Chicken tabaka

Chicken tabaka (წიწილა ტაბაკა tsitsila tabaka) or chicken tapaka (წიწილა ტაფაკა tsitsila tapaka) is a traditional Georgian dish of a pan-fried chicken which is also popular in other Caucasian cuisines. It also became a common restaurant dish in the Soviet cuisine and is found nowadays in many restaurants throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The chicken is fried in a traditional frying pan called tapa (ტაფა). For frying thoroughly, the chicken is flattened out on the pan and pressed by a weight. In modern cookery, special pan sets with a heavy cover or with a screw press are often used.

Chicken tabaka is often seasoned with garlic or dressed with traditional Georgian sauces, such as bazhe, satsivi or tkemali.