Satsivi means 'served cold' — chicken is boiled and bathed in a luxurious sauce made from ground walnuts, marigold (Imeretian "saffron"), blue fenugreek, garlic, and vinegar. The dish needs to rest overnight for flavors to meld. It's the Georgian cold-weather centerpiece, served at Christmas and New Year tables across western Georgia.
Cold poached chicken under a beige walnut paste that's set almost to custard — vinegar bright on the tongue, then coriander and garlic, then the long fatty walnut finish. Always eaten cold; warming destroys the texture.
Pounded walnuts release oil that emulsifies with chicken broth as the sauce cools, setting into a custard-like layer. Vinegar drops the pH enough to keep garlic and coriander sharp; reheating breaks the emulsion irreversibly.
Variations
Imeretian satsivi uses turkey instead of chicken — denser meat, richer sauce, the Christmas table version; the Mingrelian chicken version is the year-round one.
On the Palate
Where Satsivi sits in the Georgian flavor cloud
Pound the walnuts until they weep oil, then whisk that oil into the warm broth so it emulsifies and sets like a custard as it cools — and never reheat, because heat breaks the emulsion for good.
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
5 steps · 48 min active + 1 hour 12 min waiting
- 124 min
Boil 1 whole chicken (1.5kg) in salted water with 1 onion and 1 bay leaf 50 min until tender. Reserve 500ml broth.
- 224 min
Cool chicken; cut into 8 pieces. Arrange in a shallow dish.
- 324 min
Grind 400g walnuts with 8 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground saffron-marigold (or turmeric), 1 tsp blue fenugreek, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp cayenne in a food processor.
Watch outGrind the walnuts long enough that the paste glistens with released oil, not dry crumbs.
- 424 min
Whisk the walnut mixture with the reserved chicken broth and 60ml white wine vinegar until smooth. Simmer in a pan 5 min until thickened to gravy consistency.
Watch outWhisk the walnut paste and broth smooth, then simmer only until it thickens to a gravy that coats a spoon.
- 524 min
Pour the warm sauce over the chicken, ensuring full coverage. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. Serve cold with cilantro garnish.
Watch outCoat the chicken fully and chill it long and cold; the flavors need overnight to meld and the sauce to set.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
