Dish of Chicken Stew with Herbs
(click to enlarge)

Chicken Stew with Herbs


Georgia   -   Chakokhbili
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 5 main
***
2 hrs
Yes		 Outstandingly flavorful, for dinner or as a party dish. Cutting the chicken was a test piece for Georgian girls to see if they were ready for marriage (see Note-1).

14
6
1-1/2
1
1
1
------
1/2
1/2
1/2
1/2
2/3
------
2
2
2
------
1-1/2
1/2
oz
oz
#
#
cl

---
t
t
t
t
t
---
T
T
T
---
T
c
Chicken Meat (1)  
Onions
Tomato
Potatoes (2)
Garlic
Bay Leaf
-- Spices
Coriander Seed
Marigold Petals (3)
Fenugreek Leaf (4)  
Chili Powder (5)
Salt
-- Herbs
Parsley, flat
Basil, Opal
Cilantro
----------
Butter
Chicken Stock
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into cubes about 1-1/2 inch on a side.
  2. Chop ONIONS fine.
  3. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water, quench in cold water, peel and cut into cubes about 3/4 inch on a side.
  4. Peel POTATOES. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Hold in cold water until needed.
  5. Slice GARLIC thin. Mix with Tomatoes along with Bay Leaf.
  6. Mix all Spices items and grind to powder in your spice grinder. Mix with Tomatoes.
  7. Chop HERBS. Mix well and divide into two halves.
Run   -   (1-1/4 hr)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan (see Note-6), heat Butter and fry Chicken over moderate heat until it is light golden. Remove from the pan leaving Butter behind.
  2. Stir Onions into the butter and fry until medium golden.
  3. Return Chicken to the pan along with Tomato mix, drained Potatoes and Chicken Stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer slowly for 25 or 30 minutes until Chicken is just about tender.
  4. Stir in half the Herb mix and simmer another 10 minutes.
  5. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining half of the Herb mix
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      Weight is for skinless and boneless. The pattern recipe calls for a 3 pound whole chicken, but I prefer leg and thigh meat for flavor and ease of serving. In Georgia, the whole chicken is expected to be cut very precisely into 17 pieces for this dish, but I'm not a Georgian girl proving I'm ready for marriage, so, no.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar all purpose potatoes work well here. Avoid Yukon Gold type potatoes because they turn to mush cooked a little beyond the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Marigold Petals:

      The measure is for finely powdered. Whole petals are very springy hard to measure, but will be about 5 times the amount lightly packed. In Georgia, French Marigold (Imeruli Shaphrani - Tagetes patula) is used, but it is not easy to find in North America. Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis petals can be found on-line and are a reasonable substitute. For details see our Calendula / Marigold page.

  4. Fenugreek Leaves:

      [Shambe, Methi (Dried, of course)].   Blue Fenugreek (Trigonella caerulea) is used in Georgia, but is very difficult to obtain in North America. The slightly stronger Trigonella foenum-graecum is an acceptable substitute and widely available fresh (at least in Southern California). It is less seen dried, but you can easily dry it yourself. For details see our Fenugreek page.

  5. Chili Powder:

      The pattern recipe calls for Hungarian Hot Paprika, but I use Indian Reshampatti, which is a bit hotter. For details see our Chilis page.

  6. Cooking:

      The pattern recipe was double this size and required a 5 quart sauté pan. This size can be made in a 3-1/2 quart sauté pan.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch ar=as required tt=to taste
tmc_chkhrb1 ccsg146 150716   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted