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Simple Chicken Roast

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!