Chicken tabaka

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Synthesised from Google · Yelp · TripAdvisor · Reddit · 2 food blogs · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

Chicken tabaka is a Georgian pan-fried chicken that demands weight and patience. The bird gets flattened against a traditional tapa pan and pressed down—sometimes by a heavy cover, sometimes by a screw press—until the skin crisps and the meat surrenders to heat. Garlic seasons it, or Georgian sauces like bazhe, satsivi, and tkemali dress it. What started in the Caucasus became a Soviet-era restaurant staple, spreading through Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

What makes this version distinct

Chicken tabaka (Georgian: წიწილა ტაბაკა, romanized: ts'its'ila t'abak'a) or chicken tapaka (Georgian: წიწილა ტაფაკა, romanized: ts'its'ila t'apak'a) 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 (Georgian: 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.

Signature elements