Chicken Tabaka and Garlic Sauce

Chicken tabaka is a Western Georgian dish where a whole chicken is flattened and pan-fried while being weighed down by another pan or heavy object. The chicken ends up golden brown and crispy on the outside while staying juicy inside.

Tabaka (or taphaka) comes from the name for a Georgian frying pan called a tapa, which is traditionally used to make this recipe. You can make chicken tabaka with any heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron pan, along with something you can weigh the chicken down with, such as a second heavy skillet, a heavy pot, or bricks wrapped in foil. You can also make this recipe on a grill by cooking the chicken directly on the grates while weighing it down. This dish is similar to spatchcocked chicken (where the backbone is removed from the chicken), but for chicken tabaka it is common to flatten the chicken by simply cutting down the center of the breastbone. Flattening and pressing the chicken allows it to cook quickly and evenly while creating the perfect texture and taste. 

This rustic and simple dish is often served with garlic sauce or tkemali, a Georgian wild plum sauce. Chicken tabaka pairs perfectly with fried potatoes or rice, and with a big simple salad of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. I like to serve mine with a Georgian garlic cilantro sauce made in the same pan you cook the chicken in, along with lemon wedges to squeeze on top for an extra pop of flavor. 

Cooking notes: Make sure to cook the chicken over medium-low heat. If the temperature is too high, the chicken will burn on the outside. This recipe works best with a smaller chicken that is between 3-4 lbs, if you’re using a larger bird the cooking time will take longer.

Chicken Tabaka

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken-

• 1 (3-4 lb) chicken

• 2-3 tsps paprika

• Salt, to taste

• Oil, as needed

• Lemon wedges, for garnish

For the garlic sauce-

• 1 head of garlic, about 10-12 cloves, peeled and minced fine

• ¾ cup water

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

For the chicken: Slice the chicken down the center of the breastbone using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Open the chicken and press it down flat, skin-side up. (Note: you can also flatten the chicken using the spatchcock method of cutting out the backbone). Cover the chicken with a piece of parchment or plastic wrap, and using a meat mallet or rolling pin, lightly pound on the chicken to flatten it. Season the chicken generously with salt, add the paprika, and rub the salt and spice all over both sides.

Over medium-low heat, add a generous drizzle of oil to a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken skin-side up. Place a clean heavy object on top of the chicken to weigh it down, such as a second cast-iron skillet, a sheet pan topped with a large pot on top, or bricks wrapped in foil. Let the chicken cook for 25 minutes, maintain medium-low heat, and occasionally rotate the pan if your burner cooks unevenly. After 25 minutes, flip the chicken so that it is now skin-side down, and cook for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when pierced, or it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F when tested with a meat thermometer.

Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a serving dish and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. While it rests prepare the garlic sauce.

For the garlic sauce: Over medium heat, add a drizzle of oil to the same pan you cooked the chicken in. Add the minced garlic to the pan, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic is aromatic but not browned. Add ¾ cup of water, scrape off all the delicious bits in the pan, and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce for another 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the chopped cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the chicken just before serving, or serve the sauce on the side. 

Instant Pot Georgian Pomegranate Chicken

For the full article, head over to The Nosher!

As documented by the queen of Jewish cooking, Joan Nathan, and by Georgian food guru, Carla Capalbo, the Georgian Jewish community traditionally makes chicken cooked in pomegranate juice for Rosh Hashanah. It’s a perfect recipe for the High Holidays: sweet, tart, flavorful, and eye-catching. This recipe is an adaptation from multiple recipes for this dish, but in any variation the chicken is braised in a generously-spiced, fruity pomegranate juice-based broth, and then topped with fresh red jewel-like pomegranate kernals.

The pomegranate juice adds expected sweetness, but there’s also an assertive and awakening tang that comes through, especially with the addition of tamarind and pomegranate molasses. The copious amounts of onion and garlic add deep levels of sweet and savory flavors to the dish. The coriander, hot pepper (not too hot), and thyme play off each other with their respective perfumy-ness, heat, and minty-ness. It is Rosh Hashanah, so a hint of honey makes its way into the pot to remind you of sweetness without being at the forefront of the show. After 15 minutes at high pressure, the chicken barely clings to its bones, and the sauce becomes rich with and fortified by the golden schmaltz left over from browning the chicken. Take the chicken out and let that liquid simmer (still in the Instant Pot), and the mahogany-colored sauce will thicken and become silky and as decedent as a festive meal demands. Once the chicken and sauce are plated, you shower them with the bright green fresh herbs and the glistening ruby red pomegranate. Dark meat works best for this, but you can certainly make it with white meat as well. And like all great holiday dishes, you can make this several days in advance and it only gets better when reheated. It also freezes well, just leave off the fresh garnish until right before serving. And yes, if you really don’t want to cave to culinary social pressure, you can make this recipe the old fashioned way.

Instant Pot Georgian Jewish Chicken in Pomegranate Juice

Serves 6-8 (recipe can be doubled)

• 12 whole chicken legs, or 6 bone-in thighs + 6 legs (about 4 lbs)
• Sunflower or avocado oil, as needed
• 3 medium red onions, halved and sliced thin
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1½ teaspoons aleppo pepper, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flake, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Arils/seeds of 1 whole pomegranate
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro or parlesy, for garnish
• Salt and pepper, as needed

Start by generously seasoning your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Turn your Instant Pot or pressure cooker to the sauté setting, which should produce high heat for browning. If needed increase the heat to MORE or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the pot is hot, add a drizzle of oil. Brown each piece of chicken until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Cook the chicken in batches so as not to crowd the pot and cause the chicken to steam instead of brown. On the stoevtop, brown the chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat. Once all of the chicken is browned, transfer it from the pot and reserve.

Next, add all of the onions to the same pot so that they can cook in the remaining chicken fat. If your chicken did not release very much oil, and another tablespoon or two of oil to the pot. Season the onions with salt and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until softened and starting to slightly brown. Add the garlic, coriander, and paprika to the pot and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, and stir everything until the onion mixture is well coated in the tomato paste. Nestle the reserved browned chicken back into the pot. Press CANCEL to turn off the sauté function on the pot. Follow the same steps on a stovetop.

Add the pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses, tamarind paste, honey, thyme and bay to the pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, close the pot and seal it. Press the POULTRY or MANUAL setting and set the time to 15 minutes. Let the steam naturally release for 10-15 minutes, and shift the valve to venting if more air needs to be released. On the stovetop, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes on medium-low or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Press CANCEL, open the lid and transfer the chicken to a platter and lightly cover with foil to keep the chicken warm. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Turn on the SAUTE function again. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce by half, or until its reached your desired thickness. On the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high and simmer.

Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, pour the sauce over the chicken. At this point you can keep dish warm in a low oven, or you can cool it and freeze if making in advance.

Just before serving, garnish the chicken with the fresh pomegranate and roughly chopped cilantro or parsley.