Georgian Main

Satsivi

Satsivi is cold Georgian chicken in a velvety walnut-garlic sauce seasoned with coriander, fenugreek and warm spice. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

Jump to recipe More Georgian food
35 minsPrep time
55 minsCook time
Serves 6Servings
MediumDifficulty
Satsivi
About this dish

Satsivi: the story on the plate

Satsivi is a Georgian main with a clear sense of place. Satsivi refers both to a walnut sauce and to dishes served in it, most famously poultry. It is strongly associated with Georgian New Year and festive winter tables. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Satsivi refers both to a walnut sauce and to dishes served in it, most famously poultry. It is strongly associated with Georgian New Year and festive winter tables.

Why it is famous

Serving the dish cold allows the walnut sauce to set around the chicken, making it part of a make-ahead feast rather than a last-minute main.

Cultural significance

Serving the dish cold allows the walnut sauce to set around the chicken, making it part of a make-ahead feast rather than a last-minute main.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

690Calories
42gProtein
16gCarbs
52gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 1600 whole chicken
  • 1800 water
  • 180 onion, halved
  • 400 Walnuts
  • 25 Garlic
  • 2 ground coriander
  • 1.5 blue fenugreek
  • 0.25 ground cinnamon
  • 0.125 ground cloves
  • 30 wine vinegar
  • 2 fine salt
  • 1 paprika or mild chilli
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Poach the chicken gently with the halved onion in water for 40–45 minutes until cooked. Lift it out, cool and strain the broth; skim excess fat but keep the broth warm.
  2. Remove chicken meat from the bones in generous pieces. Reserve 700 ml broth for the sauce and save the remainder for another dish.
  3. Grind walnuts with garlic, coriander, blue fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, paprika and salt until very fine. Work in warm broth gradually to make a thick, smooth sauce.
  4. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat very gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring constantly. It should thicken slightly but must not boil aggressively or the walnut oil may split.
  5. Stir in vinegar, taste for salt and cool until just warm. Place the chicken in a serving dish and pour the walnut sauce over it, ensuring every piece is coated.
  6. Chill for several hours or overnight. Bring towards cool room temperature before serving so the walnut aroma is not muted by fridge cold.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

If sulguni is unavailable, blend low-moisture mozzarella with feta for stretch plus tang. Fresh coriander and tarragon matter; stale dried herbs will not recreate the brightness of Georgian food. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Satsivi, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of whole chicken, water, onion, walnuts; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Boiling the walnut sauce hard can make it oily; coarse grinding feels gritty; serving straight from the fridge suppresses aroma.

Chef’s tips

Add broth gradually. It is easier to loosen an overly thick walnut paste than to recover a watery sauce.

How to know it is cooked

The sauce is smooth enough to coat chicken thickly and holds a soft trail from the spoon when cool.

Plating advice

Spread chicken in one layer and cover generously with sauce, smoothing the surface before garnishing.

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