Classic Pan-Fried Chicken Tabaka with Golden Crust

Delicious, with an appetizing crust, for dinner for the whole family! Chicken tabaka (tapaka) in a frying pan — a classic Georgian recipe. The peculiarity of this dish is that the chicken carcass is flattened during frying. Cooked under pressure, the chicken is cooked very well and has a wonderful crust.
cook time: 1h
Liam Carson
Classic Pan-Fried Chicken Tabaka with Golden Crust

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

256
Calories
21g
Fat
1g
Carbs
17g
Protein

Ingredients (2 portions)

Basic:

Garlic 5 clove
Salt 1 tsp
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
Dry spices to taste
Chicken 1 kg

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to make chicken tabaka (tapaka) in a frying pan under pressure? Prepare your food. It is better to take very small chicken, 800-1000 grams, it will be better fried. For spices, I used ground red and black pepper, but you can add any others you like with chicken.

Step 2

Step 2
Rinse the chicken well with cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

Step 3

Step 3
Turn the chicken onto its back and cut down the middle of the breast, leaving the back intact.

Step 4

Step 4
Turn the chicken onto its belly and open it well. Cover with cling film. Take a meat mallet and give the chicken a good tap on all the bones and joints to give the chicken a flat appearance.

Step 5

Step 5
Crush the garlic through a garlic press, I don’t have one, I grated it on a fine grater, you can just chop it finely. Mix garlic, salt and spices into a homogeneous paste, you can add a little oil.

Step 6

Step 6
Brush the chicken well with the mixture from the back first.

Step 7

Step 7
Then from the inside. Leave the chicken to marinate for at least half an hour. It’s better if you have three hours left, but you can do it that way. Heat the frying pan well, I use a cast iron grill pan, but it can be any one that cooks well and is the right size. Grease it with oil and place the chicken.

Step 8

Step 8
Often a cast iron lid press is included with a cast iron grill pan or sold separately; if you have one, press the chicken with this press. If not, then you can use improvised means. Place something flat on top: a plate, a lid, a board, a frying pan, like mine. And place the load. It can be anything heavy: a heavy jar, a brick, a pan of water, which my mother used to make with a manual meat grinder when I was a child.

Step 9

Step 9
Fry for about twenty minutes until golden brown, then turn the chicken over to the other side.

Step 10

Step 10
And again cover with a cast iron lid-press or make a structure from a plane and a weight. Fry until done, about half an hour.

Additional rubrics

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