Juicy, golden oven-roasted chicken has all the delicious flavors of an Indian green chutney. The pan juices are then turned into an elegant, silky gravy to serve with the chicken. The flavors are fresh, tangy, creamy and perfectly spicy!
Roast chicken is always a welcome sight. It is the perfect weeknight dinner. You toss chicken in your favorite spices and seasoning, grill or bake them and serve. Easy enough, right? Maybe add a side of roast vegetables, pasta or crusty bread. Delicious!
I am always looking to try new and delicious ways to serve up roast chicken. For a long while, this spicy red pepper marinade was our favorite. And then of course, there is the evergreen Indian tandoori chicken.
Speaking of green, I have this recipe for chicken kebabs made with a cheesy, creamy green marinade. But I have never tried a green marinade for more robust cuts of meat, till now that is. I am sure you are familiar with the famous Indian green chutney. It is found in one form or the other in most Indian homes and restaurants.
The main ingredients in a green chutney are two fresh herbs – cilantro and mint. For spiciness, a couple (or more) green chilies are used. To add creaminess, the blended herbs are folded into lightly whipped yogurt to make a tangy delicious green chutney/dip/sauce. Yes, this single condiment is a true multi-tasker. Serve it along with grilled meat, slather it on toasts, serve along with Indian snacks like samosas or kachoris – the possibilities are endless.
I didn’t see why this green chutney couldn’t be used as a marinade for Indian style roast chicken. It has all the makings of the perfect marinade – yogurt as tenderizer, herbs for flavor, chilies for heat.
The best things about this marinade is that you can whip up a large batch, use part of it for the marinade and serve the rest on the side as a sauce. When I made this recipe, I baked the chicken along with some shallots to add flavor. I ended up with lots of delicious pan juices and decided to transform it into a quick pan gravy. Mmm… so much goodness, why waste even a bit?!!
I made the pan gravy using gluten-free cornstarch instead of a traditional flour-based roux. This gluten-free gravy is quicker and tastes exactly as a gravy made with roux should.
The green marinade for chicken keeps it extremely moist and juicy, every bite exploding with flavor. This chicken would go really well with a quick Indian style jeera (cumin) rice or pulao. But the sudden cold weather this time of year warranted something heartier, like slices of crusty, toasted baguettes. Baguettes with Indian style chicken? Err… why not!! Anything works as long as it is delicious, no?
This recipe for oven baked chicken thighs is a must-save for a quick weeknight recipe. Even a quick 1-2 hours marination will do wonders. It is equally wonderful to serve at cozy dinner parties. Next on my agenda is to roast a whole bird with this green marinade. Maybe for Thanksgiving? Yum!
- Cilantro leaves - 1 cup, packed
- Mint leaves - ⅓ cup, packed
- Green chilies - 2-3 (as per spice level desired)
- Garlic - 2 large cloves
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
- Yogurt - ½ cup
- Chicken things - 6, bone-in
- Large shallots - 6-8 (or slices of a red onion)
- Potatoes - 1, diced
- Butter - 2 tbsp
- Cornstarch - 1 tbsp
- Water or chicken stock - 1½ cups
- Salt and pepper - if needed, as per taste
- Green Chutney Marinade: Blend all the ingredients for the green chutney marinade till smooth.
- Roast Chicken Thighs: Take chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl and pour marinade over it. Rub marinade all over chicken, getting it under the skin as well. Cover and rest for 1 hour. Refrigerate for longer durations, if you have time.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 deg.F. Take the chicken out from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting to let it come to room temperature.
- Arrange sliced shallots and potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Shake off excess marinade from chicken thighs and arrange on top, skin side down.
- Bake for 30 minutes, basting with pan juices once around the midway point. Flip chicken thighs so that skin side is up, return pan to oven and bake for 15-20 more minutes or till juices run clear. Broil for 1-2 minutes at the end to brown and crisp up the skin.
- Remove pan from oven, transfer chicken and potatoes to serving pan.
- Pan Gravy: If your pan can go straight on the stovetop, you can make gravy right in it. Or scrape and transfer pan juices (along with shallots) to a skillet.
- Dissolve cornstarch in ½ cup of water or stock. Set aside.
- Add butter to pan juices and allow it to melt, deglazing the pan by picking up the browned bits at the bottom.
- Add 1 cup water or stock and allow to heat through. Add cornstarch slurry and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking almost constantly. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- When it has thickened slightly, either strain to remove shallot bits or process everything in a blender till smooth. In this recipe, I have blended the shallots and gravy together for flavor.
- Serve gravy along with roast chicken. Add wedges of lime and extra green chutney on the side.
Juicy, succulent roast chicken and gravy for dinner. Beat that!
Don’t forget to PIN & SAVE this recipe for later.
Do you like roast chicken? Do you like to experiment with flavors. Then do try this Indian style roast chicken with a green chutney sauce. I’m sure you’ll love it!
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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday & Saucy Saturday.
That chicken looks cooked to perfection and that sauce has me drooling!
Thank you, Julie!!