Chicken Tabaka — Georgian Skillet-Pressed Chicken
Delicious, with a mouthwatering crust — a family dinner favorite! Chicken tabaka is a classic Georgian dish cooked in a skillet. Its signature move is flattening the whole bird as it fries. Cooked under a weight, the chicken browns beautifully and develops a wonderful crisp crust.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
How do you make skillet-pressed chicken tabaka? Prep your ingredients. It's best to use a small bird, around 800–1000 g (about 1¾–2¼ lb), so it cooks through better. For spices I used ground red and black pepper, but you can add any others you like with chicken.
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Step 2:
Rinse the chicken well under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels.
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Step 3:
Turn the chicken breast-side up and cut down the middle of the breast without cutting through the back.
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Step 4:
Turn the chicken breast-side down and open it out flat. Cover it with plastic wrap. Take a meat mallet and pound all the bones and joints well to flatten the bird.
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Step 5:
Crush the garlic through a press; I don't have one, so I grated it on a fine grater — you can also just mince it finely. Mix the garlic, salt, and spices into a smooth paste, adding a little oil if you like.
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Step 6:
Rub the chicken all over with the mixture, starting with the back.
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Step 7:
Then the inside. Let the chicken marinate for at least half an hour. Three hours is even better, but half an hour will do.
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Step 8:
Heat the skillet well — mine is a cast-iron grill pan, but any pan that sears well and fits the bird will work. Brush it with oil and lay the chicken in. Set something flat on top: a plate, a lid, a board, or another pan, like I do. Then add a weight — anything heavy will work: a big can, a brick, a pot of water. When I was a kid, my mom used a hand-crank meat grinder.
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Step 9:
Fry for about twenty minutes until deeply browned, then flip the chicken over to the other side.
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Step 10:
Set up the flat cover and weight again. Fry until done, about half an hour.
- I cooked a fairly large bird, and it took about twenty-five minutes per side. At the end, just to be safe, I kept it under a lid for about five minutes to make sure the breast was fully cooked through — you could also pop it in the oven for about five minutes. That's why it's best to use very small chickens for this dish: they cook through in the time it takes to fry them. Chicken tabaka is best served with fresh vegetables and herbs, though potatoes make a great side too. You can also serve it with a sauce: sour cream, yogurt, or tomato.
- Pierce the meat with a knife: if the knife goes in easily and the juices run clear, it's done; if the juices are pink or red, keep cooking.
- Rinse the meat and be sure to pat it dry with a paper towel — excess moisture will keep it from searing and cause it to steam instead.
- Since everyone's tolerance for saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness, acidity, and heat is different, always add spices and seasonings to your own taste! If you're using a seasoning for the first time, keep in mind that some are especially easy to overdo (chili pepper, for example).
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Category I chicken - 238 kcal/100g
- Chicken of the II category - 159 kcal/100g
- Chicken, flesh without skin - 241 kcal/100g
- Chickens - 140 kcal/100g
- Garlic - 143 kcal/100g
- Vegetable oil - 873 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Spices dry - 240 kcal/100g
