Roasted chicken curry
A twice cooked South Indian chicken dish that packs the heat.
Roasted chicken curry is a semi-dry and delicious blend of marinated chicken, curried and roasted.
Every so often I find myself wishing I had written down my mom’s recipes at some point. I’m always trying to re-create her recipes based on how I remember it. This is one such recipe.
Word of caution, this dish can be extremely spicy with green chilies, red chili powder and black pepper adding to the heat level. Please adjust the amounts according to your preference and tolerance.
This is a mouthwatering recipe that may not be something new in households where leftover chicken curry is reheated on the stovetop. My mom used to do this very often to try and convince us that she made something new. She’d make Kerala style chicken curry and transform it into a mouthwatering roasted chicken curry the following day with the leftovers. We loved the chicken curry but the modified version was simply next level. I remember the first time Suraj trying the recipe and talking about it for days. It was the first meal he had at my home after our wedding. This ceremony called virunnu is where the newlyweds visit the bride’s house for a feast. Suraj still has vivid memories of this dish (and nothing else, sigh) from that special day.
This is my version of condensing the multi-stage cooking into one cohesive recipe. If you have the time and patience, I’d recommend you try what my mom used to do (and enjoy the recipe two ways) over two days. I’ve explained where in the recipe to stop on day 1. Although this might look like a lot of effort and time, trust me when I say that it is totally worth it. If you’re making this recipe for a party, you can prepare the curry stage a day before, and do the remainder, which does not take a whole lot of time, on the day of. I just got done penning down the recipe and saw that most ingredients repeat in all three stages. Rather than giving you like a 25-item ingredient list, I’ve included an abridged ingredient list with directions on how to divide them. This was no easy task, I just hope it is not confusing.
Roasted chicken curry
Let’s start by prepping for each of the 3 stages. Keep 2 plates and 2 small bowls ready.
Mix the powders required for marination and the curry.
In the 1st bowl mix the powders for marination: ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika, 1 tsp black pepper powder, ¼ tsp garam masala and 1 tsp salt.
In the 2nd bowl mix the powders for making the curry: ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chili powder or cayenne, 2 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala.
Now to split the chopped ingredients for the 2 plates.
1st plate: Ingredients for the chicken curry: half of the curry leaves, 2 cups sliced onion, half of the green chilies, 1 tbsp finely crushed ginger-garlic and tomatoes.
2nd plate: Ingredients for roasting: fennel seeds, remaining curry leaves, red chili flakes, 1 tbsp ginger thinly sliced, ¼ cup onions, remaining green chilies and Kashmiri red chili powder.
In the bowl with the powders for marination, add in the chicken and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Using your hands, mix everything together until well combined and keep aside.
In a pan/kadai or in a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp oil and add curry leaves, half of the green chilies, 1 tbsp finely crushed ginger-garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups chopped onions and sauté till they are roasted.
Add the powders for chicken curry and fry for close to a minute.
Add tomatoes and stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the marinated chicken and mix together until well combined.
Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until chicken turns tender. Stir in between to avoid burning; cook on a low-medium flame. If you are using a pressure cooker, cook till you hear the first whistle, switch off the heat and allow the pressure to settle down. During cooking, the water from the chicken gets released so you do not need to add any water.
Open the lid and adjust the salt if needed. If there is a lot water remaining, cook on high heat for another couple minutes so that all water evaporates or till you get the thick gravy consistency. Transfer the curry to a bowl and let it rest. Stop cooking here if you just like to have a Kerala style chicken curry. Proceed to next step if you want the roasted chicken curry.
Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in the same pan, add fennel seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves, 1 tbsp thinly sliced ginger and sauté for a minute. Add red chili flakes and roast for another minute.
Add ¼ cup onion and the remaining green chilies, roast until they are golden brown. Add Kashmiri red chili powder and roast for a minute.
Add the chicken curry to the pan and cook it covered for ten minutes on low flame, stirring and mixing in between so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the vessel. Continue stirring until you get the dark red color and the chicken is thoroughly roasted.
Remove from the stove. Sprinkle a little coconut oil on top and keep covered until it's ready to serve. This enhances the flavor.
Serve as a side dish for Rice or with Chapathi/Roti or any Indian Bread.
Thank you for trying this with me!
I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #ttwmblog and I’ll be sure to find it.
Ingredients
Directions
Let’s start by prepping for each of the 3 stages. Keep 2 plates and 2 small bowls ready.
Mix the powders required for marination and the curry.
In the 1st bowl mix the powders for marination: ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika, 1 tsp black pepper powder, ¼ tsp garam masala and 1 tsp salt.
In the 2nd bowl mix the powders for making the curry: ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chili powder or cayenne, 2 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala.
Now to split the chopped ingredients for the 2 plates.
1st plate: Ingredients for the chicken curry: half of the curry leaves, 2 cups sliced onion, half of the green chilies, 1 tbsp finely crushed ginger-garlic and tomatoes.
2nd plate: Ingredients for roasting: fennel seeds, remaining curry leaves, red chili flakes, 1 tbsp ginger thinly sliced, ¼ cup onions, remaining green chilies and Kashmiri red chili powder.
In the bowl with the powders for marination, add in the chicken and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Using your hands, mix everything together until well combined and keep aside.
In a pan/kadai or in a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp oil and add curry leaves, half of the green chilies, 1 tbsp finely crushed ginger-garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups chopped onions and sauté till they are roasted.
Add the powders for chicken curry and fry for close to a minute.
Add tomatoes and stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the marinated chicken and mix together until well combined.
Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until chicken turns tender. Stir in between to avoid burning; cook on a low-medium flame. If you are using a pressure cooker, cook till you hear the first whistle, switch off the heat and allow the pressure to settle down. During cooking, the water from the chicken gets released so you do not need to add any water.
Open the lid and adjust the salt if needed. If there is a lot water remaining, cook on high heat for another couple minutes so that all water evaporates or till you get the thick gravy consistency. Transfer the curry to a bowl and let it rest. Stop cooking here if you just like to have a Kerala style chicken curry. Proceed to next step if you want the roasted chicken curry.
Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in the same pan, add fennel seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves, 1 tbsp thinly sliced ginger and sauté for a minute. Add red chili flakes and roast for another minute.
Add ¼ cup onion and the remaining green chilies, roast until they are golden brown. Add Kashmiri red chili powder and roast for a minute.
Add the chicken curry to the pan and cook it covered for ten minutes on low flame, stirring and mixing in between so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the vessel. Continue stirring until you get the dark red color and the chicken is thoroughly roasted.
Remove from the stove. Sprinkle a little coconut oil on top and keep covered until it's ready to serve. This enhances the flavor.
Serve as a side dish for Rice or with Chapathi/Roti or any Indian Bread.