Chicken Chakhokhbili: cooking recipes with photos, ingredients, seasonings, calories, tips and tricks

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Georgians know a lot about cooking delicious food - this is a well-known fact. In this chicken chakhokhbili recipe, ordinary white meat is transformed into a fragrant and colorful delicacy. This dish is an ensemble of the best ingredients for all its simplicity.

Probably, only the lazy have not heard of Chakhokhbili. But, for example, some do not know that this is not a soup, but a full-fledged second course. No one will argue that Georgian cuisine can be safely considered the world culinary heritage of mankind. In turn, chakhokhbili occupies a worthy place in it. If you want to impress your guests with gourmet food, this is the best option. Chakhokhbili is a meat and vegetable dish, simply put, the Georgian version of stew. And he has many different options. There are many recipes for making chakhokhbili from chicken. Here is considered as a classic step-by-step option how to make this dish.

How did this dish come about?

The name of this Georgian dish indicates what meat it was originally prepared from. Chakhokhbili used to be the food of hunters. It was originally prepared from pheasant. In Georgian, this bird with bright plumage is called "chakhokhbili". It was for the pheasant that the classic recipe was invented. In addition to the mandatory set of spices for meat, it is required to apply additional ones - suneli hops and coriander grains.

Only if the bird is too young and thin, it is allowed to add a little oil when stewing. But this can only be done after the chicken releases the juice. The meat should acquire a special shade. If the juice stands out too much, it is drained and then topped up when the liquid evaporates. The dish is s alted twice during cooking: first before putting vegetables, and then - along with spices, to taste.

What is it made of now?

The pheasant is becoming too rare in the Caucasus mountains these days. Therefore, the famous Georgian dish has changed. The most popular version is chicken chakhokhbili. The turkey variation is used less frequently.

It is best to take a chicken carcass. If possible, take a pet bird. If you cannot purchase a whole carcass, it is possible to cook its individual parts. But in this case, it is better to take the drumsticks, since there is a lot of meat and only a few bones. Below is a detailed recipe and a step-by-step photo of chicken chakhokhbili.

No matter what kind of meat is used, this is the main ingredient. Hisshould be selected according to specific requirements. The meat must certainly be "full" and have fat, but not too much. In addition, you need to take a young bird. Why is it so important? The peculiarity of this dish is that it is fried without any other fats. This is why meat should not be lean. In addition, be sure to cut it into not too large pieces - as if for goulash. The next indispensable ingredient in the chicken chakhokhbili recipe is onion. This is exactly what experienced culinary experts insist on. The third mandatory component is vegetables, the amount of which must match the amount of meat. In the classic Georgian chicken chakhokhbili recipe, water is not provided. The dish is stewed in juice, which is thrown out by vegetables.

Proportions of ingredients

The following is a recipe with a photo of cooking chakhokhbili from chicken with a detailed guide. How to calculate the number of components? For example, you want to cook from half a kilogram of meat. It will require 500 grams of tomatoes. There is an obligatory bouquet of spices for chakhokhbili. The recipe in its classic form prescribes the addition of dill, mint, tarragon. They should be taken one tablespoon at a time. In addition, dry seasonings are also needed - basil, parsley, red pepper, table s alt. You can add them as you wish.

Be sure to take half a head of garlic. Hot red pepper add 1 teaspoon. Usually, four onions are needed for this amount of meat. Three potatoes are an additional component.

Final selection of components

So, what do you need for chicken chakhokhbili? The recipe, as already mentioned above, recommends taking the same amount of meat and vegetables. You should prepare a large chicken (more than one kilogram, preferably one and a half), and take 4 large or 6 small onions, 1 kg of very ripe tomatoes and 3-4 potato tubers. You will definitely need herbs and seasonings. The recipe for making chakhokhbili from chicken will not do without spices - this is a whole head of garlic, a pod of red pepper, a bunch of green parsley, cilantro, thyme, basil. The classic set of dry spices, as you remember, is a combination of saffron, coriander and suneli hops - each with a teaspoon. Some culinary experts advise adding tarragon.

It is instructed to take out all the insides from the chicken and cut the carcass into medium pieces. They should be of such a size that they can be comfortably taken by hand. Excess skin should be cut away.

Sequence of adding products

A step-by-step recipe with a photo of chicken chakhokhbili suggests the following sequence. Initially, chicken meat is added to a preheated pan or pot. Fry it for 10 minutes, and then put the onion, which should be finely chopped beforehand. Then continue frying everything in your own juice and fat for another five minutes. Then scald the tomatoes. The skin must be removed from them, and the pulp crushed.fork. Then put this mass to the chicken.

Further, according to the recipe with a photo of chakhokhbili with chicken, the preparation of the dish continues like this. Peel and cut potatoes into small slices. Add it to meat and tomatoes. Mix everything thoroughly and simmer for another 20 minutes, then s alt. At the very end, you need to add spices. All seasonings (dry and fresh herbs) must be mixed beforehand and added to the pan. At this point, turn off the fire. The dish should cook like this for 3-4 minutes. Only then is it necessary to put pressed or chopped garlic. After that, turn off the gas and keep the dish covered for a few minutes so that the flavors of all ingredients soak into each other.

Stewing

As mentioned above, the traditional recipe refers to "dry roasting" the meat. To prevent it from being burned, it is necessary to put the carcass pieces in a heated pan and hold for about five minutes under a lid over low heat.

Then the juice must be extracted from the meat. It must be drained into a separate container. Then the fire can be increased. Fry the chicken pieces for 10 minutes, turning them frequently. The lid does not need to be used. During the frying process, you can add meat juice. Chopped onion (large straws) should be laid at the very end. If the chicken is not at all greasy, add some oil at this stage. But this must be done very gradually. So that you can go tothe next step, the onion should become soft and get a golden hue.

Vegetables

Now it's the turn of tomatoes. As noted above, tomatoes are scalded, peeled, and the remaining pulp is crushed. Then all this is added to the chicken and mixed. Now you have to cut the potatoes into large slices and also put them in a pot or pot. Mix all ingredients again. Now you can close the pan with a lid, reduce the heat and wait 20 minutes. Usually tomatoes produce so much liquid that you don't need to add anything. But it also happens that the potatoes begin to burn. In this case, water is required.

Adding spices

Garlic for chakhokhbili is prescribed to be cut with a knife. This is done in order not to release too much juice during the grinding process. The same thing happens with pepper. Greens should be cleaned of coarse stems and cut into small pieces. Dry spices are mixed with fresh spices, except garlic. All of the indicated combination is introduced into chakhokhbili, after which the dish is aged on low heat for five minutes. The main thing is that the vegetable sauce becomes thicker. Then the gas is turned off and the garlic is added. Then chakhokhbili should be left to soak. The stew should be left under the lid for 5 or 6 minutes so that all the ingredients "ripen". You are now ready to serve.

Can other ingredients be added?

If you wish, you can complement the dish with any vegetables of your choice. The recipe for cooking chakhokhbili from chicken with eggplant is especially popular. They shouldadd along with the tomatoes. Bell pepper can also be used.

Calorie food averages 119.7 kcal.

Simplified multicooker recipe

As you can see from the above, cooking classic chakhokhbili requires some experience and patience. Therefore, it is not surprising that simplified versions of the dish appeared. For example, there is a recipe for making chakhokhbili from chicken in a slow cooker. It needs the following:

• chicken thighs or breasts - 1 kilo;
• onions - 3 pieces;
• tomatoes - 5 pieces;
• bell pepper - 2 pieces;
• garlic - 4 prongs;
• dry red wine - 400 milliliters;
• basil (fresh);
• s alt, pepper - to taste;
• hops-suneli - 0.25 teaspoons;
• saffron - 0.25 teaspoons;
• oil.

How to do it?

Onions and bell peppers are cut into half rings. Make cross cuts on the tomatoes and dip them in boiling water, then remove the skin and cut them into cubes. Mince the garlic and herbs.

Rinse the chicken, dry it and fry it in a multicooker bowl. When it reaches a golden color, remove it.

Fry the onion until light golden brown. Add and cook bell pepper in the same way. Return the chicken to the bowl and stir in the vegetables. Then add the tomatoes and s alt to the dish. Pour in the wine and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid open. Then close the multicooker and leave it forsimmer mode for 20 minutes. When chakhokhbili is almost ready, add garlic, basil, herbs, suneli hops, saffron and mix everything. Simmer another 7 minutes. Leave for five minutes on the warming mode.