Garlic Cream Chicken with Khmeli-Suneli

Half a chicken, seared skin side down under a weight until the skin is deep gold, then finished in the oven in a sauce of cream, milk and crushed garlic with khmeli-suneli and coriander. Fresh cilantro and parsley on top, a few mandarin segments on the side.

• 1 whole chicken (about 3 lb), cut in half
• 1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
• 1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk
• Olive or avocado oil
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, depending on size
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon khmeli-suneli spice mix
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ bunch cilantro and ½ bunch parsley, chopped
• Salt
• A mandarin, in segments, to serve

Serves four.

1. Cut the chicken in half through the backbone and press each half flat. Rub with salt, black pepper and a little oil. You can do this the night before and keep it in the fridge.
2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat with a film of oil. Lay the chicken skin side down and put a weight on top: a smaller pan with a can inside works. Sear until the skin is deep gold, turn, and sear the other side until the chicken is almost cooked through.
3. For the sauce, toast the flour in a dry pan, stirring, until it smells nutty. Crush the garlic. Whisk the milk and cream with the garlic, flour, khmeli-suneli, coriander, salt and pepper, and warm it through without boiling.
4. Pour the sauce over the seared chicken and move the skillet to a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
5. Scatter the cilantro and parsley on top, add the mandarin segments, and serve with the sauce, bread or potatoes.

I press the chicken skin side down with a weight so the whole skin stays against the hot pan: no air, no pocket of steam, and the fat under the skin carries the heat, so it browns into an even, crisp crust. As the garlic warms in the cream and milk, the heat softens its raw bite and its aroma dissolves into the fat and fills the sauce. Toasting the flour first adds a nutty, roasted note. Khmeli-suneli and coriander bring the warm, slightly bitter herbal notes that keep a cream sauce from tasting flat, and the mandarin at the end adds the acid the richness needs.

A Georgian spice blend of coriander, fenugreek, marigold and dried herbs like basil and savory. If you cannot find it, mix ground coriander with a pinch of fenugreek, dried basil and marjoram.

Yes. Bone-in, skin-on thighs, seared the same way, about 10 minutes in the oven.

Raw flour tastes of paste; toasted, it smells nutty and gives the sauce a deeper, roasted flavor.

Yes, up to a day, in the fridge. Warm it gently before pouring it over the chicken.

Bread to mop up the sauce, boiled potatoes, or rice.

I am Marina Staver, a private chef in Miami and South Florida. I cook dinners in people's homes: birthdays, anniversaries, dinner parties, quiet evenings for two on a Wednesday. I plan the menu around what you actually like, shop for it, cook it in your kitchen and leave it clean.

From $200 per guest, $2,000 event minimum. Your final quote, groceries included, comes within 24 hours. See what a private chef costs in Miami, or tell me about your date.

More: private chef services in Miami · a chef for your dinner party · more recipes from my kitchen

Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart (poultry 165°F), fsis.usda.gov.