Chakhokhbili Georgian Dish

Preparation of whole chicken:
Wash the whole chicken, pat it dry, and cut it into small pieces using a sharp knife.
Marinate it for 2-3 hours, or preferably overnight. (15 grams or 1.5 teaspoons of coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of hot paprika).

Heat a deep skillet over high heat, add olive oil and place the chicken pieces in it.
Browned them for 3 minutes on each side to evenly brown the surface.
Cook the chicken in batches, in a single layer, until all the chicken is browned.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.

Now let's prep the onions:
Peel and finely dice the onions. Sauté them in the same oil (drain excess oil if there is too much) until golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the onions covered for about 15 minutes. Until tender

Remove the cover, add the tomato paste, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Then add the tomato puree and mix well. I recommend buying whole peeled tomatoes and gently crushing them by hand or Passata Tomato Puree.

Then add all the spices from the list: dried basil, ground coriander, sugar, salt, black pepper, (fenugreek or Utskho Sunely or Khmeli Suneli or totally skip) and sweet paprika.
Mix everything, taste to adjust for seasoning if needed.
Then carefully add all the chicken and any juices that have accumulated, mixing everything gently.

Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the chicken over low heat for 30-40 minutes.

Remove the lid, add finely chopped garlic and cilantro.
Gently mix everything, cover again, Cook for another five minutes or so, just for the flavours to come together a bit more.

Turn off the heat, let it sit covered for a while, and it's ready to be served for dinner, lunch, or a special family gathering.
You can sprinkle additional herbs on top.
You will receive many compliments on that dish!
Serve it hot with crunchy bread, or with mush potatoes.
Special tasty on second day, as you can prepared ahead of time.