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Chakhokhbili with tomatoes in a frying pan

Chakhokhbili (Georgian Chicken and Tomato Stew)

My chakhokhbili recipe is a little different from the rest — give it a try! Making a worthy chakhokhbili isn't hard at all: you just need a well-fed chicken raised in the fresh country air (not too old, but not too scrawny), ripe, sweet, meaty tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a pinch of utskho-suneli (blue fenugreek).

Natusik

Recipe author

Chakhokhbili with tomatoes in a frying pan

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Chicken

Onion (red)

Tomatoes (ripe, large)

Bell pepper (large red)

Garlic

Cilantro (coriander)

Basil (1 bunch green basil)

Bay leaf

Adjika

Vegetable oil (approximately)

200

Salt

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 36 % 10 g

Fats 54 % 15 g

Carbohydrates 11 % 3 g

181 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Put the chicken in a pot with 2 liters (about 8 cups) of boiling water and cook until half-done, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. Cut it into even, bone-in pieces. Strain the broth. Heat a heavy-bottomed pot and brown the chicken pieces on all sides in vegetable oil.
Step 2:

Cut the onion into thin wedges.
Step 3:

Add the onion to the pot with the chicken, stir, and fry the chicken and onion together until the onion is browned, 8-10 minutes.
Step 4:

Core the bell pepper and slice it thinly. Add it to the pot and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of the broth (you won't need the rest), cover the pot, and simmer until the chicken is fully tender, about 40 minutes.
Step 5:

Score the tomatoes with a cross-shaped cut, douse them in boiling water and then cold water, and peel off the skins.
Step 6:

Purée the tomatoes in a blender, add them to the pot, raise the heat to medium, stir, and cook for 10 minutes.
Step 7:

Coarsely chop the garlic and cilantro, then crush them with salt into a paste in a mortar (I used a blender). Add to the pot, raise the heat to medium, stir, and cook for 10 minutes.
Step 8:

Finely chop the basil and add it to the chicken along with the utskho-suneli. Add the bay leaf and adjika.
Step 9:

Simmer until fully done, another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chakhokhbili rest, covered, for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!