsivi. All family recipes of Caucasian cuisine are at this link.

Compound:

Broiler chicken – 1 piece
Cream - 300-350 ml
Butter - 1-2 tablespoons
Vegetable oil - 1-2 tablespoons
Garlic - half a head (7-10 cloves)
Spices and herbs - dried (or fresh) basil, ground coriander, ground black pepper, coarse salt, fresh cilantro

How to cook chicken shkmeruli (chicken chkmeruli) in Georgian style in garlic and cream sauce

Process the chicken, make sure there are no remaining feathers, rinse in running water, and dry with a paper towel. The easiest way is to buy a prepared broiler chicken carcass in the store. Cut along the breast and flatten it like tapaka chicken.

Cut and flatten the chicken

Cover with cling film and beat off. It is necessary not only to disrupt the structure of the meat so that it marinates easier and cooks faster, but also to give the chicken the flattest possible shape so that when frying it fits snugly into the pan. Mix ground coriander and dried (or fresh) basil with coarse salt and black pepper. This is the minimum set, coriander and basil are indispensable in this recipe, I also add ground paprika, red hot pepper, dried dill, parsley, savory and marjoram. And you add your favorite herbs and spices.

Prepare spices

Rub the chicken generously on both sides with spices, wrap in cling film and leave for half an hour at room temperature.

Rub with spices

Heat vegetable oil in a large flat frying pan and place the chicken under a press. As a press, you can use a flat plate on which to place, for example, a three-liter jar of water. Fry over medium heat under pressure for 15 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Fry under pressure

While the chicken is roasting, peel and finely chop the garlic. My chicken is small, less than a kilogram; if you have a large chicken, then the amount of ingredients for garlic sauce can be safely doubled. There is never too much sauce, it always runs out first!

Prepare the garlic

In a separate deep bowl, heat the butter and lightly fry the garlic.

Fry garlic in butter

Add cream and simmer briefly for 2-3 minutes over low heat. If you use water instead of cream, the taste of the dish will be sharper and spicy. Garlic cream sauce for shkmeruli chicken is ready.

Pour in cream, simmer

Cut the chicken into portions.

Cut the chicken

A couple of years ago I dropped my ketsi pan on the tile floor. It was very convenient to bake chicken in the oven, pouring sauce over it. Now that I have lost my ketsi, I cook shkmeruli without using an oven, on the stove. Place the chicken pieces in the garlic-cream sauce and simmer, covered, over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Chicken shkmeruli in Georgian style, in aromatic garlic-cream sauce

Chicken shkmeruli according to the Georgian recipe is ready, all that remains is to sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Not everyone loves cilantro, but it’s hard to imagine Georgian cuisine without it.

Chkmeruli chicken in garlic cream sauce

There is no side dish for this dish. Shkmeruli chicken goes best with fresh herbs and Georgian lavash. You can forget about decent manners for a while and enjoy dipping pita bread into incredibly delicious garlic sauce. By the way, while I was rearranging and taking pictures, the sauce was almost eaten! We only eat shkmeruli hot once, almost always eating all the sauce hot. Then we never reheat it. Cooled chicken shkmeruli is no worse; it is an excellent cold appetizer.

Chkmeruli: a simple option

This option is suitable for those who want to cook chkmeruli for themselves or for guests, but do not have enough time for this. In this case, you need to shift the emphasis a little so that you don’t have to stand near the stove for a lot of time. If you don’t have time to beat the chicken until it’s soft, then after frying it will have to simmer for some time in a frying pan with the lid closed to actually get it ready.

If you are short on time, you will not have time to cut up the chicken; in this case, you need to buy breast, drumsticks or thighs in advance. This recipe uses chicken fillet. It will only need to be fried and stewed in a marinade, and then baked in cream.

Components:

fillet - 800-900 g;
cream (20-30% fat) - 500 ml;
black pepper - 1 teaspoon;
utskho-suneli - 1 teaspoon;
hops-suneli - 1 teaspoon;
a little mint and ground coriander;
fresh cilantro and parsley - half a bunch each;
vegetable oil for marinade;
garlic - 3-4 cloves;
salt.

Recipe:

Place the washed fillet in a deep plate. Pour a small amount of vegetable oil, sprinkle with black pepper and salt. Mix everything. Since there is no time to marinate the mixture, it must be replaced by thoroughly kneading for several minutes.
Place fillet pieces one by one in a frying pan and fry on both sides until fully cooked.
Place the finished fried fillet in a prepared baking dish.
While the fillet is fried, you need to prepare the sauce. To do this, spices, salt and garlic passed through a press are added to the cream. At the end, finely chopped greens are added. Salt the sauce should be moderate, as some of it will evaporate during baking.
While frying the fillet, you also need to turn on the oven at a temperature of 180-190 degrees.
The fillet, fried and placed in a fireproof dish, is poured with spicy cream. Since the dish is almost ready, you just need to ensure that the chicken is saturated with the aromas of the sauce, and that, in turn, thickens.

On ketsi

Chkmeruli in Georgian is best prepared in a special ketsi frying pan.

The versatile cookware can be used on the stove, in the oven or over an open fire.

Ingredients

To prepare the food you will need:

sunflower oil;
chicken - 1.2–1.3 kg;
head of garlic;
cream (fat milk is possible) - 200–250 ml;
drinking water - 100 ml;
salt, pepper, herbs - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

Initially, you should coat the pre-treated bird with oil, rub it with salt and pepper, and leave the carcass for 40–50 minutes. marinate.
After this, place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 220 °C for 45 minutes.
When the bird is well browned, you need to remove it from the oven, divide it into portions, and then place the pieces on the ketsi.
Next, you need to mix drinking water, chopped garlic and milk in a saucepan, add the fat remaining on the baking sheet to the mixture.
The resulting composition should be seasoned with the desired amount of salt and pepper, then boil the mixture for 2-3 minutes.
All that remains is to pour the prepared sauce over the chicken, then you need to send the food for 4-5 minutes. into an oven heated to 200 °C.

The hot treat should be served along with flatbreads, vegetables and sprigs of fresh herbs. If desired, the food can be supplemented with a side dish of potatoes or rice.

Chkmeruli in a frying pan

This option is suitable for those who do not have an oven. Chkmeruli in a frying pan under a lid is no less tasty and aromatic than in the oven. For this type of dish, you can cut the chicken like tapaka chicken. Accordingly, you need to take a carcass that fits into a standard frying pan.

Components:

chicken carcass - 1000-1200 g;
cream (from 20%) - 350 ml;
vegetable oil for marinade;
coriander - 1 teaspoon (without top);
thyme - 1 teaspoon (without top);
hops-suneli - 1 teaspoon (without top);
utskho-suneli - 0.5 teaspoon;
cilantro - a bunch;
black pepper;
salt.

Recipe:

The chicken needs to be cut along the breast bone and laid out on a flat surface. Remove any remaining by-products, tail and rinse.
Next, you need to pound the chicken to achieve tenderness of the meat.
The chicken is coated with a mixture of vegetable oil, black pepper and salt.
The pickled carcass is placed in the refrigerator for several hours.
The finished carcass is fried on both sides until cooked.
Everything is poured with cream, in which spices, salt and chopped herbs are mixed.
The chicken is stewed in cream for about 15-20 minutes until the meat is ready.

Video:

Homemade Georgian Chicken Recipe

This recipe has been slightly simplified and adapted for cooking at home. But despite this, the dish is guaranteed to have an unusually rich taste and aroma.

You will need the following:

chicken parts (you can take legs, thighs, drumsticks, wings) – 1 kg;
drinking cream – 70 ml or milk – 100 ml.
garlic cloves – 5-6 pieces;
ground black pepper, salt, fresh parsley (cilantro);
a few tablespoons of vegetable oil.

With mayonnaise

The recipe for the dish is based on Georgian cuisine.

Everyone in the house will like the dish.

Ingredients

To prepare the food you will need:

sunflower oil;
chicken - 800–900 g;
high-quality mayonnaise - 130 g;
drinking water or broth - 50 ml;
cilantro - 1 bunch;
utskho-suneli - 1 tsp;
salt, pepper - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

First you need to rub the pre-processed chicken with pepper and salt, cut along the chest, slightly beaten and spread on the board.
After a short marinating, the bird carcass must be fried in a hot frying pan with oil until golden brown on both sides.
Next, you need to divide the chicken into parts, place it in a separate container, and strain the remaining chicken into it after frying the bird.
In the meantime, it's time to prepare the sauce. To do this, grind peeled garlic cloves, chopped cilantro, and suneli hops in a mortar until a thick paste is obtained.
Now you should add water/broth and mayonnaise to it, mix the mass thoroughly, pour the sauce into the bowl with portions of chicken, and simmer the product for 15 minutes. over low heat, covered.

It is advisable to serve the dish hot with fresh pita bread.

Chicken in garlic and cream sauce Chkmeruli

It is impossible to prepare a Georgian treat in the traditional way without the second most important component of the dish - Chkmeruli sauce.

The recipe follows.

Ingredients

To receive the food you need to have:

butter - 40 g;
chicken - 700–800 g;
garlic cloves - 13–15 pcs.;
cream (20% fat) - 230–250 ml;
cilantro, parsley - 1 bunch each;
hops-suneli - 1 tbsp. l.;
pepper, salt - optional.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of cooking steps:

First, you need to divide the processed chicken into 2 parts, rub them with salt, pepper and spices, and leave to marinate for about 15–20 minutes.
Then you should quickly fry the pieces of carcass in hot oil until golden brown.
Now you need to prepare the sauce. To prepare it, you need to combine chopped garlic, chopped herbs, Georgian seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.
The resulting mixture must be mixed well, then pour the aromatic sauce over the chicken and simmer the bird for 20–30 minutes. over low heat with a lid. Periodically, parts of the chicken must be turned over and poured with the fragrant mixture.

Serve the treat in a frying pan or in portions with fresh vegetables and soft bread.

With sour cream

Chkmeruli in Georgian is a dish in which the sauce is of paramount importance for the preparation of the dish.

The inclusion of a fermented milk product in its composition is considered an ideal option.

Ingredients

To create the dish you will need:

chicken - 1 kg;
butter - 50 g;
natural Abkhaz adjika - 1 tsp;
whole milk - ¼ tbsp.;
sour cream - 100 ml;
garlic cloves - ½ head;
coriander, parsley, seasoning mixture, salt - to taste.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequence of preparation steps:

The chicken carcass should be completely processed, including the stage of separation and light beating.
Then the product must be salted, rubbed with adjika, a mixture of seasonings, and the bird must be left in this form for 25–30 minutes.
As soon as the chicken is saturated with the aromas of the fragrant marinade, it should be placed on a baking sheet and baked in an oven heated to 200°C until golden brown. This will take 7–10 minutes.
Now you need to combine sour cream, whole milk, peeled and chopped garlic, chopped herbs in a bowl, mix the composition well.
When the chicken is browned, it should be transferred to a clay baking container, pour the resulting sauce over the carcass, and leave for 30–40 minutes. into an oven heated to 190 °C.

Serve the finished treat hot with vegetable salad, fresh bread or pita bread.

Chicken chkmeruli

Ingredients:

For the recipe:

chicken – 700 g (or 2 pieces of 400 g each);
garlic – 3 teeth;
Svan salt – 1 tsp;
milk or heavy cream – 200 ml;
butter – 1 tbsp. l.

For Svan salt:

coriander seeds – 1 tsp.
dried dill – 1 tsp.
Utskho-suneli – 0.5 tsp.
dried marigolds (saffron) – 0.5 tsp.
ground red pepper – 0.5 tsp.
cumin – 0.5 tsp.
coarse table salt – 1.5 tbsp. l.
garlic – 4 large cloves.

Preparation

In order to prepare chkmeruli, you will need Svan salt. You can bring it from Georgia, buy it in a spice shop, or cook it yourself - I personally like the latter option: freshly ground spices and garlic give an amazing aroma - just what Georgian cuisine loves.
I tell you how to prepare Svan salt at home. Pour salt, dried dill, fenugreek (utskho-suneli), coriander seeds, ground red pepper, dried marigolds (Imeretian saffron) and cumin into a mortar. We carefully grind everything with a pestle so that the spices mix with salt and reveal their magical aroma. Separately, peel and chop 4 cloves of garlic through a press.
Mix the resulting garlic pulp with spices, rubbing it with your fingers. The result is Svan salt. The consistency will be similar to wet sand, but the aroma cannot be described in words! It is better to store it in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid; the portion is enough for 2-3 times.
Pluck the chicken, wash and dry. We cut the brisket along the breast, opening it like a book. We go over the top with a meat hammer (the side without the cloves), but only a little to flatten the chicken. Carcass weight - 700 g. You can take two chickens weighing 350-400 grams each.
Rub the chicken on all sides with Svan salt. And leave to marinate for 1 hour in a cool place so that the meat is saturated with the aromas of spices.
Next, you need to fry the chicken. It would be nice to have a Georgian tapa frying pan with a special lid on hand that will serve as a pressure for the chicken. If there is no such utensil, then a heavy cast-iron frying pan will do, and the pressure can be made from a plate smaller in diameter than the frying pan, and press it on top with something heavy, for example, a jar of water.
Heat the frying pan until red hot, grease it with a brush dipped in melted butter. We lay out the chicken - be sure to skin side down, pressing it with a weight on top.
Reduce heat to medium and fry until golden brown. As soon as it browns, turn it over. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of the bird and the strength of the flame. I fried a chicken weighing 700 for 15 minutes on each side (small carcasses of 400 g will fry for 7-8 minutes). It is not necessary to bring it to absolute readiness, because the meat will still be stewed in the sauce.
Cut the fried chicken into 4 parts and place in a heat-resistant form (ideally in a ketsi - a Georgian clay form with low boots).
Using the fat that remains in the pan after frying the meat, we prepare the sauce (if there is a lot of burning in the pan, then carefully strain off the fat, wipe the pan with a napkin and pour it back in). I peeled about half of the garlic head and put it through a press. Lightly sautéed until light golden brown.
Pour a glass of milk into the frying pan and boil over low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Instead of milk, you can use cream - the highest fat content is 30% or higher - then you will get the perfect tobacco chicken in a creamy sauce.
I poured the resulting sauce over the chicken and put it in the oven, preheated to 190-200 degrees. Please note that the pieces should be laid out skin side up. After 7-8 minutes, the meat was completely baked and absorbed the sauce.

Be sure to serve chkmeruli hot, with white bread, so that you have something to dip the delicious sauce into. You can sprinkle parsley, cilantro or basil on top.

This is what it is, real chkmeruli in Georgian, help yourself!