Name: Chkmeruli (Georgian Garlic-Milk Chicken)
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Cuisine: Georgia
Ingredients: 1 small chicken, about 1.3 kg, spatchcocked, or 1.2 kg bone-in, skin-on thighs; 9 g table salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 28 g butter; 1 head garlic, about 12 cloves, grated or finely crushed; 240 ml whole milk; 120 ml heavy cream; chopped cilantro or parsley, to finish; bread, to serve

Ingredients

Scale

Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.

1small chicken, about 1.3 kg, spatchcocked, or 1.2 kg bone-in, skin-on thighs
9 g1½ tsptable salt
½ tspblack pepper
28 g2 tbspbutter
1 headgarlic, about 12 cloves, grated or finely crushed
240 ml1 cupwhole milk
120 ml½ cupheavy cream
chopped cilantro or parsley, to finish
bread, to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat the small chicken (1) very dry and season all over with the table salt (9 g1½ tsp) and black pepper (½ tsp).
Brown the skin. Melt the butter (28 g2 tbsp) in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in skin side down and cook without moving it until the skin is deep golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn it skin side up.
Roast. Move the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is almost cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes for a whole bird, 20 for thighs.
Make the sauce. Stir the garlic (1 head) into the whole milk (240 ml1 cup) and heavy cream (120 ml½ cup) with a pinch of salt.
Pour the sauce around the chicken, not over the skin, and return the pan to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and slightly thickened and the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part.
Scatter with herbs and serve straight from the pan, with plenty of bread for the sauce.

Notes

Traditionally it's cooked and served in a clay dish called a ketsi.
The garlic is the point. Grate it fine so it melts into the sauce; don't be tempted to use less.
All milk or all cream both work: milk is lighter and more traditional, cream richer.