Satsivi (საცივი) — Georgian Chicken in Walnut Sauce

• 1 wholewhole chicken (about 1.5 kg, giblets removed)
• 2.5 lcold water
• 1yellow onion (about 150 g, halved)
• 1carrot (about 90 g, cut into large pieces)
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 8black peppercorns
• 2 tspfine sea salt
• 240 gwalnut halves
• 5 clovegarlic
• 2 tbspneutral sunflower oil
• 2 tspground coriander
• 2 tspkhmeli suneli
• 1 tspblue fenugreek powder (utskho suneli, if available)
• 1 tspground marigold (Imeretian saffron)
• 0.25 tspground cinnamon
• 0.13 tspground cloves
• 0.25 tspcayenne pepper
• 2 tbspwhite wine vinegar
• 700 mlreserved chicken broth (strained from poaching the chicken)
• 0.5 bunchfresh cilantro (finely chopped)
• 60 gpomegranate arils (optional but traditional for festive serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the whole chicken in a large pot with the water, halved onion, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 2 tsp salt. Bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat, skimming off foam during the first 10 minutes so the broth stays clean.

2. 2

   Lower the heat and simmer gently for 45 to 55 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 74°C. Do not boil hard, because aggressive boiling toughens the meat and makes the broth cloudy.

3. 3

   Lift the chicken from the pot and let it cool on a tray for 20 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, reserve 700 ml for the satsivi sauce, and keep the remaining broth for soup or rice.

4. 4

   Remove and discard the chicken skin, then pull the meat from the bones into large bite-size pieces. Arrange the meat in a deep serving dish, because the walnut sauce will be poured over it while still warm.

5. 5

   Grind the walnuts, garlic, coriander, khmeli suneli, blue fenugreek, marigold, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, and 0.75 tsp salt in a food processor until they form a damp, fine paste. Scrape the bowl several times so the walnut paste becomes smooth enough to thicken the sauce evenly.

6. 6

   Warm the sunflower oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the finely chopped onion for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and pale gold. Stir often and do not brown it deeply, because satsivi should taste mellow rather than roasted.

7. 7

   Add the walnut paste to the onions and stir for 1 minute to bloom the spices gently. Whisk in the reserved chicken broth gradually, adding about 150 ml at a time, until the sauce is smooth and has the consistency of heavy cream.

8. 8

   Simmer the sauce very gently for 8 minutes, stirring often so the walnuts do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the vinegar, then taste for balance and add exactly 0.25 tsp extra salt only if the broth was very mild.

9. 9

   Pour the warm satsivi sauce over the chicken and turn the pieces gently to coat them fully. Let the dish stand for at least 2 hours at cool room temperature, or refrigerate it for 6 hours, because the flavor deepens as the walnut, garlic, and spices settle.

10. 10

    Before serving, bring the satsivi back to cool room temperature for 30 minutes if it was refrigerated. Garnish with chopped cilantro and pomegranate arils, and serve it as part of a Georgian supra with bread for scooping up the sauce.