Chakhokhbili is a slightly spicy Georgian chicken stew in a rich and thick tomato sauce with lots of onions and cilantro. It's easy to make and will be on the table in less than 1 hour from start to finish. Serve it with white rice or bread to soak up all the delicious sauce.
(This recipe was originally published in May 2013, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).
During a trip to Yerevan, Armenia many years ago I discovered a delicious Georgian stew with a spicy tomato base and lots of sliced onions and cilantro. Chakhokhbili (ჩახოხბილი) comes from the Georgian word “khokhobi” which means “pheasant,” although nowadays the dish is usually made with chicken.
The chakhokhbili we enjoyed in Yerevan was actually made with rabbit, although the chicken variety was offered on the menu as well.
This is an extremely straightforward dish to make. It cooks much faster if you make it with boneless skinless chicken as I do, but you can make it with whatever type of chicken (boneless/bone-in, skinless/skin-on, white/dark meat) you prefer.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Chakhokhbili is most traditionally made with a whole chicken cut into pieces with the skin left on. To simplify and lighten up this Georgian chicken stew recipe, I use boneless chicken cut into smaller pieces. You can make it with breasts, tenders, or thighs. Of course you can also use bone-in chicken pieces, but just plan to cook your chakhokhbili a bit longer to ensure the meat is cooked through.
- Tomatoes: Although some people use chopped fresh tomatoes, I prefer using canned tomatoes not only for their convenience but for their intense tomato flavor. Fresh tomatoes have a higher water content and tend to fall apart a lot when cooked, whereas canned diced tomatoes are still juicy, but hold their shape and provide more texture and flavor in this stew.
- Herbs: Some folks use several herbs in their chakhokhbil, including cilantro, parsley, dill, and tarragon. The version I enjoyed in Armenia only featured cilantro, which is a very popular herb in Georgian cuisine. I stick with my own experience with this dish and call for only fresh cilantro, but you are welcome to use a variety if you prefer.
- Spice: To add a bit of spice to this dish you can use adjika, which is a spicy paste from Georgia made with hot chiles, seasonings, and sometimes nuts. If you can't find it, you can leave it out or use mild pepper paste or hot pepper paste instead for additional flavor. For the main spice element, I use crushed Aleppo chili peppers. They are becoming more common in the States, but if you can't find them just use regular crushed chili flakes.
How to make it
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add half the chicken to the pan, browning the pieces all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining half of the chicken. Set aside.
Add more oil to the pan, then add the onions and season with salt. Lower the heat to medium, stir the onions well, and cover the pan. Cook until they have softened a bit, remove the cover and keep stirring them until they are tender (PHOTO 1). Then add the garlic, tomato paste, adjika if using, and Aleppo pepper. Stir well, and cook for another minute (PHOTO 2).
Add the diced tomatoes. Raise the heat until the mixture comes up to a gentle boil (PHOTO 3). Season with salt, and add the chicken back into the pan with any accumulated juices (PHOTO 4).
Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature using an instant read thermometer should be 165°F). Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Stir in the cilantro and serve the chakhokhbili with white rice, crusty bread or flatbread.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
This is a very simple and straightforward method to make a classic Georgian recipe. I have shared the way I like to make it, but you can easily make adjustments to suit your tastes, like using dark meat versus white meat, or using a whole chicken cut into parts. Just make sure to cook bone-in chicken pieces (or even boneless thighs) longer as dark meat and bone-in meat takes longer to cook through.
I've tried this recipe using smoother crushed tomatoes which mimics the version we enjoyed in Yerevan, and chunkier canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Although both are delicious the diced tomatoes provide some nice additional texture which we prefer overall.
This chakhokhbili recipe comfortably makes 4 servings but can easily serve up to 6 people if served with a generous side of starch, like a big scoop of rice or a few big chunks of bread.
Other recipes you may like
- Khinkali (Georgian Dumplings)
- Chicken Saag (Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry)
- Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
- Rasta Pasta with Jerk Chicken
- Cape Malay Chicken Curry
- Chicken Shawarma
- Arroz Caldoso de Pollo (Soupy Rice with Chicken)
- Pollo en Pepitoria (Chicken Braised in Saffron, Almond, and Egg Yolk Sauce)
- Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon, and Fennel
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Chakhokhbili (Georgian Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Herbs)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or more as needed
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound onions (about 3 medium/large) peeled, halved and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons adjika (spicy Georgian pepper paste), mild pepper paste, or hot pepper paste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon crushed Aleppo chili pepper
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with liquid
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat half the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add half the chicken to the pan, browning the pieces all over, but not cooking all the way through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining half of the chicken. Set aside.
- Add the remaining oil, add the onions and season with salt. Lower the heat to medium, stir the onions well, and cover the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, occasionally removing the cover and stirring the onions. This will allow them to sweat and soften. Once they have softened a bit, remove the cover and keep stirring them, scraping the browned fond from the bottom of the pan, until they are tender, another 10 minutes or so.
- Then add the garlic, tomato paste, adjika if using, and Aleppo pepper. Stir well, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes. Raise the heat until the mixture comes up to a gentle boil. Season with salt, and add the chicken back into the pan with any accumulated juices. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cover the pan. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes or slightly longer if using thighs (internal temperature using an instant read thermometer should be 165°F). Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Stir in the cilantro and serve with white rice, crusty bread or flatbread.
Notes
- Chakhokhbili is most traditionally made with a whole chicken cut into pieces with the skin left on. To simplify and lighten up this Georgian chicken stew recipe, I use boneless chicken cut into smaller pieces. You can make it with breasts, tenders, or thighs. Of course you can also use bone-in chicken pieces, but just plan to cook your chakhokhbili a bit longer to ensure the meat is cooked through.
- Although some people use chopped fresh tomatoes, I prefer using canned tomatoes not only for their convenience but for their intense tomato flavor. Fresh tomatoes have a higher water content and tend to fall apart a lot when cooked, whereas canned diced tomatoes are still juicy, but hold their shape and provide more texture and flavor in this stew. I've tried this recipe using smoother crushed tomatoes and chunkier canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Although both are delicious the diced tomatoes provide some nice additional texture which we prefer overall.
- This recipe comfortably makes 4 servings but can easily serve up to 6 people if served with a generous side of starch, like a big scoop of rice or a few big chunks of bread.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Dionysos Sotirios says
Great recipe! Thank you.