Chicken Tabaka - whether it is possible to cook at home?

One of the most famous dishes of Caucasian cuisine in our country is chicken tobacco. This is a very flavorful, tender and tasty dish many are trying to make yourself at home, but not all succeed. So learning how to cook chicken tobacco own hands.

Interesting name "chicken tobacco" (or tapaka) called chicken fried in a special heavy frying pan with herbs and spices. In our country, this wonderful dish appeared for a long time, and today continues to enjoy a well-deserved popularity.

Etymology of the name of this dish is associated with the technology of cooking directly: chicken before frying as it flattened - cut in half along the breast and turns so that the entire carcass lying on the flame surface. And the word "flattened, squashed flat" in the Arabic language designated by the word пїЅtabbaqпїЅ.

In Armenia, Abkhazia and Georgia chicken tobacco often cooked in a special pan with a heavy lid and screw press. If this pans you do not, do not rush to put an end to the undertaking cook chicken tobacco at home - in fact, for that will suit any good large heavy frying pan with a lid.

How to cook chicken tobacco at home: a choice of dishes and spices

All stages of cooking chicken tapaka can be described in one sentence: first, the chicken is flattened, then pickled and thereafter until cooked under pressure fried in a pan. Nothing complicated, intricate and requires a rich culinary experience is not here, no offense to the masters of cooking this dish will be discussed. Of course, years of practice in the preparation chicken tobacco chef, has already established its own quirks and tricks by which it is obtained quite simply breathtakingly delicious. We talk about the preparation of this dish for those who do not have experience in its preparation or has very little.

So, mainly in the preparation of delicious chicken tobacco are not so much different tips and tricks of the cooking as the right choice: chicken, spices for the marinade and, of course, dishes, in which the dish is ready. Tell everything in order.

Utensils. If a cast-iron frying pan with a very heavy cast iron lid, called Tanaka, you do not, do not worry and do not rush to buy it. You can replace it with:

• Ceramic pan;
• Ordinary frying pan with a thick bottom.

To ensure the press on the chicken in the pan, you can put any load for a special heavy cover, for example, a pot filled with water.

Spices for the marinade. In the Caucasus, for the preparation of such a chicken only used pepper and salt, and all kinds of spices addition - it is, as they say, thrifty. You can also use garlic, thyme, coriander, red pepper, etc. On sale you can also find a special blend of spices for chicken tobacco.

Chickens. The smaller the bird used chicken is so tasty dish. Generally used carcasses weighing about 300-500 grams. It should be noted that today Prescription chicken and chicken prepared tobacco and its parts - legs, hips, etc. It turns out very tasty, too - so look specifically chicks is not necessary unless there is a clear commitment to comply with all the canons of cooking.

Stages of cooking chicken tobacco

The first stage - preparing chicken. Rinse the chicken carcass, cut along the breast, put in a plastic bag and beat off using a hammer so that the bird has become quite flat.

The second stage - marinating. Place the carcass in a glass or enamel container, rub with salt and pepper, and other spices if they are used.

Spices such as sesame seeds, sumac, thyme, red pepper, fenugreek, coriander and garlic, you can grind in a mortar and mix with each other (garlic - through the press) and then with softened butter - then they evenly cover the carcass.

How to marinate? Everyone decides for himself, but, according to the canons of cooking, marinating time should be at least 10-12 hours. Many of the same cost and hour.

The third stage - hot. Marinate the chicken need to get out of the refrigerator and put it in the pan. There are two options:

• If the chicken marinate for 10-12 hours, you can put in a pan with hot oil and fry under pressure or in melted butter (if you spice mixed with oil, for frying it need quite a bit) on both sides until nice crisp;
• If you marinate chicken for long, it is best to put on a well-heated frying pan with a little water, which you need to put the butter and melt it. After laying chicken need simmer on low heat for about an hour under pressure. During this treatment at a low temperature of the skin highlighted jelly, which, after boiling water (this happens after about 50 minutes after laying chicken) will turn into a beautiful crisp golden brown and the meat will be tender with the tender.

Cooking chicken tobacco must-in butter or ghee - this canon is better not to retreat.

That's it - as we said, nothing daunting to prepare chicken tobacco is not. Serves delicious chicken with fresh herbs, vegetables and pomegranate, cornel or quince sauce - then the dish, alternating with bright notes of fruit sauces, will be even tastier.

How to make chicken taste even better tobacco

In the remaining oil after frying chicken can warm vegetables - tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, etc., and submit them along with the chicken.

If a chicken before frying you do not rubbed with garlic, before feeding it can be poured garlic sauce: Mix chopped herbs with through the press garlic and olive oil.

Thrill can add to spices for pickling hot peppers, finely sliced it (in small quantities!).

In summer you can cook chicken tobacco on the grill over the coals - is, of course, a very liberal interpretation of the recipe and a serious departure from the rules, but it turns out too delicious.

Never be excluded from spices to marinate black pepper - this is the main seasoning for this dish, without its not ready.