Tkemali Nakhshirebi

This Georgian preparation takes the country's iconic tkemali (wild sour plum sauce) and uses it as both a marinade and finishing glaze for chicken cooked over smoldering vine cuttings — the preferred fuel of Georgian mountain cooks who prize the subtle resinous smoke it imparts. The dish exemplifies Georgian cuisine's genius for balancing fruit acidity, fresh herbs, and fire.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) bone-in chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
• 5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• 5 g (1 tsp) smoked paprika

Tkemali Marinade / Glaze

• 400 g (14 oz) fresh sour plums (yellow or red) OR 200 g (7 oz) good-quality sour plum jam thinned with lemon juice
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) white wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 g (2 tsp) fresh dill, finely chopped
• 10 g (2 tsp) fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
• 5 g (1 tsp) dried summer savory (kondari)
• 3 g (½ tsp) ground coriander seed
• 2 g (¼ tsp) cayenne pepper
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) water

Instructions

1. If using fresh plums: halve and pit them, simmer with 30 ml water for 15 minutes until collapsed, then press through a sieve. Stir in vinegar, garlic, fresh herbs, savory, ground coriander, and cayenne. Season with salt.
2. Reserve half the tkemali as a serving sauce. Use the other half to marinate chicken pieces for at least 2 hours (overnight preferred) in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare a charcoal or wood fire and let it burn down to glowing embers with a light smoke — vine cuttings, cherry wood, or apple wood are excellent. Target 180–200 °C (350–390 °F) grill temperature.
4. Remove chicken from marinade, pat lightly, and season with salt and smoked paprika. Grill skin-side down for 10 minutes without moving to build good char marks.
5. Flip and grill 8–10 more minutes. Brush reserved tkemali glaze over the skin during the final 3 minutes of cooking. Internal temperature should reach 74 °C (165 °F).
6. Rest 5 minutes. Serve with remaining tkemali sauce, fresh herbs, and lavash bread.

Cook's Notes: Georgian tkemali plums (Prunus cerasifera) are tart cherry-plums; damson plums or unripe greengage plums make the closest substitutes. The sauce should be mouth-puckeringly sour — sweeten only if necessary. Kondari (Georgian summer savory) is the authentic herb; regular savory or a mix of thyme and tarragon approximates it. This dish is wonderful at room temperature the next day packed into lavash for lunch.