Satsivi: Georgian Chicken with Walnut Sauce. Delicious, wholesome, easy and flavorful 20 minutes dinner recipe. Comforting, aromatic and healthy dish.
Happy New Year, my dear readers! Want to start eating healthy after holidays? I have my mother’s speciality for you today. Meet Satsivi: Georgian Chicken with Walnut Sauce. My mom is not Georgian, but she has mastered this dish to perfection. Satsivi was my favorite savory dish, although I was quite a picky eater as a child. It’s well-loved on the post-Soviet space as it’s delicious, easy and healthy. It’s one of many pearls of Georgian cuisine, which includes Eggplant Rolls with Walnuts and Tkemali Sauce. I gave an even more healthy spin to this dish so that you can have it for dinner without worrying about the calories. We’ve all been there: holidays, a lot of unhealthy food, feeling guilty about eating it… For those of you who put clean eating in your New Year’s resolutions, here are the principles you might want to comply with:
- Eating clean is not a diet but rather a healthy lifestyle. Include more whole food in your diet and cut processed food. Drink more water, less alcohol and sweet soft drinks. Get enough sleep and exercise. Be mindful about what you eat. These are easy but very powerful tips. It’s still OK to eat a piece of cake from time to time and it shouldn’t make you feel guilty. Life is about balance and healthy eating is no exception. Eat reasonable portions and don’t have dinner at 3 am. It can’t go wrong if you use common sense.
- Don’t avoid salt, seasoning, fat, protein and carbs. They will make you feel full longer and help to built your muscles and regenerate your skin. Avocado, salmon, nuts, spices, vegetable oil and butter are actually good for you! The most important thing is moderation.
- Cook at home as often as possible. It’s the best thing you can do to yourself, as you completely control what you eat. Buy fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, fish, poultry, meat, whole grains and other food that hasn’t been processed. It’s OK to eat lightly processed food like pasta, cheese or oil. Remember that the main rule is moderation.
- It takes time to switch your lifestyle and be mindful about what you eat. I don’t say it’s easy but it’s definitely possible for everyone to do. And when to begin if not in January?
Start with this healthy and wholesome dinner recipe of a famous Georgian chicken with walnuts (satsivi). It’s a perfect comfort food that will make you warm and cozy on cold winter evenings. It takes just 20 minutes to make it if you’ve made chicken stock in advance!
Satsivi: Georgian Chicken with Walnut Sauce
Ingredients
- 300 grams or 10 oz brown or wild rice
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 chicken breasts boiled and diced
- 1 teaspoon khmeli suneli seasoning see the recipe in my post
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground turmeric or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3 cloves ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 4 threads saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- salt
- 200 ml or 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons tahini paste optional
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 300 grams or 10 oz kale
Instructions
- Boil rice according to instructions on the package. Drain.
- In the meantime, ground walnuts using a food processor or an immersion blender.
- Add minced garlic, khmeli suneli, tarragon, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, saffron, black pepper and a pinch of salt. Pour about 1/4 cup chicken broth, tahini paste (optional) and white wine vinegar and mix well.
- In a pot, heat the remaining chicken broth over medium heat and gradually add the walnut mixture once the broth is warm, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, add diced chicken breasts and cook for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat stirring occasionally.
- In the meantime, roughly chop kale and sprinkle with 1-2 pinches of salt. Knead kale for a minute until it's soft and dark.
- Serve satsivi over layers of kale and rice and season to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
P.S. Check other Georgian dishes from my blog:
Georgian Eggplant Rolls with Walnuts
Tkemali – Georgian Plum Sauce & Khmeli Suneli Seasoning Recipe
Greetings,
Elena
Pamela Long
Sunday 17th of November 2019
We visited Kutaisi in Georgia last year and whilst there I tried chicken Satsivi and it was absolutely delicious ,a dish that you savour every fork full . This dish though was spicy, not too hot .What spice would you suggest I add to to make your recipe slightly hotter?!!
adina
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
I am totally cooking this! I have an obsession with Georgia lately, I would really love to travel there. Most people think I'm weird, because most of them have barely even heard of it, but I find it fascinating. I will start by cooking its food. :)
Elena Szeliga
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
I can understand your obsession. Georgian food is amazing! I will be posting more of it soon! :) Thank you for the comment, Adina!