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Georgian

Chakhapuli

Non-vegetarian

ჩაქაფული · Chakhapuli

A bright spring stew of lamb braised with white wine, a big bunch of tarragon, green herbs and sour green plums. Eaten around Easter, when tarragon and young lamb are at their best.

Chakhapuli is a Georgian stew, ready in about 1 hour 50 minutes and made with lamb shoulder, tarragon (fresh) and plum. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 30 min
Total
1 h 50 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
637

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the lamb in a heavy pot with the wine and water. Bring to a simmer, skim, cover and cook gently for 45 minutes.

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw meat.

  2. Step 2

    Add the spring onions (opens in a new tab), half the tarragon (opens in a new tab), the cilantro (opens in a new tab) and dill (opens in a new tab) and the salt. Stir, cover and simmer 25 minutes more.

    • 25 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Add the plums (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and chilli and cook until the plums soften and the lamb is very tender, about 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the remaining tarragon (opens in a new tab) off the heat until just wilted and fragrant, and serve in deep bowls.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Georgia · Well documentedMore food from Georgia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Braised, Stewed
Taste
herby, sour, fresh, savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Lamb shoulder · Tarragon (fresh) · Plum · Dry white wine · Spring onion · Coriander leaves
Techniques
Simmering · Braising · Stewing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Sulphitesfrom dry white wine

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

637 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 413 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 9%
  • Fat 68%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy637 kcal154 kcal
Protein34.1 g8.2 g
Carbohydrate13.9 g3.4 g
Net carbohydrate11.9 g2.9 g
Sugars8.9 g2.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.1 g0.5 g
Fat46.2 g11.2 g
Saturated fat19.7 g4.8 g
Trans fat2.3 g0.6 g
Cholesterol120 mg29 mg
Sodium1072 mg259 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
833 mg
Calcium
84 mg
Iron
3.3 mg
Magnesium
61 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
114 µg
Vitamin C
18 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
3.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: green chilli.
  • Tarragon (fresh): USDA SR Legacy has only dried tarragon; fresh basil is used as a nutritionally similar fresh-herb stand-in.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Adding half the tarragon at the end keeps its fresh anise flavour.

Common mistakes

  • Browning the lamb first — chakhapuli is a pale, green stew; the meat goes straight into the wine.

Serve with

  • Serve with Georgian bread (shoti or mchadi) to mop up the green broth.

Food safety

  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat until piping hot.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until piping hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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