Simple Chicken Roast

Simple Chicken Roast is a finger-licking Kerala-style chicken curry where chicken is cooked in aromatic spices and coconut oil. The coconut pieces add a unique flavor and nice crunch to this semi-dry curry.  It is a treat for your taste buds!

Read the entire post, if you want to learn about the tips about the recipe. And of course, more recipe ideas!

story behind the name and recipe inspiration 🙂

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe who in turn got it from her mother-in-law. They are big fans of chicken dishes and have close to gazillion recipes at hand. They learnt this from a relative who lives in Chalakudi, a place in Kerala. Hence they call it Chalakudi Chicken to differentiate between the other [gazillion - 1] chicken recipes. :). Well, we also call it Chalakudi Chicken at home because the name just rolls of your tongue.

But for the sake of sharing this recipe on the blog, my sister-in-law and I brainstormed for a while to come with a name for the dish. We debated over Chicken Fry (I already have one shared on the blog. The other name we considered was Nadan Chicken Roast ( I have reserved this name for another recipe). So for this one we settled on Simple chicken Roast, Kerala Style.

how is this different from chicken fry?

Its kinda same, kinda different. If you look at the Chicken Fry recipe, you wll notice the spices used in this simple chicken roast one and the chicken fry recipe are almost the same. What is different is the cooking style. But this change makes a huge difference in taste. Try it for yourself and let me know.

serving suggestions

leftovers? we got you covered.

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator 3-4 days. Reheat on stove-top or microwave for a few seconds. This is a good dish if you are busy and want to make something quick and easy to store for the week.

additional notes

• 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish)
• 750 gms = approx. 1.6lbs
• I have used boneless, skinless thighs in the video demonstration (find it at the end of the recipe). But my sister-in-law and family prefers it with chicken pieces with bones. You can buy a whole fryer chicken and ask your butcher to give you curry cut pieces.
• Red Chilli Powder needs special mention. Indian red chilli powder is simply ground red chillies (no other spices added unlike the Chilli Powder we get in US stores). I use Kashmiri red chilli powder which has beautiful red hues, but is not heavy in terms of spice level. If you do not have access to Kashmiri Red chilli powder, you can use Paprika. Like it SPICY? Add some Cayenne Pepper and enjoy!
• Frying the spices is the key in this recipe. Fry them on low heat to prevent them from burning. be patient with this step, takes about 6-8 minutes to get the reddish brown hue.
• Ginger - Typically 1 inch ginger weighs approximately 12-15 gms. So, for this recipe you need about 1.5 inches of ginger.
• Garlic - The garlic cloves I get in US grocery stores are comparatively larger than the ones I am used to in India. If you are using large cloves, use approximately 2-3 large cloves. If you have access to only small garlic cloves, you would need about 15-20 garlic small cloves.
• This is a semi-dry dish. There is no need to add water if you want to keep it semi-dry. Once chicken starts cooking, it leaves enough water to cook further and masalas do not burn. If your stove temperature is on the higher side, and water is evaporating quickly, then sprinkle a little water intermittently.
• I am drizzling some coconut oil for additional coconut flavor in my recipe video. This is optional but recommended. In addition to the coconut oil, you can sprinkle some garam masala powder and curry leaves to pop up the flavor. Delicious!
• Read Coconut 101 for more information on Coconut.

want more chicken recipes?

• Chicken Ghee Roast - Easy Chicken recipe - Chicken Ghee Roast. Chicken is cooked in spices roasted in ghee resulting in tender, juicy, & flavorsome pieces of chicken.
• Cilantro Chicken Curry - Tender & succulent pieces of chicken cooked in a medley of aromatic spices, flavors of coconut & cilantro. Serve cilantro chicken curry with rice or naan.
• Chicken Fry - Chicken is marinated in dry roasted spices & cooked on a low heat till the pieces are flavorful, juicy & slightly crispy outside. Simple. Spicy. Succulent.
• Chicken Patties - These bite sized chicken patties can be served as an appetizer. Perk it up a notch by sprinkling chaat masala. Serve it with ketchup.
• Chicken Biriyani - Biriyani is a flavorful rice-dish made with chicken or lamb or even vegetables and spices. There are different styles of preparing biriyani, each having it's own unique taste. It is believed that this dish was introduced to India in the olden days by Mughal travelers. In this recipe, chicken is cooked with spices and then layered with cooked rice. This is then steam cooked, locking in all the flavors. Serve with raitha (onions mixed with yogurt) and you have a wholesome meal.

Simple Chicken Roast

Simple Chicken Roast Recipe is a finger licking Kerala style chicken curry where chicken is cooked in aromatic spices and coconut oil. The coconut pieces add a unique flavor and nice crunch to this semi-dry curry.  It is a treat for your taste buds!

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 3 -4

Ingredients

  

• 750 gms Chicken
• 200 gms Onion; large chop
• ½ cup Coconut pieces
• 5 tbsp Coriander Powder
• 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder; adjust to taste
• 20 gms ginger; julienned
• 20 gms garlic; julienned
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• Green chillies ; thinly sliced to taste optional; add for spicy version
• Lots of Curry Leaves
• Garam masala powder optional
• Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Heat 2 tablespoon coconut oil in a kadai or wok on low heat. Add Coriander powder, Kashmiri Red chilli powder, turmeric and fry till aromatic. (Approx. 6-8 minutes)
• Add thinly sliced green chilles, julienned ginger and garlic, curry leaves, coconut pieces, onion, and salt. Mix well to combine.
• Turn off the heat.
• Add the chicken pieces and mix well to coat all the pieces with the spice mix.
• Turn the heat to medium. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked thoroughly. Still occasionally to prevent the masala from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Once the chicken pieces are cooked, drizzle 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add more curry leaves and sprinkle some garam masala if using.
• Serve hot with rice or Chappati.

Video

Notes

• 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish)

• 750 gms = approx. 1.6 lbs

• I have used boneless, skinless thighs in the video demonstration (find it at the end of the recipe). But my sister-in-law and family prefers it with chicken pieces with bones. You can buy a whole fryer chicken and ask your butcher to give you curry cut pieces.
• Red Chilli Powder needs special mention. Indian red chilli powder is simply ground red chillies (no other spices added unlike the Chilli Powder we get in US stores). I typically use Kashmiri red chilli powder which has beautiful red hues but is not heavy in terms of spice level. You can reduce the quantity to make the dish less spicy. If you do not have access to Kashmiri Red chilli powder, you can use Paprika. Like it SPICY? Add some Cayenne Pepper and enjoy!
• Frying the spices is the key in this recipe. Fry them on low heat to stop them from burning. be patient with this step, takes about 6-8 minutes to get the reddish brown hue.
• Ginger – Typically 1 inch ginger weighs approximately 12-15 gms. So, for this recipe you would need about 1.5 inches of ginger.
• Garlic – The garlic cloves I get in US grocery stores are comparatively larger than the ones I am used to in India. If you are using large cloves, use approximately 2-3 large cloves. If you have access to only small garlic cloves, you would need about 15-20 garlic small cloves.
• This is a semi-dry dish. There is no need to add water if you want to keep it semi-dry. Once chicken starts cooking, it leaves enough water to cook further and masalas do not burn. If your stove temperature is on the higher side, and water is evaporating quickly, then sprinkle a little water intermittently.

• I am drizzling some coconut oil for additional coconut flavor in my recipe video. This is optional but highly recommended. In addition to the coconut oil, you can sprinkle some garam masala powand curry leaves to pop up the flavor even more. Delicious!