I first heard of this recipe ages ago. From friends who had tasted it in Kundapur (the birthplace of ghee roast) and who couldn’t stop raving about it. But back then, it wasn’t widely known or made outside of Karnataka. Also, this was the pre-online recipes era. So being from Mumbai, I could only add this dish to my ‘foodie bucket list’ to try sometime when I was in Kundapur. But that was a long time ago. Since then I have been to Kundapur, tried many versions of this dish, and loved them all. It’s now an indisputable family favorite too! Indulgent, but soooo worth it, that I had to share this recipe with you guys. And the best part is, that it’s not really all that complicated to make. Pretty simple and fail proof, so long as you follow the steps, and don’t skimp on the ghee (no, really!).
Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes
Chicken – I have used boneless chicken for this recipe, but you can use bone-in chicken too. Both versions taste divine! Kind of red chillies – This recipe calls for byadagi chillies, which are not as spicy as whole dry red chillies, and impart more color than the regular red chillies. Which is why regular spicy red chillies will NOT make a good substitute here.
How to Make Chicken Ghee Roast at Home
Roasting the spices
In a wide bottomed pan, dry roast the whole dry byadagi chillies for 3-5 minutes on medium-low flame till well roasted.Then set the roasted chillies aside, and in the same pan, add in the coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds & fennel seeds, and roast them for 3-5 minutes on medium-low flame till well roasted.
Grinding the masala
In a mixie, add only the roasted chillies first, and give it a quick pulse to crush it.Then to the crushed chillies, add the roasted whole spices (coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds), and chopped ginger & garlic, along with a little water.Grind till you get a smooth paste.
Marinating the chicken
In a large bowl, take the boneless chicken pieces, and to it, add the masala from the mixer, along with yogurt, lemon juice / extract, salt and ghee.Mix well, and let the chicken marinate in this masala mix for a minimum of 4-6 hours in the fridge.
Making ghee roast
In a wide bottomed pan, heat up the ghee, and add the curry leaves, and let it roast lightly for 2-3 minutes.Then add the chopped onions, a little salt to cook down the onions faster, and roast on medium flame for 8-10 minutes, till the onions turn translucent. No need to brown the onions for ghee roast.Next add the marinated chicken, mix well, and cook on medium flame (stirring intermittently) for 30 minutes or so, till the chicken is fully cooked.At the halfway mark, or when the chicken is almost done, add in the jaggery powder, mix well, and continue to cook till the chicken is done.At first the chicken will release water, but towards the end, you will have a dry-ish curry, with ghee leaving the sides.
Note
It’s not mandatory, but it’s ideal to use a wide bottomed pan, as mentioned in the recipe, to get close to the dryish-consistency of the final dish.
Serving Suggestion
Serve Chicken Ghee Roast with steamed rice, roti, or even neer dosa. All of these combinations work really well.
Popular Chicken Recipes to Try
⭐️ Whole Tandoori Chicken Recipe⭐️ Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop⭐️ Kolhapuri Style Chicken Curry⭐️ Crispy Chicken 65 ⭐️ Instant Pot Chicken Biryani As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️
📖 RECIPE
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