Satsivi
Satsivi is served cold, and that is part of the recipe rather than a quirk: chilled, the walnut oil sets and the sauce thickens to a cream. The more important rule comes earlier — once the walnuts go into the broth, the sauce never boils. Boiling splits out the oil and leaves a greasy film on top.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 1 h
- Rest
- 8 h
- Total
- 9 h 40 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 520 kcal
Ingredients
The chicken
Satsivi sauce
Makes: 8 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Poach the chicken
Cover it with cold water, bring to the boil, skim, then add the whole onion, bay and salt. Simmer 40 minutes until tender.
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Step 2: Brown the pieces
Lift them out, pat dry and roast at 200 °C for 15 minutes. Optional, but it gives satsivi noticeably more depth.
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Step 3: Grind the walnuts
Put them through a mincer twice or blitz them to a damp paste. A good paste glistens slightly — that released walnut oil is what thickens the sauce.
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Step 4: Sweat the onion
Cook the onion in oil for 12–15 minutes until completely soft without colouring. Browned onion darkens the sauce, and satsivi should stay pale cream.
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Step 5: Loosen the walnuts with broth
Mix the walnut paste with the garlic and spices and add hot but not boiling broth in stages, working it smooth to the thickness of pouring cream.
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Step 6: Warm without boiling
Combine the sauce with the onion and hold it over the lowest heat for 10 minutes, stirring. Not one bubble: a boiled sauce splits and separates.
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Step 7: Pour over the chicken
Add the vinegar, check the salt and pour the sauce over the chicken pieces so they are completely covered.
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Step 8: Chill overnight
Refrigerate at least 8 hours. Satsivi is eaten cold: overnight the sauce sets and the spices spread evenly through it.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Imeretian saffron is dried marigold, not saffron. It gives satsivi its yellow colour and characteristic scent; real saffron does not work here.
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Tip
The walnuts must be fresh. Rancid nuts are detectable in any quantity, and here there are five hundred grams of them.
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Variation
For New Year in Georgia satsivi is made with turkey — richer in flavour, with the poaching extended to an hour and a half.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge, and best on day two. Do not reheat: the dish is meant to be cold, and warmth splits the sauce.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 520 kcal | 4,160 kcal |
| Protein | 30 g | 240 g |
| Fat | 42 g | 336 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8 g | 64 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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