Chicken Tabaka
Spatchcocked chicken pressed flat under a weight and pan-fried until impossibly crispy outside, juicy inside — Georgia's signature pressed chicken.
About This Recipe
Chicken tabaka takes its name from 'tapaka' — the heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting weighted lid used to make it. The chicken is spatchcocked, seasoned simply with salt, pepper and garlic, and pressed flat in the pan with a weight (traditionally a heavy stone) so the entire surface contacts the hot pan. The result is shockingly crisp skin and juicy meat, served with bazhe walnut sauce and tkemali plum sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 1 small wholechicken(~1 kg, spatchcocked)
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
- 60 gbutter
- 30 mlvegetable oil
- 2bay leaves
- Garlic sauce:
- 5 clovesgarlic(crushed to paste with salt)
- 60 mlwater
- 1 tbspwhite wine vinegar
- Lemon wedges and chopped coriander, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Prepare chicken
Place spatchcocked chicken skin-side down on a board. Press hard with palms to break breastbone and flatten completely.
- 2
Season
Rub minced garlic, salt and pepper over both sides — work into the meat.
- 3
Heat pan
Heat butter and oil in a large heavy frying pan or cast-iron skillet on medium-high. Add bay leaves.
- 4
Press fry
Place chicken skin-side down. Cover with a smaller pan or pot, weighted with cans or a foil-wrapped brick. Fry 12–15 min — skin should be deep mahogany and crisp.
- 5
Flip and finish
Remove weight. Flip chicken. Cover (without weight) and cook 8–10 min more until cooked through (74°C in thigh).
- 6
Make garlic sauce
While chicken cooks, mix crushed garlic, water, vinegar in a small bowl.
- 7
Rest
Lift chicken to a board. Rest 5 min.
- 8
Serve
Pour garlic sauce over the warm chicken — it sizzles into the crispy skin. Garnish with coriander and lemon. Serve with mchadi or potatoes.
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Pro Tips
- →
The pan must be heavy and the heat steady — flimsy pans warp under the weight.
- →
Don't move the chicken during the press-fry — let the skin develop full contact and colour.
Variations
- •
Use a small Cornish hen per person for individual portions
- •
Brush with adjika (Georgian chilli paste) before frying for spicy version
- •
Serve with tkemali (sour plum sauce) instead of garlic sauce
Storage
Best fresh. Reheat in oven 180°C for 10 min.
History & Origin
Tabaka — the technique of pressing a small bird flat in a heavy pan — comes from the Caucasus mountain regions where wood-fired stoves and limited fuel made this efficient cooking method essential. It's a dish historically associated with Georgian shepherds and country inns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why press the chicken flat?
Maximum skin contact with the pan = maximum crispness. Also faster, more even cooking.
Without a heavy weight?
Use any heavy oven-safe object: cast iron pot, foil-wrapped bricks, large cans of tomatoes.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of a whole bird?
Yes — bone-in, skin-on thighs press flat easily and cook a little faster; check for doneness at 74°C.
What's the difference between tabaka and shkmeruli?
Tabaka is pressed and served with a light garlic-vinegar sauce poured on at the end; shkmeruli is bathed in a rich milk-and-garlic cream sauce.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · 2 servings total
Time Summary
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