Chicken tobacco is prepared only from young chickens, marinated in spices and herbs. This rather simple treat was invented in Georgia, and got its name from the heavy tapaka lid, which was used to cover the pan with fried chicken.
How to choose a chicken for frying
For the preparation of this dish, it is important to use not chicken, but young chickens. Their meat is quite tender and ideal for short heat treatment. In addition, tobacco chickens are fried in a pan entirely, and the chicken will have to be cut, as a result of which a completely different dish will turn out.
To make the treat tasty, it is best to buy fresh carcasses. In the absence of such an opportunity, it is worth stopping at chilled chickens. But it is better not to use frozen products, since during the defrosting process a large amount of juice will flow out of it and the structure of meat fibers will be disrupted. In addition, poultry is often frozen with a special water-retaining solution containing not very useful chemical elements.
When choosing chicks, you should pay attention to their appearance and smell. Their skin should have a uniform white-yellow color, and the meat should be pinkish without dark spots. The carcass must be free of blood clots, tears, fluff residues, unpleasant odors and ice pieces. A high-quality product always has a GOST mark on its packaging, and a round stamp of veterinary inspection on the skin.
Broiler chickens are also excellent for preparing this dish, because this is just a meat breed of poultry, and not a sign of the presence of hormones in them. The main thing is that they are young and fresh.
How to make a classic chicken tobacco recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 carcasses of chickens;
- 4 bay leaves;
- coarsely ground black pepper;
- salt to taste;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic;
- vegetable and butter for frying.
Wash the chicks thoroughly and dry them on a napkin. Slice the chicken in the breast and turn it out so that it is flat. Beat it off from the inside. Then rub well with a mixture of salt, pepper, chopped garlic and chopped bay leaves. Place the pickled poultry in a saucepan under heavy pressure and refrigerate.
After 3-6 hours, remove the carcasses, keep them a little at room temperature, and then peel them of cloves of garlic and bay leaves, otherwise they will burn during the frying process. Heat vegetable oil and butter in equal proportions in a frying pan, place the chicken carcass and fry it until golden brown on both sides. This must be done over high heat and under a heavy lid. Then cook the second chicken in the same way. Serve the finished meal with tender mashed potatoes, rice or asparagus.
