Crispy Pan-Fried Chicken Tabaka

The most delicious, appetizing, juicy, made from simple ingredients! Chicken tabaka (tapaka) in a frying pan with a crispy crust is not in vain considered one of the best dishes of Georgian cuisine. Itʼs worth making it at least once for it to take pride of place in your cookbook. The recipe is simple, even a beginner can do it!
cook time: 1h
Logan Winslow
Crispy Pan-Fried Chicken Tabaka

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

220
Calories
18g
Fat
2g
Carbs
14g
Protein

Ingredients (4 portions)

Basic:

Chicken 1 pc
Butter 60 g
Sunflower oil 2 tbsp
Allspice 2 g
Salt to taste

Sauce:

Tomato paste 200 g
Water 200 ml
Garlic 4 clove
Green cilantro 10 g
Khmeli-suneli 1.5 tbsp
Apple vinegar 1 tsp
Adjika 0.5 tsp
Ground black pepper 0.25 tsp

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to fry chicken tabaka (tapaka) with a crispy crust? To begin, prepare all the necessary ingredients according to the list. Take a chicken that is not very large, weighing 1-1.3 kg. In addition to salt and pepper, I took another 1/2 tsp. spices for chicken tabaka.

Step 2

Step 2
Wash the chicken and dry it. Cut along the line of the breastbone and spread it flat, pressing with your hands.

Step 3

Step 3
Then cover the carcass with a bag or cling film and beat the chicken with the flat side of a mallet or a special hammer without teeth over the entire surface, especially in the area of the bones. You cannot beat the bird with the cloves of the hammer, as the cloves will severely damage the skin of the chicken. We need to crush the bones and make the chicken as flat as possible so that its entire surface touches the bottom of the pan in which it will be fried.

Step 4

Step 4
Rub the chicken with spices on all sides. When using a prepared spice mixture, be sure to read the ingredients on the package. Often such mixtures already contain salt and pepper, take this into account, otherwise you risk oversalting and peppering the dish.

Step 5

Step 5
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Place the chicken, back side down, and fry for 5-7 minutes over high heat until golden brown. If the frying pan has a lid, it is better to fry under it so that the oil does not splatter.

Step 6

Step 6
Then turn the bird over and fry for 5-7 minutes.

Step 7

Step 7
Then reduce the heat to low, place pressure on top of the bird (for example, a plate and a jar of water on it) and fry until cooked for about 20 minutes. During this time, you can turn the chicken on its back again so that the meat is properly cooked.

Step 8

Step 8
While the chicken is roasting, prepare the sauce. You can replace tomato paste with chopped tomatoes in their own juice, or simply grate fresh tomatoes on a fine grater. You can replace dry adjika with paste or, if you wish, not add it at all.

Step 9

Step 9
Wash the cilantro, shake off moisture and finely chop. The larger the bunch, the tastier and more aromatic the sauce will be.

Step 10

Step 10
Place the chopped herbs in a bowl and add the garlic pressed through a press. Add suneli hops, adjika and pepper.

Step 11

Step 11
Grind everything thoroughly with a pestle or spoon so that the cilantro releases its juice.

Step 12

Step 12
Add tomato paste and water. Depending on your preference, you can make the sauce thicker or thinner. The sauce I got was quite thick but runny.

Step 13

Step 13
Finally, add apple cider vinegar, taste the sauce and add salt if necessary. Stir the sauce and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Step 14

Step 14
Place the finished chicken on a plate, back side up, and rub with a piece of butter.

Step 15

Step 15
Serve the tabaka chicken with the aromatic sauce immediately. Bon appetit!

Additional rubrics

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