Chkmeruli

Chkmeruli is a traditional dish of Georgian cuisine. It is fried chicken in a fragrant creamy garlic sauce with Georgian spices and cilantro. The dish originates from the village of Chkmeri in northern Georgia. Traditionally it is made with a whole chicken, but as usual there are many delicious variations, one of which is my version 

Ingredients

• 12 chicken drumsticks

• 1 large onion (I used a red onion)

• salt, pepper

• vegetable and butter for frying

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1 tbsp flour

• 200 ml sour cream

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 1 tbsp adjika paste (not sauce, but spicy paste)

• 1 tbsp khmeli suneli spices

• 3 garlic cloves

• salt

• bunch of cilantro

Steps

1. Season chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper and fry on all sides in vegetable oil until golden brown

2. Slice onion into half-rings

3. Add 1 tbsp butter and onion to the pan and continue frying until the chicken is nicely browned

Sauce

1. Add adjika, khmeli suneli, chopped cilantro, pressed garlic, and salt to the sour cream and mix well

2. In a saucepan, heat butter, add flour, then the sour cream mixture and boiling water

3. Simmer the sauce over low heat, stirring with a whisk, until it thickens

4. Pour sauce over the chicken, cover with a lid, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes