Georgian Chicken with Herbs and Tomatoes - Chakhokbili

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 chicken (4 1/2 pounds), cut into 12 to 16 pieces, well rinsed and patted dry

6 cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press

3 large onions, coarsely chopped

10 fresh, ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and quartered

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus additional for garnish

5 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

5 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

8 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions:

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven. Add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, and brown on all sides over medium heat. Replace all the chicken in the Dutch oven. Stir the garlic and onions into the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover tightly, and cook without stirring for 15 minutes. The chicken will release quite a lot of juice. Add the tomatoes, wine, l/4 cup lemon juice, half the herbs, all the peppercorns, the bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in the rest of the herbs and simmer for 10 minutes more. Taste and correct the seasoning. Remove the bay leaf. Sprinkle with fresh basil, and serve at once.

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