Kerala Chicken Roast Recipe | Spicy Indian Chicken Roast Recipe

This Kerala-Style Chicken Roast Recipe is a family favourite which amma's friend makes and sends over when we visit Kottayam. The fiery red colour and the delicious gravy of the chicken curry is sure to impress you as well. 

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.

Amma has a good friend who always sends food over when we get there. This Kerala-style 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 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 betroot was cooked in? I do have her basic recipe though which tastes fabulous, so here goes - Spicy Kerala-Style Chicken Roast.

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

Kerala-Style Spicy Chicken Roast Recipe

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4-6
Recipe source: Shirley

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
1/2 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
1/4 tsp of fennel seeds
2 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
3 tsp of freshly crushed garlic
1 tsp of freshly crushed ginger

How to make Kerala-Style Chicken Roast:

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 saut� 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 chicken roast with steamed white rice.