Masala Chicken Roast

A  yummy, saucy roasted chicken with spices.  Masala Chicken Roast. Total time is not inclusive of marination  (30 minutes).

The Recipe Intro includes more info. Check it out.

Masala Chicken Roast

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Add ingredients up to No.5 (including chicken)  to a bowl. Also, add about 3/4 – 1 tsp salt. Mix well so that the spices adhere to the chicken nicely.
2. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, while you prepare all the ingredients for the masala.
3. Place the marinated chicken in a pressure cooker. Add just a dash of water to rinse out the marinating bowl and add this to the cooker as well. Pressure cook on med-high heat for 3 steam whistles. Cool the cooker off and then open it. You will see the chicken has just turned white and there are some juices that have been released from the chicken.
4. Heat ¼ cup oil in a non-stick pan/wok and before it gets too hot, remove the chicken pieces from the juices in the cooker and place in the oil as it is heating up.  Reserve the pressure cooker juices for later.
5. It is especially relevant that you fry the chicken pieces, just lightly – about 2 minutes, flipping over the pieces halfway through. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent the pieces from sticking to the pan. We want the chicken to develop just an ‘ever so lightly golden crust’.
6. Set the lightly fried chicken aside.
7. Add 3 Tbsp of oil into another wide-based pot ( like ‘handi’  or ‘urruli’ ) . 
8. Heat the oil and add the chopped ginger and garlic. Sauté till just turning golden.
9. Add curry leaves and green chili and allow to change to a deep color.
10. Now add the chopped onion and sauté well. Sauté with occasional stirring, patiently till the onion reduces into mushy, golden – almost paste-like softness. (Refer Video). This will take  5-7 minutes
11. To this sautéed onion paste, add the spices, coriander powder, chili powder, and turmeric. Stir and cook till aromatic.
12. Add the 2 chopped tomatoes and stir through. Increase the heat a bit and cook till the tomatoes are softening. Continue to mash them to a saucy texture.
13. Now, add the tomato puree(store-bought) and the tomato ketchup.
14. Stir and cook till the oil separates.
15. It’s now that you add the juices from the cooker leftover after cooking the chicken.
16. Stir this stock into the sautéed onion-tomato masala and cook on medium heat till this gravy thickens.
17.  Add salt to taste to this thickened gravy and then add the lightly fried pieces of chicken in as well.
18. Follow, with some more curry leaves. Toss gently. Cover the pot with a tight lid, and cook ON LOW for 10 minutes.
19. You are done! For best results, however, you must allow the masala to rest for 20-30 minutes before serving! It helps to bind the flavors into the dish.

Masala Chicken Roast

Notes:

• Do not omit or substitute the white pepper powder in this dish.
• This dish requires skinless chicken pieces WITH bone. The boneless chicken will fail to give the same results.
• Careful of using too much onion. I have used 4 medium-sized red onion. If using larger red onions, reduce the amount. Too much onion will cause the gravy to be sweet. But too little will reduce the thick gravy that we desire for this dish.
• You may be itching to ask, okay she’s using tomato, so why does it require additional tomato puree as well as ketchup?? Well, simply because we can’t achieve that correct balance of tart and sauciness, using just fresh tomato..

Key Ingredients: Chicken, Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Tomato, Spices, Oil, Curry Leaves, Salt.

Let us know if you tried it – Masala Chicken Roast.

Masala Chicken Roast

Author: Shana Shameer