Shkmeruli

The story

Shkmeruli is a Georgian main with a clear sense of place. Shkmeruli comes from the village of Shkmeri in Georgia’s mountainous Racha region. Its striking combination of roasted chicken and abundant garlic sauce has made it a restaurant favourite far beyond its birthplace. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 1600 g whole chickenspatchcocked
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 20 ml neutral oil
• 45 g Garlicfinely crushed
• 350 ml whole milk
• 30 g butter
• 120 ml water or chicken stock

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry and season thoroughly

   Pat the chicken dry and season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Leave uncovered for 20 minutes while heating the oven to 220°C.

   Tip: Crush garlic very finely but keep the heat low once it enters the pan. You want perfume without browning. Avoid: Burning garlic ruins the sauce; boiling milk hard can split it; submerging all the skin sacrifices the roast texture.

2. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over medium-high

   Heat an ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat with the oil. Place the chicken skin-side down and weight it with a second heavy pan for 6–8 minutes until the skin takes on strong colour.

   Look for: the skin takes on strong colour

3. Remove the weight, turn the chicken and

   Remove the weight, turn the chicken and roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a board and rest for 10 minutes, keeping the pan juices.

   Look for: cooked through

4. Lower the pan heat, add butter and

   Lower the pan heat, add butter and garlic and cook only 30 seconds until fragrant; do not brown the garlic. Pour in milk and stock, scraping up the chicken fond, and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes.

   Look for: fragrant; do not brown the garlic

5. Cut the rested chicken into serving pieces

   Cut the rested chicken into serving pieces and return them skin-side up to the pan. Spoon sauce around and over the meat, keeping some crisp skin exposed.

6. Bring the sauce just back to a

   Bring the sauce just back to a simmer, then take it straight to the table. The garlic should be powerful but sweetened by milk and chicken juices, not bitter.

   Look for: Chicken reaches a safe internal temperature, juices run clear and the sauce lightly coats a spoon without curdling.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.