Name: Georgian Kuchmachi: Chicken Offal with Walnut, Herbs and Pomegranate
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 350 g chicken hearts, trimmed; halve very large ones; 350 g chicken gizzards, cleaned and halved; 300 g chicken livers, trimmed; halve large lobes; 1.5 L water for simmering, plus up to 500 ml boiling water for top-ups, plus up to 500 ml boiling water for top-ups; 1 g dried bay leaf; 250 g red onion, finely diced; 20 ml neutral vegetable oil; 120 g walnuts, finely ground; 15 g garlic, finely grated; 100 ml reserved warm cooking broth, as needed; 30 ml red-wine vinegar, divided; 4 g ground coriander; 2 g ground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli); 2 g dried summer savory; 1 g ground marigold petals (Imeretian saffron); 2 g ground black pepper; 7 g fine salt, divided; 30 g fresh cilantro leaves, chopped; 80 g pomegranate seeds

A shallow bowl of Georgian kuchmachi made from chopped chicken hearts, gizzards and liver in walnut dressing, with cilantro and pomegranate.

Yield6 shared starter portions

Prep25 minutes

Cook70 minutes

Rest10 minutes

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The dish

About Georgian Kuchmachi: Chicken Offal with Walnut, Herbs and Pomegranate

კუჭმაჭი · 6 servings · Moderate · 1 hour 35 minutes

Kuchmachi is a Georgian dish with many family and regional versions. Recipes use different combinations of pork, beef or poultry organs; some include walnuts, while others leave them out. This edition uses chicken hearts, gizzards and liver with a walnut dressing. It is a measured home version, not a claim that every Georgian cook follows one formula.

The different cuts need different cooking times. Hearts and gizzards simmer first until tender; the liver goes in later so it cooks through without spending an hour in the pot. The chopped offal is warmed with onion and spices, then coated in walnuts loosened with a little broth and sharpened with vinegar.

Serve kuchmachi as one shared starter among several dishes. Cilantro brings a fresh herbal note, and pomegranate seeds add tart, juicy pops against the rich offal and walnuts. The finished mixture can be served warm or at room temperature, but it must be refrigerated promptly if not eaten.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

კუჭმაჭი · 6 servings · Moderate · 1 hour 35 minutes

Offal

350 gchicken hearts, trimmed; halve very large ones
350 gchicken gizzards, cleaned and halved
300 gchicken livers, trimmed; halve large lobes
1.5 Lwater for simmering, plus up to 500 ml boiling water for top-ups, plus up to 500 ml boiling water for top-ups
1 gdried bay leaf

Walnut dressing and finish

250 gred onion, finely diced
20 mlneutral vegetable oil
120 gwalnuts, finely ground
15 ggarlic, finely grated
100 mlreserved warm cooking broth, as needed
30 mlred-wine vinegar, divided
4 gground coriander
2 gground blue fenugreek (utskho suneli)
2 gdried summer savory
1 gground marigold petals (Imeretian saffron)
2 gground black pepper
7 gfine salt, divided
30 gfresh cilantro leaves, chopped
80 gpomegranate seeds

Method

Prepare the giblets safely. Keep raw chicken apart from ready-to-eat food. Pat dry rather than rinsing. Trim and cut as listed. Wash hands, knife, board and sink area thoroughly after handling.
Simmer hearts and gizzards. Put them in the saucepan with 1.5 L water, bay and 3 g salt. Bring to a boil, skim, then partly cover and simmer gently for 40–45 minutes, until a gizzard is easy to pierce. Add a little hot water if the pieces become uncovered.
Cook the liver through. Add liver for about 8–12 minutes, continuing as needed until the thickest pieces are ready to check. Check the largest pieces in several places with a clean thermometer; each must reach 74 °C throughout. Remove the bay. Reserve 100 ml broth, drain the rest, cool the giblets briefly and chop into 1–1.5 cm pieces.
Soften and season. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook onion with the remaining 4 g salt for 8–10 minutes until soft, not browned. Add chopped giblets and cook 4 minutes. Stir in coriander, fenugreek, savory, marigold and pepper; cook 30 seconds.
Dress with walnuts. Mix walnuts, garlic, 20 ml vinegar and 80 ml warm reserved broth into a thick, spoonable dressing. Fold through the warm offal. Add remaining broth a spoonful at a time only if needed. Stir in the remaining 10 ml vinegar and cilantro.
Rest and serve. Rest 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with pomegranate seeds. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Excerpt

Tender chicken hearts and gizzards with safely cooked liver are chopped and folded through a tangy walnut and Georgian-spice dressing, then finished with cilantro and pomegranate.

Practical guidance

Simmer gizzards in extra 10-minute increments if still firm; size affects timing. The liver is added later to keep it tender, but the thermometer reading is essential: poultry giblets must reach 74 °C throughout. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours, keep at 4 °C or below and use within 3–4 days. Reheat throughout to 74 °C, loosening the dressing with a little broth if needed. The recipe contains walnuts. Other documented Kuchmachi versions use pork or young-beef offal, or omit walnuts; those changes need different cooking and nutrition calculations.

Nutrition per serving

Energy: approximately 394 kcal
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Protein: 32 g
Fat: 25 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: 583 mg
Estimate: includes the listed offal, dressing, salt and garnish; bread is excluded. Actual values depend on trimming and broth retained.

Allergens and safety

Contains chicken and walnuts (tree nuts). Check ingredient labels and prevent cross-contact. Keep raw poultry and its utensils separate from ready-to-eat ingredients. Do not rinse raw giblets. Cook the largest chicken liver pieces to at least 74 °C throughout, measured with a food thermometer. Chill leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 74 °C.

To serve

Set out as a shared starter with other Georgian dishes.
Add pomegranate just before serving for a crisp, tart finish.