A recipe from Gemo
Chicken in Bazhe
Tender chicken served cold or room temperature under bazhe, a western Georgian walnut sauce seasoned with garlic, blue fenugreek, coriander, marigold, pepper, and a little vinegar.
Method
- 01
Put the 1.4 kg chicken in a pot with 1.5 liters water, 1 teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, skim the surface, then simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 35-40 minutes.
⏱ 40 min
- 02
Lift the chicken from the broth and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the broth, then cut or pull the chicken into serving pieces and discard the bay leaf.
⏱ 10 min
- 03
Grind the 350 g walnuts very finely, then mix them with the 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon blue fenugreek, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 0.5 teaspoon marigold, 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
- 04
Whisk about 450 ml of the cooled reserved chicken broth into the walnut mixture little by little until the bazhe is smooth, creamy, and pourable. Stir in 1.5 tablespoons white wine vinegar, then taste and adjust salt, pepper, or vinegar.
- 05
Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow serving dish and spoon the bazhe over them so the meat is well coated. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or serve at cool room temperature after the sauce has settled.
⏱ 60 min
- 06
Before serving, loosen the sauce with a spoonful of reserved broth if it has thickened too much, then garnish with pomegranate arils.
Nutrition
