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Georgian

Satsivi

Non-vegetarian

საცივი · Satsivi

Poached chicken served cold in a thick, ivory walnut sauce scented with garlic, fenugreek, coriander and a touch of vinegar. The essential Georgian New Year dish.

Satsivi is a Georgian main course, ready in about 4 hours 20 minutes and made with chicken thigh and walnuts. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h
Rest
3 h
Total
4 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
494

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Poach the chicken in the water with half the salt until cooked, about 35 minutes. Lift out, keep 600 ml of the broth and cut the meat into pieces (skin and bones off if you like).

    Food safety: Poultry must reach 74 °C; chill the cooked chicken within 2 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Soften the onion (opens in a new tab) in the butter (opens in a new tab) without browning.

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

  3. Step 3

    Blitz the walnuts (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) to a fine, oily paste, then blend in the onion (opens in a new tab) and the spices. Gradually blend in warm broth until the sauce is like thick cream.

  4. Step 4

    Simmer the sauce very gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring, then add the vinegar and remaining salt. It thickens as it cools.

    • 10 min
    • low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Pour the sauce over the chicken, cool, then chill for at least 3 hours. Serve cold, scattered with cilantro (opens in a new tab) and pomegranate seeds (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min

About this dish

Origin
Georgia · Well documentedMore food from Georgia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Poached, Simmered, Blended
Taste
nutty, rich, garlicky, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chicken thigh · Walnuts · Garlic · Onion · Butter · Ground coriander
Techniques
Simmering · Poaching · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Tree nutsfrom walnuts
  • 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

494 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 474 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 29%
  • Carbohydrate 7%
  • Fat 64%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy494 kcal104 kcal
Protein36.4 g7.7 g
Carbohydrate9.1 g1.9 g
Net carbohydrate5.5 g1.2 g
Sugars1.9 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.6 g0.7 g
Fat36.2 g7.6 g
Saturated fat5.9 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol148 mg31 mg
Sodium755 mg159 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
601 mg
Calcium
92 mg
Iron
2.9 mg
Magnesium
111 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
35 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
51 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: coriander leaves, pomegranate.
  • “—” 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

  • Squeezing the ground walnuts through a cloth to release a little oil to drizzle on top is a traditional finish.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the walnut sauce hard can make it split and turn grainy.

Serve with

  • Serve with ghomi (cornmeal porridge) or mchadi cornbread and fresh bread.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge — it improves overnight.

Reheating

  • Served cold; do not reheat.

Variations

  • Eggplant satsivi: Fried eggplant slices covered with the same walnut sauce, for fasting days.

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, 5

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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