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Kerala chicken roast recipe, spicy Kerala chicken roast

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This Kerala Chicken Roast Recipe is a family favourite which Amma’s friend makes and sends over whenever us kids visit Kottayam. It is a semi-gravy chicken recipe so there’s enough to mop up with your appam and the gravy also has tons of onions. The fiery red colour and the delicious gravy of the chicken curry is sure to impress you as well.

Kerala chicken roast recipe, spicy Kerala chicken roast

Visits to Kottayam always involve a lot of great food. Like I was telling TH the other day, I have come to realise that my family expresses affection through food – and lots of it!

Amma goes into overdrive preparing for our visits days before we actually get there and as soon as we do, the extended family starts calling with plans of days and meals and meet ups.

Kerala chicken roast recipe, spicy Kerala chicken roast

Amma has a good friend who always sends food over when we get there. This Kerala Chicken Roast is one of her specialties and we love it! Once I asked her for her recipe, especially the secret of the deep lovely colour of her special Kerala Chicken Roast but she’s not one to divulge her secret recipes so I am not sure how she achieves that. Red food colour maybe or adding some water that beetroot was cooked in? I do have her basic recipe though which tastes fabulous, so here goes – Spicy Kerala Chicken Roast for you and your family to enjoy.

You may also like: Dry Indian Chilli Chicken Recipe, Chettinad Chicken Masala, Kerala Chicken Curry, and Chicken 65 Recipe.

4.8 from 4 reviews
Kerala chicken roast recipe
 
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Kerala chicken roast is a spicy semi-gravy chicken roast recipe from Kerala. The colour is mainly from roasting the onions into a deep brown and from the masala added.
Author:
Recipe type: Chicken
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 500 gm of chicken with bones, cut into medium-sized pieces
  • 4 large onions, sliced long
  • 4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 4 tbsp of curd
  • ½ tsp of turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp of red chilli powder
  • 3 tbsp of oil
  • 1 tsp of cloves + cinnamon + peeled cardamom, crushed together
  • A pinch of red food colour (optional)
  • 1 tsp of chicken masala
  • 1 strand of curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp of fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp of coriander powder
  • ½ tsp of mustard seeds
  • 3 tsp of freshly crushed garlic
  • 1 tsp of freshly crushed ginger
Instructions
  1. Marinate the chicken pieces in curd, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt for 30 mins. If you need to leave it longer, refrigerate it.
  2. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds and fennel seeds. When they pop and sizzle, add the sliced onions and green chillies. Reduce flame to medium-low and fry the onions until they turn golden brown. The amount of oil at this stage should be on the higher side so add a bit more of you feel it's not.
  3. Next, add the coriander powder and the freshly crushed masala (cloves, etc) and fry for 10 seconds. Top off with the ginger garlic paste and sautè for another 30 seconds until the mixture turns fragrant.
  4. Add the tomatoes, food colour (if using) and curry leaves and mix well. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft - about 3 mins.
  5. Dunk the marinated chicken pieces into this mixture and increase the flame to medium-high. Cook stirring frequently until the chicken pieces begin to roast. You don't have to add any water, the meat will let out water as it cooks. Adjust salt and keep roasting until the chicken is cooked soft. This will take about 20-25 mins. If you feel the chicken is not cooking well, cook closed to speed up the process. The curry will be watery in this case so once the chicken is cooked, cook on an open flame until your desired consistency is reached.
  6. When the chicken has roasted and most of the water has been cooked off, add the chicken masala and mix well. Cook for another minute and remove from fire.

Serve the spicy Kerala chicken roast with Kerala appam or steamed white rice.

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  1. Hi…thanks for the recipe…I tried it at home…everyone loved the taste…didn’t use the colour though…also I had added few cashew nuts…wish I could send u the picture…but there is no option here…Please post such type of recipes again…would love to try more of it recipes…thankyou

    Reply

  2. This has become a regular once in a week dish for us. My daughter loves it. I skipped the colour.
    Doesn’t look like the one in the pic though, maybe bcos I skipped the colour.

    Reply

  3. This one is my family’s all time favourite of my chicken recipes.yes i have taken all the credits shamelessly. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.

    Reply

  5. HiNags,

    If I use 1kg of chicken, do I have to double the recipe(8 onions seem too much)?

    Thank you
    Mary.

    Reply

    • yes the main part of this recipe is the onions but you can reduce it to 6 for double the recipe and also reduce spices

      Reply

  6. Tried the recipe today…came out really well…My 10yr old boy loved it….didnt get the fiery red colour as shown in the pic..
    But, loved it …will try it again as it’s so easy..

    Reply

  9. The recipe looks really nice and easy. The chicken masala you have mentioned could you please tell me which one to use. Or how you made it.
    Thank you.

    Reply

  10. Awesome taste I must say..I added a tsp of pepper powder and more garam masala to enhance taste.. Thank you so much Nags 🙂

    Reply

    • Hello Anna, glad it turned out good! I have mentioned this in the post but the lady I got this recipe from adds red food colour. She's a caterer so has to make her food look "better" I suppose 🙂

      Reply

  17. wow…looks yummy & mouth watering.I'm going to try today. But I don't have chicken masala. What must I do to replace that ? Can I use garam masala ?

    Reply

    • everything put together should come up to 1 tsp. you can use estimates, it won't make or break your dish. but if i HAD to give you quantities, i'd say 3-4 cloves, 1" piece of cinnamon, and 3 pods of cardamom

      Reply

  21. I used Kashmiri chillie powder and the color was fantastic! Good alternative to food coloring!
    Love your blog! Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  23. Hi
    I tried this recipe and it turned out delicious.Thank you so much.This recipe is a keeper.I have been a silent reader of your blog but I wanted to let you know about this.Thanks once again.

    Shalini.

    Reply

  24. i dont know how i missed this post..saw it on pinterest and headed right here. have bookmarked it..i am such a sucker for any new chicken masala/gravy recipe and the one your sister posted recently tops the list. Its as authentic a dish ive ever made and i flaunt it everytime i have guests over;)
    This and ghee rice is gonna be our sunday afternoon lunch 🙂

    Reply

  40. mmmm chicken roast! seeing the picture brings water to my mouth. droolworthy pic.. and reading the recipe, i can taste the spicy tomato pieces, the almost sweet caramelised onion, the yoummy semi-hard roasted chicken… yum! what a christmas treat! thank you!

    Reply
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