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Shkmeruli
Shkmeruli: Racha fried chicken baked in a creamy garlic sauce
GeorgianShkmeruli is named after Shkmeri, a village in Racha, the green, wine-making mountain region in the north-west, and it has become a favourite all over Georgia: a young chicken is fried until crisp, then finished in a clay ketsi with a sauce of milk or cream simmered with an alarming amount of garlic. It comes to the table bubbling, and the sauce is mopped up with shoti. A common mistake is putting raw garlic straight into boiling cream, which makes it harsh; warm it gently first. Chef's tip: fry the chicken skin-side down under a weight for the first 15 minutes, so the skin stays crisp even after it goes into the sauce. Chicken must reach 74 °C.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 8 chicken thighsskin on, bone in, about 1.2 kg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 oz butter
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the sauce
- 10 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- ¾ cup single cream
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season 8 chicken thighs with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Heat 1 oz butter and 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Step 2: Lay the chicken skin-side down, press with a heavy pan and fry for 15 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Turn and cook for 10 minutes more.
25 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Move the chicken skin-side up to a clay or ovenproof dish.
Step 4: In the chicken fat over a low heat, warm 10 cloves garlic for 2 minutes without browning. Add ¾ cup single cream, ¾ cup whole milk and ½ tsp salt and bring just to a simmer. Common mistake: frying the garlic brown; the sauce turns bitter.
4 minStep 5: Pour the sauce around, not over, the chicken so the skin stays crisp. Bake for 15 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the thickest piece reads 165°F.
15 minStep 6: Scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve in the dish.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 52 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shkmeruli take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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