Recipe

Chicken Tabaka - Simple Georgian Dish Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Crainny / All my dishes 1 year, 10 months ago Name is from Georgian 'tapha" - heavy skillet. This simple dish beaming with flavor used to be a staple in soviet times. I am surprised it didn't make it here. Like Italian pizza - this should become an ambassador of Georgian cuisine in US. Prep:5m Cook:30m Servings:1	Crainny
	chicken easteuropean exotic spicy

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Ingredients

One 1 to 1-1/ 2 - pound squab or Cornish hen

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Salt

Cayenne

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Need cast iron skillet and heavy lid that will press the chicken down. Improvise - use a smaller skillet lid and put a heavy object on top of it to press down.

Directions

Pat the hen dry and place it breast side up on a large cutting board.

With a sharp knife, slice down the middle of the breastbone, to separate the rib cage. Be careful not to cut all the way through the hen - it should remain in one piece.

Turn the hen over and flatten it with a meat pounder.

With a sharp knife make a small slit at the lower edge of each breast half and push the tips of the drumsticks through the slits, one on each side, so that the knobby ends of the drumsticks protrude on the skin side.

Make similar slits on the upper edge of each breast half and push the wing tips through. Each breast half should be covered by drumstick and a wing.

Flatten the hen gently once more with the meat pounder.

Rub the hen with crushed garlic, salt liberally, and dust with cayenne.

Heat a cast-iron skillet large enough to hold the hen. Add butter.

Once it melts put the hen in the pan, turning to coat both sides.

Cook skin side up over medium high heat for 5 minutes, then turn skin side down.

Place a plate or another skillet over the hen and weight it down with a heavy can or bowl filled with water. Cook the hen over medium heat for 20 minutes, until the skin is brown and slightly crusty. Turn, replace the weight, and cook 5-10 minutes more.

Serve with Garlic Sauce or Tkemali (sour plum) Sauce.

In Russian restaurants it was served with Ketchup, which is also pretty good

The platter can be served with rice or green beans or both.

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Comments

cabincrazyone 1 year, 10 months ago said:
Sounds great! Thanks.

crainny 1 year, 9 months ago said:
Cooked it yesterday, it was a bliss - easy, quick and delicious. Pictures are taken of the actual Cornish hens I cooked.

juels 1 year, 1 month ago said:
Good recipe. High 5.

notyourmomma 1 year ago said:
This is absolutely terrific. Very nice indeed. Love cast iron and love chicken.

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