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Georgian

Chikhirtma

Non-vegetarian

ჩიხირთმა · Chikhirtma

A silky Georgian chicken soup thickened with butter-fried onions, a little flour and egg yolks, sharpened with vinegar and scented with coriander.

Chikhirtma is a Georgian soup, ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, egg yolk and wine vinegar. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 30 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
337

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the chicken with the water, salt and bay, skimming, until tender, about 50 minutes. Lift out the chicken, shred the meat and strain the broth.

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a frying pan and cook the onions (opens in a new tab) slowly until very soft and pale golden. Sprinkle over the flour and coriander and stir for 2 minutes, then whisk (opens in a new tab) in a ladle of broth.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Return the broth to the pot, stir in the onion (opens in a new tab) mixture and the chicken and simmer 5 minutes.

    • 5 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the egg yolks (opens in a new tab) with the vinegar, then whisk in two ladles of the hot broth. Take the pot off the boil and stir the egg mixture in; heat gently, stirring, until the soup thickens slightly and steams — do not boil. Add pepper (opens in a new tab), coriander and garlic (opens in a new tab) and serve.

    Food safety: Heat until steaming (about 75°C) so the yolks are cooked, without boiling.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Georgia · Well documentedMore food from Georgia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
tangy, creamy, savoury, herby
Diet
No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Egg yolk · Wine vinegar · Bay leaves · Butter · Onion
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar

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

337 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 504 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 27%
  • Carbohydrate 8%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy337 kcal67 kcal
Protein22.4 g4.4 g
Carbohydrate6.6 g1.3 g
Net carbohydrate5.7 g1.1 g
Sugars1.6 g0.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.9 g0.2 g
Fat24.1 g4.8 g
Saturated fat8.9 g1.8 g
Trans fat0.3 g0.1 g
Cholesterol188 mg37 mg
Sodium714 mg142 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
284 mg
Calcium
71 mg
Iron
1.6 mg
Magnesium
35 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
125 µg
Vitamin C
5 mg
Vitamin D
0.7 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
36 µg

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: garlic.
  • “—” 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

  • Temper the yolks carefully — added straight into boiling soup they scramble.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the soup boil after the yolks go in — they scramble and the soup turns grainy.

Serve with

  • Serve with Georgian bread (shoti or mchadi).

Food safety

  • The yolks must reach about 72–75 °C (soup steaming and slightly thickened); refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Best freshly made; keeps 1 day chilled.

Reheating

  • Reheat very gently, stirring, without boiling.

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

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, 2, 4

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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