Name: Megrelian Ajika Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 70 g red sweet pepper, stem and seeds removed, roughly chopped; 8 g fresh red chilli, stem removed; retain seeds for medium heat; 8 g garlic cloves, peeled; 4 g fine salt; 3 g fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped; 2 g fresh parsley, roughly chopped; 1 g ground coriander; 0.5 g ground blue fenugreek; 10 g sunflower oil; 1,000 g boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, about 4 evenly thick pieces; raw; 5 g sunflower oil for the roasting rack and tray

Wide platter of ajika-roasted chicken thighs, one opened to show moist meat, with bread at the edge of the wooden table.

YieldAbout 850 g cooked chicken; 4 portions of approximately 210 g

Serving basis1/4 of the recipe; sides excluded

DifficultyModerate

Dietary classificationPoultry-based; no major allergens in the measured ingredients; check package cross-contact statements

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The dish

About Megrelian Ajika Chicken

Roasted chicken thighs with a fresh Samegrelo-style chilli and herb paste

Boneless chicken thighs roast under a coarse, freshly mixed ajika paste made with sweet pepper, chilli, garlic, herbs and Georgian spices. This measured home version is designed for immediate cooking; its quantities are not a canonical regional formula, and the fresh paste is not shelf-stable ajika.

Ajika is a strongly seasoned pepper paste associated with western Georgia, especially Samegrelo and Abkhazia. Its ingredients and heat vary by household and by version; pepper, garlic, salt and spices form the core, while herbs, nuts or seeds may appear in particular preparations. Regional sources record ajika with meat and specifically note its use in chicken dishes. This recipe uses those defining flavors as a coating for roasted chicken, but the exact proportions and oven method are a practical home interpretation rather than a documented, exclusive formula.

The paste is mixed fresh from red sweet pepper, red chilli, garlic, salt, coriander leaf, parsley, ground coriander and blue fenugreek. It has a coarse, moist texture that clings to the chicken. The sweet pepper rounds the heat, while chilli seeds are retained for a medium-hot result. For a milder paste, remove the chilli seeds; keep the chilli weight unchanged so the paste ratio stays consistent. For less heat and aroma overall, replace the chilli with an equal weight of sweet red pepper.

This is not chicken tabaka, which is typically flattened and cooked under a weight, and it is not chakhokhbili, a separate chicken stew. It is a simple roasted preparation built around Megrelian-style ajika. Because the paste is fresh and uncured, make it just before use, refrigerate the coated chicken during its short marination, and cook it promptly. Do not treat the quick-use paste as a preserved condiment.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Roasted chicken thighs with a fresh Samegrelo-style chilli and herb paste

For the ajika paste

70 gred sweet pepper, stem and seeds removed, roughly chopped
8 gfresh red chilli, stem removed; retain seeds for medium heat
8 ggarlic cloves, peeled
4 gfine salt
3 gfresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 gfresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 gground coriander
0.5 gground blue fenugreek
10 gsunflower oil

For the chicken

1,000 gboneless, skin-on chicken thighs, about 4 evenly thick pieces; raw
5 gsunflower oil for the roasting rack and tray

Method

Make the fresh ajika. Wearing food-safe gloves, pulse the sweet pepper, chilli, garlic, salt, coriander leaves, parsley, ground coriander and blue fenugreek in a food processor or crush them in a mortar until they form a coarse, moist paste. Stir in 10 g sunflower oil. Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, while handling chilli; wash your hands and tools well afterward.
Coat and chill the chicken. Pat the thighs dry with disposable paper towel; do not rinse raw poultry. Spread the ajika over all sides, including under loose skin where possible. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Keep raw chicken away from ready-to-eat foods and do not leave it on the counter to marinate.
Heat the oven. Set a rack in the centre of the oven and heat to 210 °C conventional or 190 °C fan. Lightly brush a wire rack set over a rimmed roasting tray with the remaining 5 g oil. Arrange the thighs skin side up with space between them.
Roast until safely cooked. Roast for about 30–35 minutes, until the ajika is fragrant and browned in spots and the juices run clear. These are appearance cues only. Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of every thigh, avoiding the tray; each must reach at least 74 °C. If any piece is below that temperature, return it to the oven and check again after a few minutes.
Rest and serve. Transfer the cooked thighs to a clean platter and rest for 5 minutes. Discard any ajika or liquid that has touched raw chicken; never serve it as a cold sauce. Serve the chicken hot with ghomi, plain bread or vegetables if desired.

Practical guidance

Success points

Pat the chicken dry instead of rinsing it. A dry surface helps the skin brown and avoids splashing raw poultry juices around the sink.
Pulse the ajika only until coarse and spoonable. A completely smooth paste can turn watery and slide off the thighs.
Roast the thighs skin side up on a rack, leaving space between them so hot air can circulate.
The browned surface is a quality cue, not a safety test. Check the thickest part of each thigh with a food thermometer; every piece must reach at least 74 °C.

Practical guidance

The thighs should be close in thickness so they finish together. If one piece is much thicker, start checking it first and continue cooking until it reaches 74 °C. The chilli's pungency varies, so removing seeds softens the paste without changing its measured mass. Use gloves to handle fresh chilli, and wash the cutting board, processor bowl, knife and hands with hot soapy water after preparing the paste and raw poultry.

The 30-minute marination is enough for the fresh paste to adhere and season the outside; longer is unnecessary for this version. If you need to delay cooking, keep the covered chicken refrigerated and cook it within a day. For crispier skin, make sure the surface is dry before adding the paste and avoid crowding the tray. The fresh pepper coating softens as it roasts, so this recipe does not aim for the dry, crisp surface of pressed tabaka.

Serve the chicken soon after its short rest. Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours, at or below 4 °C, and use within 3–4 days. Reheat once until steaming throughout and at least 74 °C in the centre of the thickest piece. Do not save leftover raw paste that has contacted chicken; any clean, untouched paste should be used immediately rather than stored as a preserve.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1/4 recipe, approximately 210 g cooked chicken with ajika
Calories: About 515 kcal
Carbohydrate: About 2 g
Protein: About 43 g
Fat: About 37 g
Fibre: About 0.5 g
Sodium: About 555 mg

Approximate values calculated from 1,000 g chicken thighs, all measured paste ingredients, 15 g oil and 4 g added salt, divided into 4 portions. Generic food-composition values for raw boneless, skin-on chicken thigh and raw vegetable composition values were used. Spice contributions are omitted. The actual chicken label, rendered fat, paste left on the tray and final cooked yield can change the result.

Allergens and food safety

The measured ingredients contain no major allergens, but check the chicken and spice-package labels for added ingredients or cross-contact notices. Keep raw poultry and the fresh paste separate from ready-to-eat food. Cook every thigh to at least 74 °C, measured in its thickest part. Refrigerate marinating chicken and leftovers promptly; discard raw paste that has contacted chicken, refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4 °C, and reheat to 74 °C throughout.

At the table

Serve the hot ajika-coated thighs with ghomi or bread to balance the pepper's heat; keep sides separate from the measured recipe.
Put a clean spoon beside any unused, uncontaminated paste and use it immediately; never return a spoon that touched raw chicken to the paste bowl.

About Megrelian Ajika Chicken

Ingredients

For the ajika paste

For the chicken

Method

Success points

Practical guidance

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

At the table

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