recipe-1

Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Chakhokhbili

Tbilisi, Georgia

Chakhokhbili

Georgian chicken stewed with lots of onions and tomatoes, finished with fresh herbs and garlic.

Chakhokhbili
Close to the base recipe Mild

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Chakhokhbili. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Chakhokhbili

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 1 kg Chicken pieces.

From the base recipe

  • 4 Onions
  • 1 Green chillies
  • Cooking oil not used
  • Red chilli powder not used
  • Turmeric not used
  • 1 tsp · a little Salt and water
  • Ginger garlic paste not used
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Chakhokhbili

  • 6 Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 5 Garlic
  • 1 handful · 1 handful · 1 handful Coriander, basil and dill
  • 2 tsp Khmeli suneli (Georgian spice mix) or fenugreek and coriander

Leave out

  • Turmeric
  • Whole spices
  • Garam masala

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisSlice plenty of onions; one green chilli is enough.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisBrown the chicken in a dry pan in its own fat, then fry the onions in that fat.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisUse the chicken.

  4. Base step: do not useAdd them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisReturn the chicken and add the tomatoes.

  5. Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisAdd khmeli suneli and a little chilli instead of turmeric.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisAdd little or no water: the tomatoes give the liquid.

  8. Add salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Chakhokhbili: do thisSimmer 30 minutes; stir in garlic and plenty of herbs at the end.

Serve: With bread (shoti) or mchadi (cornbread).

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

← Chicken paprikashAll curries on the mapMoschari kokkinisto →

Food marks, as on packaged food in India: vegetarian · non-vegetarian (meat, fish or egg). Dishes with both marks can be made either way.

This page is available in:

English · Deutsch · 日本語 · Español · हिन्दी · ગુજરાતી · Bahasa Melayu · Türkçe · 简体中文 · 繁體中文（香港） · اردو · العربية

More languages are coming soon.