Chkmeruli Image Used Under Creative Commons License From krutogrudova.com/
Citizens, my ongoing love affair with Georgian food is well-documented throughout the archives of TFD! Here is just the latest example of why Georgian food is indeed world-class: a simple yet unspeakably delicious recipe for chicken in a garlic cream sauce, known as Chkmeruli!
There are few recipes easier than this one in the TFD canon – I hope you will give this a moment to shine on your own dinner tables! ☺ While popular amongst all Christian Georgians, this dish is also beloved by the sizable Georgian Jewish minority as well with their unique linguistic traditions!
Judaeo-Georgian (Georgian: ყივრული ენა) (also known as Kivruli and Gruzinic) is the traditional Georgian dialect spoken by the Georgian Jews, the ancient Jewish community of the Caucasus nation of Georgia.
Judaeo-Georgian is the only Kartvelian Jewish dialect – its status as a distinct language from the Georgian language is the subject of some debate.
With the exception of a significant number of Hebrew and Aramaic loanwords, the language is reportedly largely mutually intelligible with Georgian.
Judaeo-Georgian has approximately 85,000 speakers. These include 20,000 speakers in Georgia (1995 est.), and about 60,000 speakers in Israel (2000 est.). The language has approximately 4,000 speakers in New York and undetermined numbers in other communities in Russia, Belgium, the United States and Canada.
Judaeo-Georgian is, like many Jewish dialects spoken there, on the decline in Israel. Its status in Georgia itself is unchanged, except by the rapid decline in the size of the language community, due to large-scale emigration beginning in the 1970s, which has seen the departure of some 80% of the community.
Citizens, I guarantee you will love the garlic goodness of this chicken!
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintThe Hirshon Georgian Garlic Chicken – ჩქმერული
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- One 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons Georgian Adzhika paste (highly preferred) or 1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- A small pinch of salt (ideally Svanetian garlic salt)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large oven-safe skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat. Once the butter is foamy, add the chicken, skin side down, with pieces not touching one another. (You will probably need to use two pans or work in batches.)
- Cook until browned, about 10 minutes on the first side, 5 minutes on the second side. The chicken will not be cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Combine the garlic, jalapeño or Adzhika, stock, milk and a small pinch of salt or Svanetian garlic salt in a food processor; puree to form a smooth, loose sauce.
- Nestle the chicken pieces into the skillet(s); it’s okay if the pieces overlap a bit. Pour the sauce over them.
- Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat (away from the bone) registers 165 on an instant-read thermometer.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then transfer to a platter, with the pan juices spooned over.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Category: Recipes
Nutrition
- Calories: 731.61 kcal
- Sugar: 2.07 g
- Sodium: 1113.54 mg
- Fat: 54.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 16.34 g
- Trans Fat: 0.49 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.39 g
- Fiber: 0.72 g
- Protein: 52.38 g
- Cholesterol: 220.11 mg
