Shkmeruli

Shkmeruli hails from the village of Shkmeri in the Racha region of Georgia, where it was traditionally prepared in a shallow clay pot called a ketsi. The combination of a whole spatchcocked chicken, roasted until crackle-skinned, then simmered in an intensely garlicky milk sauce is unusual but wholly addictive — a dish that has become a modern Georgian culinary icon.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.4kg (3 lb), spatchcocked (backbone removed, flattened)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp (30ml) sunflower or neutral oil
• Garlic milk sauce:
• 10 large garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed to a paste
• 350ml (1½ cups) whole milk
• 80ml (⅓ cup) double cream (heavy cream)
• 30g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• ½ tsp salt
• Pinch of white pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F / Gas 7). Pat the spatchcocked chicken very dry. Rub all over with oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat an oven-safe skillet over high heat until smoking. Place the chicken skin-side down and sear for 4–5 minutes until the skin is deep golden and releasing fat. Flip briefly for 1 minute.
3. Transfer the skillet to the oven, skin-side up, and roast for 22–25 minutes until the juices run clear at the thigh joint.
4. While the chicken roasts, prepare the sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes until soft and fragrant but not browned. Pour in milk and cream, add salt and white pepper, and bring just to a gentle simmer. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Pour off excess fat from the skillet. Pour the garlic milk sauce directly into the hot skillet with the pan juices and stir to combine.
6. Return chicken to the skillet, skin-side up, spooning sauce over it. Serve immediately from the pan.

Cook's Notes: The milk sauce will look thin before it hits the hot pan juices — it thickens on contact and gains enormous depth. Georgians often use a flat clay ketsi dish instead of a skillet; any wide shallow oven-to-table vessel works well. Accompany with crusty white bread to mop up every drop of sauce.