Chicken Kosha

Name: Chicken Kosha
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Westbengal)
Ingredients: Chicken thighs (bone-in): 800g; Onion: 300g, finely sliced; Yogurt: 100g, whisked; Ginger paste: 1½ tbsp; Garlic paste: 1 tbsp; Turmeric: 1½ tsp; Red chilli powder: 2 tsp; Coriander powder: 1½ tsp; Cumin powder: 1 tsp; Garam masala: 1 tsp; Mustard oil: 5 tbsp; Salt: 1½ tsp; Sugar: ½ tsp; Bay leaf: 2; Bone-in thighs are essential — they stay juicy through the long kosha cooking; Never add too much water — if it becomes a gravy it's not kosha; The scraping of the bottom is what creates the flavour — don't skip; Resting time improves flavour considerably

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

Chicken thighs slow-fried in the kosha (dry-bhuna) style with dark onion masala and minimal water — bold, concentrated and deeply satisfying.

⏱️20 minPrep

🔥50 minCook

🕒70 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Chicken Kosha

Mix chicken with yogurt, half ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli, salt.
Rest 1 hour.
Fry onion in hot oil with bay leaf to very dark golden-brown.
Add remaining ginger-garlic; fry 3 min.
Add remaining spices; bhuna 5 min with water splashes.
Add marinated chicken.
Fry on high heat 5 min to sear.
Reduce to medium-low; cook stirring every 5 min, scraping bottom, for 25 min.
Add water only if absolutely sticking — maximum 50ml at a time.
Add sugar and garam masala; cook uncovered 5 min.
Masala should cling to chicken — no runny gravy.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 420 kcal | 44g | 14g | 20g | 2g | Chicken Kosha is the weeknight alternative to Kosha Mangsho — chicken cooks faster but the technique is identical. In Kolkata's countless neighbourhood restaurants (dhabas and small eateries), Chicken Kosha is the biggest-selling dinner item. It is eaten with paratha or rice and considered the reliable, satisfying end to a long weekday. ---

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