Chicken Ghee Roast

Name: Chicken Ghee Roast
Prep time: 80 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Maharashtra)
Ingredients: 700 g chicken (bone-in), curry cut or spatchcocked thighs; ½ cup (120 g) yoghurt; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp red chilli powder; ½ tsp turmeric; 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste; ½ tsp salt; 6 dry Kashmiri red chillies, soaked 20 min; 3 dry Bedgi chillies, soaked; 4 cloves garlic; 1 × 1 cm ginger; 1 tsp coriander seeds, dry-roasted; ½ tsp cumin seeds; 4 black peppercorns; 2 cloves; 1 tsp tamarind paste (or 2 kokum petals soaked); Grind into a smooth, thick dark red paste; 3 tbsp ghee (generous — do not reduce); 1 large onion (150 g), finely sliced; 10 curry leaves; ½ tsp jaggery (balances the tamarind acidity); Salt to taste; Ghee is non-negotiable and generous — the dish literally gets its name from the ghee; reducing it makes it a different dish; The masala must be fried until oil clearly separates before adding chicken — under-cooked masala makes the dish taste raw and dull; The final "dry roast" phase (uncovered, medium heat, all moisture gone) gives the characteristic lacquered, clinging masala finish

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

A bold, dark-red dry chicken preparation where bone-in pieces are slow-roasted in a generous amount of ghee with a tangy-spicy whole-spice masala — inspired by the Mangalorean original but adapted with Malvani masala and kokum, giving it a distinctly Konkan character.

⏱️80 minPrep

🔥45 minCook

🕒125 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Chicken Ghee Roast

Marinate (No heat): Mix chicken with marinade. Rest 1 hour minimum, up to overnight in refrigerator.
Fry onion (Heat: medium-high): Heat ghee in a wide, heavy pan. Add curry leaves — crackle. Add sliced onion — fry on medium-high for 12 minutes until deep golden. Remove half the onion for garnish.
Add masala paste (Heat: medium): Add ground masala paste to remaining onion in the pan. Fry on medium for 6–8 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until paste darkens to a deep red-black, oil separates, and the raw smell is completely gone.
Add chicken (Heat: high): Add marinated chicken pieces (scrape off excess marinade). Turn to high heat. Fry chicken in the masala for 8–10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until chicken is well-seared and the marinade has cooked off. The masala should be clinging to the chicken.
Slow roast (Heat: medium-low): Reduce to medium-low. Add jaggery and salt. Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, turning every 8 minutes. The chicken will release moisture that bastes it. Uncover the last 8 minutes — cook on medium heat until all moisture evaporates and the chicken is almost dry-roasted, with the thick masala forming a crust on each piece.
Finish: Drizzle a little extra ghee. Garnish with reserved fried onion, coriander and lime. Serve immediately — the ghee roast loses quality as it cools.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 510 kcal | 40 g | 9 g | 34 g | 2 g | Ghee roast originated in Kundapur, Coastal Karnataka, but has been embraced and adapted by Malvani and Konkan cooks who substituted Malvani masala and kokum for the original Kundapur masala. Today Malvani-style ghee roast is a restaurant staple in Goa-adjacent Maharashtra and in Mumbai Konkani restaurants. The generous use of ghee is a deliberate act of richness and celebration. ---

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