[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":396},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:shkmeruli":3,"recipe:country:georgia":182},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":78,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":82,"ingredients":87,"instructions":129,"nutrition":157,"images":164,"keywords":174,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"shkmeruli","Shkmeruli (Georgian Chicken in Garlic Milk)","შქმერული","shkme-ROO-lee","georgia","Racha","🧄","A whole chicken pressed flat and fried crisp, then finished in milk loaded with crushed raw garlic until the sauce reduces, thickens and clings to every piece.","Shkmeruli is fried chicken drowned in garlic milk, and it is far better than that description suggests. A spatchcocked bird is pressed flat under a weight in a hot pan so the skin crisps evenly, then cut up and returned to the pan with milk and a genuinely alarming amount of crushed garlic. In ten minutes the milk reduces around the chicken into a pale, savoury sauce, the garlic loses its raw bite and turns sweet, and the crisped skin softens just enough to soak it up. It tastes like chicken, dairy and garlic and nothing else — no herbs, no tomato, no wine — which is exactly why it works. Bread for mopping is not optional.","The dish is named after Shkmeri, a mountain village in Racha, the small northwestern province known for its cured pork, its sweet red wine and its cold winters. Racha cooking is plain in the best sense: few ingredients, generous fat, no decoration. Shkmeruli is a village recipe scaled up by restaurants, and its rise from local speciality to national menu fixture happened mostly within living memory — it was not a dish most Georgians outside Racha ate regularly a few generations ago.\n\nThe traditional vessel is a ketsi, a shallow round clay pan used across Georgia for frying flatbreads and searing meat. Heated hard, a ketsi holds enough thermal mass to crisp a whole flattened chicken and then goes straight to the table as the serving dish, sauce bubbling at the edges. A heavy cast-iron skillet does the same job at home. What matters is that the pan is wide enough for the bird to lie flat and heavy enough not to lose heat when a cold chicken hits it.\n\nThe garlic is the argument. In Racha the crushed garlic goes into the milk raw and cooks only for the few minutes the sauce takes to reduce, which leaves it hot, sharp and unmistakably present — the version that made the dish famous. Tbilisi restaurants often soften it first in butter or simmer the sauce longer, producing something rounder and easier for a mixed table. Both are served under the same name, and the honest answer for a home kitchen is to pick according to who is eating. This recipe uses raw garlic added to the milk, with a note on taming it, because the sharp version is the one worth learning first. Shkmeruli is emphatically not a delicate dish, and it is not supposed to be.",[15,16,17,18],"Flattening and weighting the bird gives edge-to-edge crisp skin in one pan, without an oven or a rack.","The milk is reduced with the chicken in it, so the sauce takes on the fond instead of tasting like warm dairy.","Garlic quantity and timing are set for real flavour, with a clear method for softening it if your table wants gentler.","One pan from start to table, ready in about 45 minutes.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Dry the chicken skin thoroughly and salt it at least 30 minutes ahead. Wet skin steams and stays flabby no matter how hot the pan is.","Weight the bird with a second heavy pan or a foil-wrapped brick. Constant contact with the pan is the whole reason the skin crisps evenly.","Crush the garlic rather than mincing or pressing it. Crushed cloves release flavour into the milk without dissolving into a bitter paste.","Use whole milk. Semi-skimmed reduces to something thin and chalky, and cream makes a sauce far heavier than the dish should be.","Keep the milk at a bare simmer once it goes in. A hard boil will split it into curds and whey against the acidity of the garlic.","If the sauce breaks anyway, whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter off the heat — it will pull back together well enough to serve.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Whole spatchcocked chicken","8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs","Easier to handle and just as good. Thighs need about 6 minutes less frying, and they still need weighting to crisp the skin properly.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Whole milk","Half milk, half single cream","The Tbilisi restaurant style. Richer and much less likely to split, but it mutes the garlic and moves the dish away from its plain village character.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Ketsi clay pan","A heavy cast-iron skillet","Clay holds heat differently and adds nothing you can taste. Weight and width matter far more than the material.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Milder Tbilisi style","Soften the crushed garlic in butter over low heat for two minutes before adding the milk. The sauce turns sweet and nutty and loses its raw edge — the usual restaurant compromise.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Shkmeruli with chilli","A pinch of chilli flakes or a spoon of Mingrelian ajika stirred into the milk. Not traditional in Racha, but common further west where heat is expected.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Mushroom shkmeruli","Meaty mushrooms fried hard in butter, then finished in the same garlic milk. A vegetarian adaptation Georgian restaurants now cook for fasting days.",[50],"Shoti or any chewy white bread for the sauce, with a plate of raw tomato and cucumber salad to cut the dairy.","Shkmeruli keeps 2 days refrigerated, though the skin softens completely and never crisps again. Reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce, which thickens hard when cold. Do not microwave it — the sauce splits. It does not freeze well, as milk sauces separate irreparably on thawing. If you want to prepare ahead, fry the chicken earlier in the day, keep it at room temperature, and make the sauce just before serving.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"Why did my garlic milk sauce curdle?","Milk splits when it boils hard, and the acidity of large amounts of garlic makes it more likely. Keep the pan at a bare simmer with only occasional lazy bubbles, and never cover it tightly, which traps heat and pushes it to a boil. If it has already split, whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter off the heat to bring it back together.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Is ten cloves of garlic really correct?","Yes, and Racha versions often go higher. The garlic is the dish rather than a seasoning, and much of its harshness cooks off in the milk. If you are nervous, soften the crushed cloves in butter for two minutes before adding the milk — that alone takes most of the sharpness away without reducing the quantity.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Do I need a clay ketsi pan?","No. A ketsi is the traditional vessel and doubles as the serving dish, but a heavy cast-iron skillet gives you the same result. What you actually need is a pan wide enough for the flattened bird to lie flat and heavy enough that its temperature does not crash when the cold chicken goes in.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"How do I flatten a whole chicken?","Put the bird breast-down, cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears and remove it, then flip the chicken over and press hard on the breastbone with your palms until it cracks and the bird lies flat. Any butcher will do this for you if you ask for the chicken spatchcocked.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"Can I make shkmeruli with skinless chicken?","You can, but you lose most of what makes it good. The rendered skin fat is what fries the chicken and enriches the sauce, and without it the milk tastes thin and the meat has no crisp contrast. If skinless is your only option, fry it in a tablespoon of butter and expect a softer, plainer dish.",[69,70,71,72],"Heavy cast-iron skillet or clay ketsi","A second heavy pan or weight","Kitchen shears","Mortar or the flat of a knife for crushing garlic",4,15,40,30,"medium",[79],"main",[81],"gluten-free",[83,84,85,86],"chicken","garlic","milk","butter",[88,93,97,101,103,106,112,116,119,124],{"ref":83,"qty":89,"unit":90,"name":91,"group":92},1.5,"kg","whole chicken, backbone removed and pressed flat","For the chicken",{"qty":94,"unit":95,"name":96,"group":92},2,"tsp","fine salt",{"ref":98,"qty":99,"unit":95,"name":100,"group":92},"black-pepper",1,"freshly ground black pepper",{"ref":86,"qty":76,"unit":102,"name":86,"group":92},"g",{"qty":99,"unit":104,"name":105,"group":92},"tbsp","sunflower or other neutral oil",{"ref":84,"qty":107,"unit":108,"name":109,"note":110,"group":111},10,"clove","garlic, crushed","fat cloves — Racha versions use more","For the garlic milk",{"ref":85,"qty":113,"unit":114,"name":115,"group":111},400,"ml","whole milk",{"qty":117,"unit":95,"name":118,"group":111},0.5,"fine salt, for the sauce",{"ref":120,"qty":121,"unit":95,"name":122,"optional":123,"group":111},"chili-flakes",0.25,"chilli flakes",true,{"ref":125,"qty":99,"unit":104,"name":126,"optional":123,"note":127,"group":128},"cilantro","coriander leaves, chopped","not traditional in Racha, but common in Tbilisi","To serve",[130,134,139,143,146,150,154],{"title":131,"text":132,"timerSeconds":133},"Salt and dry the bird","Pat the flattened chicken completely dry with kitchen paper, rub it all over with the salt and black pepper, and leave it uncovered on a rack for at least 30 minutes. The skin should look matte and slightly tightened before it meets the pan.",1800,{"title":135,"text":136,"timerSeconds":137,"tip":138},"Fry it flat under a weight","Heat the butter and oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until the butter stops foaming. Lay the chicken in skin down, set a second heavy pan on top to press it flat, and fry 15–18 minutes without moving it, until the skin is a deep even gold and crackles when tapped.",1000,"Lower the heat if the butter starts to smell nutty and dark — you want gold, not brown.",{"title":140,"text":141,"timerSeconds":142},"Turn and cook through","Remove the weight, flip the chicken and fry the underside 10–12 minutes, until the thigh juices run clear when pierced at the joint and the meat feels firm rather than springy. Lift the bird to a board and pour off all but a tablespoon of the fat.",660,{"title":144,"text":145},"Joint the chicken","Cut the chicken into 8 pieces — two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings and the breast halved across — keeping the skin intact on each. Set them aside on the board while you build the sauce, and save any juices that collect.",{"title":147,"text":148,"tip":149},"Make the garlic milk","Return the pan to low heat, add the crushed garlic and let it sizzle for 30 seconds until it smells sweet rather than raw. Pour in the milk, add the sauce salt and chilli, and scrape up every browned patch stuck to the pan.","For a gentler sauce, cook the garlic in a knob of butter for two full minutes before the milk goes in.",{"title":151,"text":152,"timerSeconds":153},"Reduce with the chicken back in","Nestle the chicken pieces back in skin-up with their resting juices and simmer very gently, uncovered, for 8–10 minutes. The milk should reduce by about a third and turn from thin white to a pale sauce that coats the back of a spoon — never let it reach a rolling boil.",540,{"title":155,"text":156},"Serve from the pan","Spoon the sauce over the chicken a few times, scatter with coriander if using, and take the pan straight to the table. Serve with plenty of bread, since the garlic milk left behind is the reason most people finish the dish.",{"calories":158,"protein":159,"carbs":160,"fat":161,"sugar":162,"sodium":163,"estimated":123},640,48,9,45,7,1200,[165,168,170,172],{"src":166,"alt":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshkmeruli\u002Fhero.jpg","Crisp golden chicken pieces sitting in creamy garlic milk sauce in a black cast-iron pan",{"src":169,"alt":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshkmeruli\u002Fhero-16x9.jpg",{"src":171,"alt":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshkmeruli\u002Fhero-4x3.jpg",{"src":173,"alt":167},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshkmeruli\u002Fhero-1x1.jpg",[4,175,176,177,178,179],"georgian chicken","garlic milk sauce","racha","ketsi","fried chicken","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":183,"total":107,"page":99,"limit":394,"hasMore":395},[184,212,238,259,283,306,326,348,366,387],{"slug":185,"title":186,"nativeName":187,"romanized":188,"countrySlug":8,"region":189,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":190,"difficulty":77,"course":191,"diet":193,"mainIngredients":195,"images":200,"keywords":204,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"adjarian-khachapuri","Adjarian Khachapuri (Boat-Shaped Georgian Cheese Bread)","აჭარული ხაჭაპური","Acharuli khachapuri","Adjara",90,[192],"bread",[194],"vegetarian",[196,197,198,199,86],"flour","mozzarella","feta","eggs",[201],{"src":202,"alt":203},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fadjarian-khachapuri\u002Fhero.jpg","Boat-shaped Georgian cheese bread with a golden crust, bubbling cheese and a raw egg yolk in the centre",[205,206,207,208,209,210,211],"khachapuri","georgian cheese bread","adjarian","acharuli","sulguni","egg bread","caucasus",{"slug":213,"title":214,"nativeName":215,"countrySlug":8,"region":216,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":217,"restMinutes":190,"difficulty":218,"course":219,"diet":221,"mainIngredients":224,"images":228,"keywords":232,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"badrijani-nigvzit","Badrijani Nigvzit (Georgian Eggplant Rolls with Walnut Paste)","ბადრიჯანი ნიგვზით","Kakheti",25,"easy",[220],"appetizer",[222,194,81,223],"vegan","dairy-free",[225,226,84,227],"eggplant","walnuts","pomegranate",[229],{"src":230,"alt":231},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbadrijani-nigvzit\u002Fhero.jpg","Rolled fried aubergine slices filled with pale walnut paste, topped with pomegranate seeds and coriander",[233,234,235,236,237,227,222],"badrijani nigvzit","eggplant rolls","walnut paste","georgian appetizer","aubergine",{"slug":239,"title":240,"nativeName":241,"countrySlug":8,"region":242,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":243,"cookMinutes":161,"difficulty":218,"course":244,"diet":245,"mainIngredients":246,"images":249,"keywords":253,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"chakhokhbili","Chakhokhbili (Georgian Chicken and Tomato Herb Stew)","ჩახოხბილი","Kartli",20,[79],[81,223],[83,247,248,125,84],"tomato","onion",[250],{"src":251,"alt":252},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fchakhokhbili\u002Fhero.jpg","Georgian chicken stew in a wide pan, thick tomato and onion sauce scattered with fresh coriander and basil",[239,254,255,256,257,258],"georgian chicken stew","tomato stew","coriander","tarragon","one pot chicken",{"slug":260,"title":261,"nativeName":262,"countrySlug":8,"region":216,"baseServings":263,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":264,"restMinutes":265,"difficulty":77,"course":266,"diet":269,"mainIngredients":270,"images":272,"keywords":276,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"churchkhela","Churchkhela (Georgian Grape Must and Walnut Candy)","ჩურჩხელა",8,60,1440,[267,268],"dessert","snack",[222,194,223],[226,271,196],"grapes",[273],{"src":274,"alt":275},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fchurchkhela\u002Fhero.jpg","Rows of dark purple and amber churchkhela candles hanging on strings, one sliced to show walnuts inside",[260,277,278,279,280,281,282],"georgian candy","grape must","walnut","tatara","no added sugar","kakheti",{"slug":284,"title":285,"nativeName":286,"countrySlug":8,"region":287,"baseServings":288,"prepMinutes":217,"cookMinutes":289,"difficulty":77,"course":290,"diet":292,"mainIngredients":293,"images":296,"keywords":300,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"kharcho","Kharcho (Georgian Beef, Walnut and Sour Plum Soup)","ხარჩო","Samegrelo",6,130,[291],"soup",[81,223],[294,226,295,84,125],"beef-shank","rice",[297],{"src":298,"alt":299},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkharcho\u002Fhero.jpg","A deep bowl of thick reddish Georgian beef soup with rice, walnut oil on the surface and chopped coriander",[284,301,302,279,303,304,305],"georgian soup","beef soup","tklapi","sour plum","mingrelian",{"slug":307,"title":308,"nativeName":309,"countrySlug":8,"region":310,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":264,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":311,"course":312,"diet":313,"mainIngredients":314,"images":317,"keywords":321,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"khinkali","Khinkali (Georgian Twisted Soup Dumplings)","ხინკალი","Khevsureti and Pshavi","hard",[79],[],[196,315,316,248,125],"ground-beef","ground-pork",[318],{"src":319,"alt":320},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkhinkali\u002Fhero.jpg","A plate of pleated Georgian khinkali dumplings with twisted topknots, dusted with coarse black pepper",[307,322,323,211,324,325],"georgian dumplings","soup dumplings","minced meat","pleated dumplings",{"slug":327,"title":328,"nativeName":329,"countrySlug":8,"region":330,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":243,"cookMinutes":331,"restMinutes":332,"difficulty":218,"course":333,"diet":335,"mainIngredients":336,"images":337,"keywords":341,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"georgian-lobio","Lobio (Georgian Spiced Kidney Bean Stew)","ლობიო","Racha and Imereti",105,480,[334,79],"side",[222,194,81,223],[248,226,84,125],[338],{"src":339,"alt":340},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fgeorgian-lobio\u002Fhero.jpg","A clay pot of thick Georgian red bean stew topped with chopped coriander, walnuts and pomegranate seeds",[342,343,344,345,279,346,347],"lobio","georgian beans","kidney bean stew","vegan georgian","mchadi","fasting food",{"slug":349,"title":350,"nativeName":351,"countrySlug":8,"region":352,"baseServings":288,"prepMinutes":161,"cookMinutes":161,"restMinutes":353,"difficulty":218,"course":354,"diet":355,"mainIngredients":356,"images":359,"keywords":363,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"pkhali","Pkhali (Georgian Walnut and Vegetable Pâtés)","ფხალი","Imereti",240,[220],[222,194,81,223],[226,357,358,84,227],"spinach","beetroot",[360],{"src":361,"alt":362},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpkhali\u002Fhero.jpg","Three small Georgian walnut pâté balls in green, deep red and cream, topped with pomegranate seeds",[349,236,364,357,358,365,227],"walnut pate","vegan meze",{"slug":367,"title":368,"nativeName":369,"countrySlug":8,"region":370,"baseServings":288,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":190,"restMinutes":371,"difficulty":311,"course":372,"diet":373,"mainIngredients":374,"images":376,"keywords":380,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},"satsivi","Satsivi (Georgian Turkey in Cold Walnut Sauce)","საცივი","Kartli and Imereti",720,[79],[81,223],[375,226,84,248],"turkey",[377],{"src":378,"alt":379},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsatsivi\u002Fhero.jpg","Pieces of turkey coated in thick pale yellow walnut sauce, scattered with pomegranate seeds in a shallow dish",[367,381,382,383,384,385,386],"walnut sauce","georgian turkey","new year","bazhe","cold dish","blue fenugreek",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":388,"diet":389,"mainIngredients":390,"images":391,"keywords":393,"publishedAt":180,"updatedAt":180,"authorSlug":181},[79],[81],[83,84,85,86],[392],{"src":166,"alt":167},[4,175,176,177,178,179],24,false,1787360064822]