Chicken Tabaka with Tomato Sauce - Soviet Era

Recipe by: Olga November 29, 2019 Chicken

Description

Chicken Tabaka is a Georgian dish which was very famous in Uzbekistan during the Soviet Union era. Since there is no process of marinating the chicken beforehand, the smaller the chicken, the juicer and the better it gets cooked. Cornish hen is the best for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 whole Cornish hen (approx. 8 oz)
Salt to taste
Generous pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
2 tbsp of oil
1/2 cup water

For the sauce:
1-2 garlic cloves minced or nicely chopped
4 tbsp cilantro chopped
1-2 cups tomato juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch salt if, needed

Directions

1. Wash the hen thoroughly. Towel dry it, put it breast side up. Making sure that the hen remains in one piece, use a sharp knife and slice down the middle of the breastbone in order to separate the rib cage. Turn the hen over and using a meat tenderizer flatten the chicken nicely.

2. Grind coriander seeds, mix it with cumin and black pepper. Liberally rub the hen with salt first. Once thatâ€™s done thoroughly rub the hen with ready spice mixture from both sides.

3. Heat the skillet on medium-high heat, put the oil in the skillet and heat a little more. Place the hen on the skillet, cover the hen with a sturdy plate or a smaller lid (just to cover the hen), press it nicely with something heavy. If you have those special kitchen weights, thatâ€™s great. If you do not, you can use anything around you. If you have a big clean rock you can use that as well. Or you can simply fill a kettle with water and gently press it on top of the plate. The idea is to give the hen enough press to keep it flat, once the cooking time is over.

4. Once the 15 minutes are up, the chicken should have a nice golden brown colour and have a nice crust. Turn down the heat to medium-low, add just a little bit of water and cover the skillet with a lid. Keep the chicken in the skillet for another 5-8 minutes on each side.

Sauce:
Mix everything well and enjoy the hen with a warm bread dipped in the sauce.

4. You can serve the hen with vegetables, rice or mashed potatoes. We enjoy our chicken without any sides, but with a nice home-made tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

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