Europe
High-Protein Georgian Chkmeruli
Chef-tested recipe
Crisp pressed chicken from Racha finished in an unapologetically garlicky milk-and-butter sauce
Chkmeruli, also transliterated shkmeruli, comes from the village of Shkmeri in Georgia’s mountainous Racha region. The dish begins with a whole chicken flattened and cooked in the pressed tabaka style, then finishes with an emphatic fresh-garlic sauce. Georgian versions vary: some use milk, some cream, and older or simpler preparations may use water, but the crisp chicken and powerful garlic remain constant. This recipe uses full-fat milk and butter, a widely recognised home and restaurant style, while keeping the sauce below the crispest skin. A clay ketsi makes a dramatic serving vessel, but a heavy ovenproof skillet gives the necessary contact and heat.
Recipe at a glance
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Kitchen shearspaid link
- Large ovenproof skilletpaid link
- Heavy pressing panpaid link
- Mortar and pestlepaid link
- Whiskpaid link
- Tongspaid link
- Carving boardpaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
- Instant-read thermometerpaid link
Ingredients
For the chicken
- Whole free-range chicken: 1900 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 14 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 5 g
- Sunflower oilpaid link: 35 ml
- Unsalted butter: 35 g
For the garlic sauce
- Fresh garlic cloves, peeled: 90 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 4 g
- Unsalted butter: 45 g
- Full-fat whole milk, warmed: 500 ml
- Freshly ground black pepper: 2 g
For serving
- Georgian-style cucumber and tomato salad: 600 g
- Shotis puri or crusty bread: 480 g
Preparation Overview
Remove the chicken backbone with kitchen shears, flatten the breastbone, and dry the bird thoroughly. Crush the garlic with salt in a mortar rather than puréeing it to liquid. Warm the milk before it meets the hot pan to reduce the chance of splitting. Have a second heavy pan or a foil-wrapped weight ready to press the chicken.
Method
Spatchcock the chicken. Place it breast-side down, cut along both sides of the backbone, remove it, then turn the bird over and press firmly on the breastbone until flat.
Dry and season. Pat every surface dry, season both sides with 14 g salt and 5 g pepper, and leave at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Start the pressed roast. Heat the sunflower oil and 35 g butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and place a clean heavy pan on top.
Brown the skin. Cook under the weight for 10 to 12 minutes until deeply golden, adjusting the heat so the butter solids do not burn.
Finish in the oven. Remove the weight, turn the chicken, and roast at 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes until the breast and inner thigh reach at least 74°C.
Rest the chicken. Transfer it to a board for 10 minutes. Pour off excess fat but keep the browned fond in the skillet.
Prepare the garlic. Pound the garlic with 4 g salt to a textured paste. Melt 45 g butter in the skillet over low heat, add the garlic, and stir for 30 seconds without colouring it.
Make the sauce. Gradually whisk in the warm milk and 2 g pepper, scraping up the fond. Simmer very gently for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly thickened.
Finish the chkmeruli. Cut the chicken into six portions, return them to the skillet with the skin mostly above the sauce, and warm for 3 minutes. Serve bubbling hot.
Beginner Technique Notes
Ask a butcher to spatchcock the chicken if cutting through the rib joints feels unfamiliar.
A dry bird and steady pressure create the broad, crisp skin surface characteristic of tabaka-style chicken.
Use a heatproof weight that sits flat. Protect the underside of another pan with foil for easier cleaning.
Warm milk and low heat help keep the sauce smooth. A hard boil can make it separate.
Garlic should become fragrant, not brown; browned garlic turns bitter in such a simple sauce.
Tips and Variations
For a richer Tbilisi restaurant-style version, replace 150 ml of the milk with double cream.
A Rachian-style water-based garlic sauce can be made as a separate variation, but do not dilute the milk version midway.
Bone-in chicken legs can stand in for a whole chicken, although the dramatic pressed presentation will be lost.
Serve in a preheated clay ketsi if available so the sauce continues to bubble at the table.
Do not reduce the garlic to a token amount. Its abundance is the defining flavour of chkmeruli.
Serving Ideas
- Carry the skillet or warmed ketsi directly to the table and let diners share the chicken family-style. Keep the deeply browned skin visible above the pale garlic sauce, with the salad and bread in separate dishes to balance the richness.
Storage
Refrigerate chicken and sauce together for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 170°C until the centre reaches 74°C, adding a splash of milk if needed. The skin will soften in storage. Freezing is not recommended because the milk sauce may separate.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains milk. Bread served alongside contains gluten unless a gluten-free loaf is chosen. Check butter and milk for local allergen declarations and prevent raw-chicken cross-contamination during spatchcocking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are chkmeruli and shkmeruli the same dish?
Yes. They are different Latin-alphabet spellings of the Georgian name შქმერული.
Why is the chicken pressed?
Pressure maximises contact with the pan so a flattened bird browns evenly and develops crisp skin.
Can I use cream instead of milk?
Cream is common in richer modern versions, while whole milk produces a lighter but still traditional-style sauce.
How much garlic is correct?
A generous quantity is essential; the milk mellows the raw sharpness as the sauce cooks.
Do I need a clay ketsi?
No. It is traditional for serving, but a large cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet cooks the dish well.
