Satsivi (Walnut Chicken)

About This Recipe

Satsivi — meaning 'cold' in Georgian — is a celebration dish served at Christmas, New Year and major feasts. Poached chicken is bathed in a thick, deeply complex walnut sauce flavoured with garlic, coriander, blue fenugreek, marigold and saffron, then chilled overnight to allow the walnut oil to bloom on top. It is unapologetically rich and unmistakably Georgian.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 wholechicken(~1.5 kg)
• 1 largeonion(halved)
• 2bay leaves
• 10black peppercorns
• 2 Lwater
• 1 tspsalt
• Walnut sauce:
• 300 gwalnuts(shelled)
• 8 clovesgarlic
• 1 small bunchfresh coriander(chopped)
• 1 tbspblue fenugreek (utskho suneli)(or 1 tsp ground fenugreek)
• 1 tbspmarigold powder(or paprika)
• 1 tbspground coriander
• 1/2 tspground saffron
• 1/2 tspground cinnamon
• 1/4 tspground cloves
• 1/2 tspred chilli flakes
• 3 tbspwhite wine vinegar
• 1 tbsppomegranate molasses(optional but classic)
• 1 tspsalt
• 100 gpomegranate seeds(to garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach chicken

   Place chicken in pot with onion halves, bay, peppercorns, salt and water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 45 min until cooked through. Cool in broth 20 min.

2. 2

   Carve chicken

   Lift chicken out. Reserve 700ml of the strained broth. Carve chicken into 8–10 serving pieces (or pull off bones for ease).

3. 3

   Pan-roast chicken (optional)

   Lightly fry the cooked chicken pieces in 1 tbsp oil 4 min until skin is golden — adds depth, but can skip.

4. 4

   Make walnut sauce

   Blend walnuts, garlic, fresh coriander, all spices, vinegar, pomegranate molasses and 200ml of the broth into a thick smooth paste. Squeeze the paste through a sieve or muslin to extract walnut oil — reserve oil. (This is traditional but optional — skip for less work.)

5. 5

   Build sauce

   Place walnut paste in a pan. Whisk in 500ml broth gradually. Heat gently to a bare simmer, whisking — sauce should be like thick gravy. Adjust salt.

6. 6

   Combine

   Add chicken pieces to sauce. Coat thoroughly. Cool to room temperature.

7. 7

   Chill

   Cover and refrigerate 4 hours minimum, ideally overnight. Sauce will thicken significantly and walnut oil bloom on top.

8. 8

   Serve

   Serve cold or at room temperature. Drizzle with reserved walnut oil, top with pomegranate seeds. Eat with crusty bread to mop the sauce.

Variations

• •

  Turkey satsivi — traditional Georgian Christmas version

• •

  Add a small pinch of bukhnabsi (Georgian dried summer savory)

• •

  Serve with mchadi cornbread for a fully traditional supra spread

Storage

Keeps 5 days in fridge. Always serve cold or just slightly chilled — never hot.

Frequently Asked Questions