Shkmeruli – Georgian chicken

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 good quality roast chicken
• 1 tbsp clarified butter
• 6 garlic cloves, more or less to taste
• 300 ml whole milk
• 100 g butter
• e.g. salt and pepper
• 1 handful of coriander leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan-assisted oven. Cut the chicken into breast, legs, and wings and season lightly with salt. Heat clarified butter in a pan; ideally, use a pan with a heat-resistant handle. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and weigh them down with a clean-bottomed pot to ensure the skin crisps up even more while cooking. Fill the pot with hot water beforehand so the top of the chicken doesn’t stay cold for too long. Roast the chicken for 5-6 minutes, then turn the pieces over and add weight again. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and continue cooking in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. The meat should be cooked through but not dry. Set the pan with the meat juices aside. Peel the garlic and press it flat with the flat side of a knife. Add a little salt and dice the garlic. Repeat this step until you have a puree. Add the garlic puree to the pan with the meat juices along with a quarter of the butter and sauté gently; the garlic should not brown. Add the milk and gradually stir in the remaining butter. Simmer the sauce gently, stirring constantly. Remove the chicken pieces from the oven, but do not turn it off yet. Season the garlic sauce with salt and pepper and add the chicken pieces. Return the pan (only if it has a heat-resistant handle; otherwise, transfer to a heat-resistant dish) to the oven for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander leaves to serve. Serve with mashed potatoes, preferably with cheese.