The "golden walnut sauce" that brightens the New Year table
New Year's Day (January 1) and Orthodox Christmas (January 7) in Georgia. On these two holidays there is a dish that always reaches the table in Georgian homes. A cream-colored walnut sauce wraps boiled chicken, with green cilantro and red pomegranate scattered over it like jewels: satsivi (საცივი / Satsivi).
"საცივი" means "something cold" in Georgian. As the name says, satsivi is a cold dish that is chilled in the refrigerator after it is finished and then eaten. At a European winter feast where hot dishes tend to take the lead, putting a cold dish at the center is quite unusual. The reason is clear at the first bite. Chilling lets the oils of the walnuts merge into the sauce and carries the savoriness into every corner of the chicken.
Among English-language food bloggers it is also called a "Georgian Thanksgiving turkey," and not a few Georgians living in the United States make it with turkey. According to Darra Goldstein's book The Georgian Feast (University of California Press, 2013), though, boiling a whole chicken is the orthodox way in Georgian homes. In this article we use chicken thighs, easy to find at ordinary supermarkets, to reproduce an authentic satsivi in an arrangement that is easy to take on even for a weeknight dinner.
Satsivi is a signature Georgian cold dish. Walnuts are made into a paste and thinned with spices such as coriander, fenugreek, saffron, and garlic and with the chicken's cooking broth; the sauce is poured over boiled chicken, and it is chilled overnight before eating. An indispensable "festive-day dish" for holidays such as New Year and Christmas, it is also a staple of the Georgian banquet called the "supra."
As introduced in the introduction to Georgian cuisine (in Japanese), a big feature of Georgian food culture is its heavy use of walnuts. Bazhe (walnut sauce), pkhali (vegetables dressed with walnut paste), and this satsivi. The walnut trees that grow wild on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains underpin the country's cooking.
Ingredients (serves 4)
The oils in walnuts oxidize easily, and old ones turn bitter. Open the bag and smell it; if you get a sharp smell like paint, do not use it. Opened walnuts keep best in the freezer.
How to make it
STEP 1: Boil the chicken
Put 1.5 L water, the chicken thighs, half the onion, the bay leaves, black peppercorns, and salt in a pot and, starting from cold water, set over medium heat. When it boils, keep the heat high and carefully skim the scum for about 5 minutes to get a clear broth. Lower the heat and boil 30 to 35 minutes, and take the chicken out when clear juices run after piercing with a skewer. The broth is the base of the sauce, so strain it through a sieve into a bowl, cool the chicken 10 minutes, then remove the bones and cut into 3 to 4 cm pieces.
You can remove the skin if you like, but Georgian homes often use it on, which adds richness when chilled.
How to get the most savoriness into the broth Starting the chicken in cold water and heating gradually moves the savoriness of the meat into the liquid for a rich broth. Putting it in boiling water keeps the savoriness in the meat and leaves a thin broth. Since satsivi uses the broth in the sauce, always start from cold water.
STEP 2: Combine the walnuts and aromatics
Run the walnuts in a food processor for 3 to 4 minutes until they become a moist paste. Without a food processor, crushing them in a mortar until some grains remain is enough. In a separate skillet, fry the chopped onion over medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent, add the garlic, and release its aroma for 1 more minute. Over low heat, let the coriander, fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, and paprika blend in for 30 seconds, and when the powders have absorbed the oil and the aroma rises, add the walnut paste and mix for 2 minutes.
STEP 3: Thin the sauce and finish it
Add 400 ml of the chicken broth 100 ml at a time, each time working it smooth with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes. Putting it all in at once easily makes the walnuts lumpy, so the guide is a thickness where the trail of the wooden spoon fades slowly. Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons of broth for 5 minutes and add it, then simmer 10 minutes over low heat, tracing the bottom of the pot so it does not scorch. After turning off the heat, return the tempered egg yolks and adjust with white wine vinegar and salt so that acidity, saltiness, and the richness of the walnuts are all felt together.
Always add the egg yolks after turning off the heat. Beat the yolks in a bowl, mix in about 3 tablespoons of the sauce (tempering), and return that to the pot. Without this step, the egg sets and the sauce turns grainy.
STEP 4: Combine the chicken and sauce and chill
Arrange the bite-size chicken in a deep dish or large bowl and pour the warm walnut sauce generously over everything. Turn gently for about 3 minutes, and when the surface of the chicken is evenly coated, cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before eating and let it come back to a not-too-cold state, and the aroma of walnut and the acidity come through clearly. Finish with pomegranate seeds and fresh cilantro and eat scooping up the sauce with bread.
Culture and history: satsivi, from court dish to feast
Satsivi has long been served at Georgian celebrations. Why did satsivi become tied to New Year and Christmas? Georgian Orthodox Christmas is on January 7, and for about 40 days before it there is a fast in which meat is abstained from. When the fast ends on Christmas Day, people make the chicken dishes they have waited for. But time in the kitchen is limited by church prayers and visits from relatives. So satsivi, which can be made the day before and chilled in the refrigerator, was the ideal holiday dish.
The relationship between the supra and satsivi
The Georgian banquet culture called the "supra" is a distinctive food ritual. A toastmaster called the "tamada" leads toast after toast, and wine and food are served without a break.
There is a practical reason satsivi matters at a supra: being cold, its quality does not drop even over a long feast. Hot dishes cool down, but satsivi is a cold dish from the start. However many hours the supra lasts, it keeps the same deliciousness from start to finish.
If khachapuri symbolizes "everyday Georgian food," satsivi represents "festive-day Georgian food."
The science of walnut sauce: why does it get so rich?
The distinctive creaminess of satsivi's sauce is achieved with no dairy at all. The secret lies in the properties of the fat in walnuts.
The fat composition of walnuts
Walnuts are about two-thirds fat, mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids. Because these unsaturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperature, when walnuts are made into a paste they blend easily with water and a natural emulsion forms.
The lecithin in egg yolks stabilizes this emulsion further and gives a smoothness comparable to a French béchamel. In other words, satsivi's sauce rests on a triple emulsifying system of the natural oil of the walnuts + the lecithin of the egg yolk + the gelatin of the cooking broth. This is an emulsifying technique from nuts and seeds common across the Middle East and Caucasus, linked to the creaminess that tahini brings to hummus.
What happens as it chills
A sauce that was runny while warm thickens moderately in the refrigerator. This is because the chicken collagen that dissolved into the broth turns to gelatin and sets into a gel as it cools. Using bone-in meat makes this gelling pronounced and greatly increases the sauce's cohesion.
Spice notes: utskho suneli and khmeli suneli
Georgian cuisine has two spice blends of its own.
Utskho suneli (უცხო სუნელი)
Literally "foreign spice." It is the dried, ground seed of blue fenugreek (Trigonella caerulea), characterized by a nutty, sweet aroma and a faint maple-syrup-like flavor. It is hard to find outside Georgia, so ordinary ground fenugreek stands in. As another example of a dish whose spices are hard to find, there is the berbere of Ethiopian doro wat.
Khmeli suneli (ხმელი სუნელი)
Georgia's "all-purpose spice mix." It is a blend of coriander, basil, dill, marjoram, fenugreek, paprika, and others. There are satsivi recipes that use khmeli suneli, but this article measures individual spices instead. The reason is that the composition of khmeli suneli varies greatly by maker, which tends to cause variation in flavor.
Substitution strategy
| Georgian spice | Substitute | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Utskho suneli | Ground fenugreek | Up to 1 tsp. More turns bitter |
| Saffron (Imeretian saffron) | Real saffron or turmeric | Georgia's "saffron" is of the marigold type. Real saffron has a better aroma |
| Green chili (tsitsaka) | Mild green pepper or shishito | Georgian chilies are mild |
Variations: turkey, fish, and eggplant satsivi
Satsivi is a format, a cold dish in walnut sauce, and it is made with a variety of ingredients besides chicken.
Turkey satsivi (indauri satsivi)
Turkey, called indauri (ინდაური) in Georgian, is used for holiday gatherings of many people. Take a longer boiling time than for chicken (60 minutes or more for bone-in) and increase the sauce by 1.5 times. As with kebab, temperature control matters when cooking turkey.
Fish satsivi
A white fish can be used for satsivi as well. Poach sea bream or sea bass gently (in barely simmering liquid) and pour the walnut sauce over. For fish, use vegetable broth in place of the cooking broth and make it a little more acidic.
Eggplant satsivi
A popular vegetarian version uses eggplant. Grill eggplant halved lengthwise and pour the walnut sauce over. Grilling firmly until the skin takes a char gives a smoky flavor that goes well with the walnut sauce. Moussaka is also a popular eggplant dish, but Georgian eggplant satsivi is distinctive in using neither yogurt nor béchamel.
New Year's satsivi: experiencing the Georgian holiday at your table
A Georgian New Year begins on the night of December 31, and it is a grand feast with many family and relatives gathered. Dishes such as the following appear on the table.
As main dishes:
- Satsivi (cold walnut-sauce chicken), made the day before and rested overnight in the refrigerator
- Khachapuri, freshly baked cheese bread
- Lobio (red kidney beans stewed with spices)
- Badrijani (eggplant rolls with walnut paste)
Khinkali (large dumplings full of juice) are also an indispensable dish.
As desserts:
- Gozinaki (walnut and honey sweet)
- Churchkhela (walnuts strung and coated in thickened grape juice)
With the tamada's cry of "Gaumarjos! (Cheers!)," wine made in qvevri is poured, and the long chain of toasts begins.
On the day you make satsivi, a little of the Georgian New Year visits your kitchen. Prepare bread and wine and enjoy it slowly.
Storage and shelf life
| Method | Keeps | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerated (airtight container) | 3–4 days | Take out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before eating |
| Frozen | about 1 month | The sauce's texture changes a little, but it is possible |
| Reheating | — | Originally a dish eaten cold. Microwave heating is not recommended |
Tips for refrigerator storage
- Store with the chicken fully submerged in the sauce. Parts exposed to air oxidize and discolor.
- Press plastic wrap against the surface (like a drop lid) and put the lid on top to minimize contact with air.
- Day 2 is the most delicious. The oil of the walnuts and the savoriness of the chicken fully come together.
Frequently asked questions
Q1. Can I make it with cashews or almonds instead of walnuts?
The flavor will be different, but for allergy accommodation it is possible. Cashews come closest to the creaminess of walnuts. Almonds tend to leave a firmer texture, so make a thoroughly smooth paste. The distinctive astringency and bitterness of walnuts harmonizing with the spices creates a complex flavor that other nuts have difficulty reproducing.
Q2. How do I crush the walnuts without a food processor?
A mortar and pestle is closest to the original. Add a little at a time and crush by pressing. Alternatively, put the walnuts in a thick zip-top bag, break them up with a rolling pin, and finish in a mortar. It is fine for some grains to remain without a perfect paste. Hand-ground in fact gives variation in texture and comes closer to the handmade feel of the original.
Q3. Can I eat it warm?
Eating it warm will not poison you, but satsivi's real strength comes from chilling. Warm, the sauce is runny, the cohesion with the chicken is weak, and the walnut flavor fades. Chill at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, ideally overnight. The name itself, "satsivi = something cold," tells how important it is to eat it chilled.
Q4. Some recipes seem to leave out the egg yolks. Can I omit them?
You can omit them, but the sauce's thickness and richness decrease. If leaving out the yolks, increase the walnuts to 350 g to make up the thickness.
Q5. Saffron is too expensive. How does the flavor change with turmeric?
You get a similar color, but cannot reproduce saffron's lavish aroma. The spice commonly called "saffron" in Georgia is in fact marigold petals, which have a milder aroma than real saffron. So substituting turmeric gives a result surprisingly close to the taste in Georgia. If coloring is the main purpose, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric is enough.
Recommended menu: sides and wine for satsivi
Side dish combinations
| Side | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Khachapuri | Staple, richness of cheese | Serve freshly baked |
| Lobio (stewed red kidney beans) | Fiber and volume | Shared spices make a perfect match |
| Tomato and cucumber salad | Acidity, refreshment | Resets the richness of the walnuts in the mouth |
| Eggplant rolls with walnut paste | Appetizer | Badrijani. Walnuts go with walnuts |
| Shotis puri (Georgian bread) | To scoop the sauce | Baguette or naan can substitute |
Pairing with wine
Orange wine (amber wine) is the best pairing for satsivi. Georgia is the home of orange wine, and the tannic character of white grapes made with their skins harmonizes with the richness of the walnut sauce.
Georgian wines to consider:
- Rkatsiteli amber wine: somewhat dry, matches the astringency of the walnuts
- Mtsvane white wine: fruity with acidity, brings out the richness of the satsivi
- Saperavi red wine: if pairing with meat dishes. Strongly tannic, so a little at a time
Pomegranate juice also pairs well. For a non-alcoholic option, grape juice with a squeeze of lemon gives the atmosphere. It is a "drink to go with the meal" culture shared with the lemonade and mint tea drunk at Middle Eastern tables. The introduction to Middle Eastern cuisine also touches on drink culture.
Summary
Because satsivi is a dish you "make the day before and rest in the refrigerator," it is the strongest dish for entertaining. On the day, you do not need to hover over a pot; you just take it out of the refrigerator and plate it. Make it the night before a New Year's party or a day you invite friends, and the next day you can concentrate on calmly setting the table.
The richness of the walnuts, the depth of the spices, the cohesion that comes from chilling. Experience the Georgian feast that stretches beyond the Caucasus Mountains.
To learn more about Georgian cuisine, try the introduction to Georgian cuisine (in Japanese), the filled pastry burek (in Japanese) from the same Eastern European region, and Central Asia's plov and manti.
Sources
- Goldstein, Darra. The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia. University of California Press, 2013.
- Duguid, Naomi. Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan. Artisan, 2016.
- TasteAtlas. "Satsivi." https://www.tasteatlas.com/satsivi (accessed December 2025)
- Georgia About. "Georgian Satsivi Recipe." https://georgiaabout.com/2012/12/30/georgian-satsivi-recipe/ (accessed 2025)
Community and recipe sites:
- The Supra Project. "Satsivi — Georgian Walnut Sauce." https://www.thesupraproject.com/blog/satsivi (accessed 2025)
