Easter Special Chicken Roast

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Recipe Courtesy – Adapted from Home Kitchen Diaries

1. Chicken – 3/4 kg, cut into medium pieces

2. Whole spices – Cinnamon stick – 3/4 inch, cloves – 3, green cardamom – 2, star anise – 1 small, fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp, cumin seeds – 1 pinch

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 2.5 tsp

Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tbsp

Vinegar – 3/4 tbsp

Salt – As required

Water – 1 – 2 tbsp

3. Shallots – 5

4. Oil – To deep fry

5. Onion – 1 medium-large, thinly sliced

6. Potato – 2 medium-small, peeled and sliced lengthwise

7. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

8. Garam masala powder – 1/2 – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 pinch (optional, added to balance the flavors)

9. Salt – As required

Method

1. Add all the ingredients numbered 2 to the small jar of a blender and grind to a paste. Add shallots and grind again. Add the ground mixture to cleaned chicken pieces and mix well. Let rest for 1 hr.
2. Meanwhile, deep fry sliced onion till golden brown. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Combine potato pieces with a little salt. Deep fry them for 8 – 10 minutes till light golden and cooked through. Drain on to a paper towel. Next fry curry leaves and drain on to a paper towel.
3. Cook the marinated chicken pieces in a vessel adding 3/4 – 1 cup water, few curry leaves and 2 tsp oil. Cook covered for 25 – 30 minutes till chicken is completely cooked through. Switch off the flame.
4. Heat 3 – 4 tbsp oil (you can use the oil that was used for deep frying onion) over medium heat. Remove the chicken pieces from the gravy and fry in 1 – 2 batches on both sides till golden (do not over fry, they will turn hard). Remove the chicken pieces.
5. To the remaining oil, add the gravy. Taste-check for salt. Cook for a few minutes. Add 1/2 – 3/4 th of the fried onion to this gravy. Cook for a few minutes. Add chicken pieces, 1/2 – 1 tsp garam masala powder, a pinch of sugar and cook covered over very low heat for 4 – 6 minutes till gravy turns thick and oil separates. Add a little oil and roast for a few more minutes, if you prefer. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Transfer to a bowl and decorate with fried onion, fried potato and curry leaves. This goes well with appam, porotta, pulao, idiyappam, pathiri etc.