Chakhokhbili – Georgian Chicken Stew

The best chicken dish I've ever tasted

Once my husband cooked chakhokhbili, and then I finally understood that it was love. Of course, this chakhokhbili is not entirely authentic, because the real one is made from pheasant - in Georgian "hobobi" means pheasant, hence the name of the dish. Tarragon, basil, butter, and even nuts are sometimes added to chakhokhbili. This recipe is much less exotic, but it's the best chicken dish I've ever tasted!

The smells of this dish beckon you to dive in, but control yourself - a little patience, and your plate will have the most tender chicken that is easily separated from the bones, with an amazing vegetable sauce! Chakhokhbili is perfect on its own, but if you need a side dish, choose something simple, something that won’t interrupt this rich taste and aroma, such as bread, lavash, rice, or potatoes.

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg chicken
  most of all I like the chicken drumsticks, if you use only them, then you will need about 12; you can use the chicken thighs, the main thing is that the meat should contain enough fat, otherwise it will turn out to be dry;
• salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 medium onions
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 fresh chilli pepper
• 4 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp hops-suneli (khmeli suneli)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch parsley
• (optional) ½ tsp ground coriander
• (optional) 1 tsp adjika

Process

• pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pan, put the chicken and salt (1 tsp),
• put the pot on low heat and cover the pot,
• cook the chicken for about 20 minutes, don’t add any water,
• put a frying pan on medium heat,
• finely chop 2 onions,
• pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on the frying pan and put finely chopped onions there,
• stirring occasionally, sweat the onions for about 10 minutes or until translucent,
• once onions are soft - add it to the pot with chicken,
• cover the pot, and let the chicken stew further, this time with the onions,
• add 2 tbsp of tomato paste to the frying pan,
• increase the heat and fry the tomato paste for about a minute,
• while the paste is cooking, cut the tomatoes into small pieces and add them in the tomato paste,
• reduce the heat and, stirring, simmer the tomato mixture for 2 minutes,
• after 2 minutes, put the tomato mixture in the pot with the chicken,
• cover the pot, and let the chicken stew further, this time not only with the onions, but also with the a tomato mixture,
• cut 2 bell peppers into small pieces,
• put the peppers in the pot with the chicken,
• if there is absolutely no liquid in the pan - add water (½ - 1 glass) - the vegetables and the chicken shouldn’t be completely covered with the water,
• add 1 tsp of adjika to the chicken if you use it,
• cover the pot, and let the chicken stew further, this time not only with the onions and the tomato mixture, but also with the sweet peppers and adjika,
• chop half a bunch of cilantro and parsley,
• finely chop the chilli pepper,
• put the herbs and the chilli pepper in the pot with the chicken,
• cover the pot, and let the chicken stew further, this time not only with the onions, the tomato mixture, the bell peppers and adjika, but also with the herbs and the chilli pepper,
• let the chicken stew for another 30-40 minutes - the chicken should fall apart,
• as soon as the chicken is ready, finely chop the garlic and fresh herbs - half a bunch of cilantro and parsley,
• turn off the gas and add the following ingredients to the chicken: garlic, herbs, salt to taste, ½ tsp. hops-suneli and ½ tsp. ground coriander if you use it,
• mix, turn off the gas and wait for another 10 minutes before serving.