Name: Satsivi
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 5 h 45 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 1.5 kg skinless bone-in chicken thighs, loose fat trimmed; 3 L cold water, for poaching; reserve 600 mL of the strained broth for the sauce; 250 g yellow onion, finely diced; 15 mL neutral sunflower oil; 300 g shelled walnuts, fresh and finely ground; 20 g garlic, about 6 cloves, finely grated or crushed; 3 g ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli); 4 g ground coriander; 2 g ground dried Tagetes petals (Imeretian saffron); 1 g ground black pepper; 0.5 g mild ground red pepper; 0.5 g ground cinnamon; 0.2 g ground cloves; 600 mL strained chicken broth, reserved from poaching; warm before use and hold a little back to adjust the sauce; 7 g fine salt, added gradually to taste; 30 mL white wine vinegar; 15 mL walnut oil

Wide platter of chicken satsivi in walnut sauce on a rustic table

Yield6 servings

Serving basis1 of 6 equal portions of chicken and walnut sauce

DifficultyIntermediate

Dietary classificationContains chicken and walnuts (tree nuts)

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The dish

About Satsivi

Satsivi is a Georgian poultry dish served in a thick, warmly spiced walnut sauce. This home version uses tender chicken thighs, onion, garlic, blue fenugreek, coriander, and a little white wine vinegar. It is chilled before serving, when the sauce firms around the chicken.

Satsivi is made across Georgia, especially for the New Year table. Poultry and walnuts anchor the dish, while each family and region balances its spices and acidity differently. This version uses chicken thighs in a pale, thick walnut sauce and makes no claim to a single universal formula.

The chicken is gently poached so its broth can loosen the walnut paste. Finely diced onion softens in a little sunflower oil, then garlic, blue fenugreek, coriander, dried Tagetes petals, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves perfume the sauce. White wine vinegar goes in at the end, with walnut oil for a rounded finish.

Chill the finished dish for at least four hours; overnight is convenient and lets the sauce settle. The walnut mixture thickens in the refrigerator, so reserve a little broth to adjust it before serving. Keep the chicken chilled until it reaches the table, and serve plain bread or mchadi alongside if you like.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Satsivi: Georgian Chicken in Cold Walnut Sauce

Chicken and poaching liquid

1.5 kgskinless bone-in chicken thighs, loose fat trimmed
3 Lcold water, for poaching; reserve 600 mL of the strained broth for the sauce

Walnut sauce

250 gyellow onion, finely diced
15 mLneutral sunflower oil
300 gshelled walnuts, fresh and finely ground
20 ggarlic, about 6 cloves, finely grated or crushed
3 gground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)
4 gground coriander
2 gground dried Tagetes petals (Imeretian saffron)
1 gground black pepper
0.5 gmild ground red pepper
0.5 gground cinnamon
0.2 gground cloves
600 mLstrained chicken broth, reserved from poaching; warm before use and hold a little back to adjust the sauce
7 gfine salt, added gradually to taste
30 mLwhite wine vinegar
15 mLwalnut oil

Method

Prepare the sauce ingredients. Keep the raw chicken refrigerated while you finely dice the onion, crush or grate the garlic, and grind the walnuts to a fine meal. Avoid processing them into walnut butter. Measure the spices and set them beside the stove.
Poach the chicken. Put the thighs in a large pot and add the cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skimming any foam. Lower the heat and cook until the thickest pieces reach at least 74 °C; this usually takes about 55 minutes from the start, depending on their size.
Strain and reserve broth. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean tray. Strain the broth and measure 600 mL for the sauce. Let the chicken cool just enough to handle, then remove the bones and cut the meat into generous pieces; keep it covered while you make the sauce.
Soften the onion and add aromatics. Warm the sunflower oil in a wide saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the onion for about 8 minutes until soft and translucent, without browning. Add the garlic, blue fenugreek, coriander, Tagetes petals, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; stir over low heat for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Make the walnut sauce. Stir in the ground walnuts. Gradually whisk in about 500 mL of warm broth, adding more as needed until the sauce is smooth and coats a spoon. Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 9 minutes, stirring often; do not let it boil hard. Keep a little broth aside for adjustment after chilling.
Finish the chicken and sauce. Fold in the chicken and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vinegar and walnut oil, then add the salt gradually and taste. The sauce should be savory, gently tangy, and thick enough to cling to the chicken.
Cool and chill. Divide the satsivi among shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below. Chill for at least 4 hours, until cold and set; overnight works well.
Serve cold. If the sauce has thickened too much, stir in a little of the reserved cold broth. Arrange the chicken and sauce on a clean platter and serve chilled.

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Serve satsivi cold or cool with plain Georgian bread or mchadi. Pomegranate seeds may be offered separately, but they are not included in the measured recipe or nutrition estimate.

Make the dish a day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator at 4 °C or below. Use within 3–4 days. If you choose to serve a leftover portion hot, reheat it to 74 °C; avoid repeated cooling and reheating.

Freezing is not recommended for the best walnut-sauce texture, as the sauce can separate after thawing. Turkey is a documented alternative to chicken; use pieces of a similar size and check that the thickest parts reach 74 °C. Walnuts and blue fenugreek give this version its defining flavor, so changing them produces a different dish.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 6 equal portions, with one-sixth of the chicken and walnut sauce
Calories: 600 kcal
Carbohydrate: 12 g
Protein: 42 g
Fat: 44 g
Fibre: 4 g
Sodium: 620 mg

Allergens and food safety

This recipe contains walnuts, a tree nut. Keep the walnuts and prepared sauce away from foods for anyone with a walnut or tree-nut allergy. Bread and mchadi are optional and should be checked separately for their ingredients. Keep raw chicken and its juices separate from the ready-to-eat sauce ingredients and clean equipment.

Cook the thickest chicken pieces to at least 74 °C, measured with an instant-read thermometer. Divide the finished dish into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below. Use within 3–4 days; reheat leftovers to 74 °C if serving hot.

Closing

This chilled Satsivi serves six with tender chicken in a smooth walnut, garlic, and spice sauce.
Add the warm broth gradually, season with vinegar at the end, and chill the finished dish until the sauce sets.

About Satsivi

Ingredients

Chicken and poaching liquid

Walnut sauce

Method

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Closing

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Georgian Kababi

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