Tabaka

Ingredients

• 1chickenapprox. 1.0–1.2 kg, cut open lengthwise and flattened
• saltcoarse, for rubbing in
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 5 clovesgarliccrushed, for sauce and/or marinade
• 1⅓ ozClarified butterfor frying, often mixed with oil
• 3 tbspvegetable oilfor frying or for the marinade
• ⅔ cuphot chicken broth or boiling waterbase of the garlic sauce
• 1 tspchili pepperfor marinade or sauce
• 2 tbsplemon juicefor the marinade
• ⅔ ozparsleyfor the sauce or to sprinkle over
• 1 tspkhmeli suneliGeorgian spice blend (optional)
• 3½ ozSour creamfor marinade or creamy sauce (optional)
• 7 oztomatoesfor tomato sauce or vegetable side (optional)

Method

1. Clean the chicken, remove the wing tips and neck, and pat it thoroughly dry inside and out — dry skin crisps far better later on.
2. Cut the chicken open lengthwise along the breastbone and open it out flat. Crack the breastbone, press the carcass flat with the heel of your hand or the flat side of a cleaver, and score the thicker parts a few times so everything cooks evenly.
3. Rub the bird generously on both sides with coarse salt and black pepper, then marinate it with vegetable oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and ground red chili — add khmeli-suneli if you like.
4. Cover the marinated chicken and chill it for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you have the time. Let it come back to room temperature briefly before frying and wipe off any excess marinade.
5. Heat a heavy pan with clarified butter and oil over high heat. Lay the chicken in skin side down, set a plate on top and weigh it down — in Georgia a three-litre jar of water on a plate or a clothes iron does the job, though a filled pot or a clean stone works just as well.
6. Fry under the weight until the skin is deep golden and crisp, adjusting the heat so nothing scorches. Turn the bird, weigh it down again and cook the second side through, until the juices run clear.
7. Meanwhile, make the garlic sauce: crush the garlic, mix it with salt, ground chili and chopped herbs, pour over hot chicken broth or boiling water, and stir in a spoonful of the frying fat from the pan.
8. Set the chicken out whole on a warmed platter, spoon the garlic sauce over it or serve it alongside, and scatter generously with parsley, coriander and dill.

Tips and variations

If the pan gets too lively for you, sear the chicken and finish it in the oven at 190–200 °C — or roast it in the oven from the start. The marinade is yours to play with: dry ajika with oil, lemon juice and matsoni or sour cream, a mix of white wine vinegar, garlic and khmeli-suneli, or a tomato sauce with peppers and tomato paste that doubles as the sauce later. A sour cream sauce with dill and garlic is lovely too, with the chicken briefly braised in it at the end; you can also brush the bird with garlic-thyme butter to finish. Serve Tabaka with a fresh vegetable salad, a herb-chili sauce and lavash, plus fried tomatoes, aubergines and peppers — and a scattering of pomegranate seeds on top.