A dark, spicy, delicious chicken roast made with a few simple ingredients can transform any weeknight dinner into a special event.
You will need:
Oil - 4 tbsp
Whole spices - 1" piece cinnamon, 3 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, a small piece of mace
REd onions - 3 large, finely chopped
Ginger - 2 tbsp, chopped
Garlic - 6-8 cloves, minced
Green chilies - 3, chopped
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs, divided
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Chicken - 3 lbs, skinless and bone-in, cut into medium-sized pieces
Salt - to taste
Cumin powder - ½ tsp, lightly roasted
Cracked black pepper - 1-2 tsp
Lime - 1
How to:
Heat oil in a large thick-bottomed pan like a kadai or Dutch oven. Add the whole spices, let them sputter and become fragrant.
Then add onions, ginger, garlic, green chilies and the leaves from one sprig of curry leaves. Saute on medium-high heat till onions are nicely browned. This will take 10-15 minutes, keep stirring every now and then so that nothing sticks to the bottom or burns.
Now add turmeric, red chili, coriander and garam masala powders. Stir well and saute for 30 seconds.
Tip in the chicken pieces. Mix the chicken well with the masala so that all the chicken pieces are well-coated with the masala. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring 2-3 times in between.
Season with salt, sprinkle a little bit of water and cover the pan. Cook on low heat till chicken is done, another 15-20 minutes. Check in between to see if anything is sticking to the bottom of the pan. If so, sprinkle some more water and stir the chicken pieces around.
Once chicken is tender and you see oil separated around the sides, add the leaves from the second sprig of curry leaves. Increase the heat slightly and roast the chicken pieces in the oil. You are looking to get a nice sear on the pieces and reduce the masala so that no liquid is left at all. Check and adjust seasoning.
Sprinkle cumin powder and black pepper and stir to combine. Squeeze the juice of half a lime and remove from heat. Serve chicken roast hot with rice or rotis, raita and more lime wedges.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2016/01/22/moms-spicy-chicken-roast/