Kerala Style Roasted Chicken

I have always wanted to roast a chicken but my husband being a very “Moderate Eater”, I was always worried that it would be too much for us to finish. But then I accidentally bumped in to Maneka Nirmal’s Kerala Kitchen and saw her recipe for “Roast Chicken-Kerala style”- then there was no stopping me- my greed got over my senses. Maneka had the simple version of the roast chicken on her blog- I was ambitious and wanted my roast chicken with stuffing’s so finally after going through many recipes I decided to conjure out something which suited my taste. This recipe is largely inspired by Mallu Girl’s version of “Kozhi Nirachathu”.The chicken came out well and it was super delicious- my husband and I managed to finish the whole chicken in just 2 days. This is now one of our favourite dishes- a perfect something to have on a weekend night while enjoying a movie !!

You Need :

For Marinating

1. 1 Whole Chicken- Thoroughly Cleaned and De skinned. (Approx 1 kg)
2. Chilly Powder – 3 tbsp
3. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
4. Salt- As per Taste
5. Oil- 3 tbsp

For the Stuffing

1. Onion- 3 cups (thinly sliced)
2. Eggs- 1 nos (Hard Boiled & De Shelled)
3. Cashew Nuts- ½ cup
4. Biryani Masala Powder- 2 tbsp
5. Curry Leaves- 2 Sprigs
6. Peppercorns- 1 tbsp (Coarsely Crushed)
7. Mustard Seeds to splutter
8. Salt to taste

For the Gravy

1. Onions- 3 cups (finely chopped)
2. Tomato- 1 cup (finely chopped)
3. Tomato Puree- ½ cup
4. Garlic-Ginger Paste- 1 tbsp
5. Green Chillies- 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
6. Turmeric Powder-  ½ tsp
7. Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
8. Garam Masala- 2 tsp
9. Curry Leaves- 1 sprig
10. Coriander Leaves- 1 handful
11. Mustard to Splutter
12. Salt to Taste

Side Veggies (Optional)

1. Carrot : ½ cup (thickly diced)
2. Onion : ½ cup (thickly diced)
3. Capsicum : ½ cup (thickly diced)
4. Potatoes : ½ cup (thickly diced)

Other Ingredients

1. Olive Oil- ½ cup (you can use any oil as per your taste)
2. Salt to sprinkle
3. Pepper Powder to sprinkle

This is how you make it:Marinating the Chicken :

1. Thoroughly clean the chicken both inside and outside. Make slits on the chicken so that the marinade can penetrate well in to the chicken.
2. Make a thick paste with the chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt with olive oil. I prefer to make the paste with oil as it has a better consistency and will stick to the chicken better.
3. Rub this paste over and inside the chicken liberally.
4. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for atleast 1 hour. I usually let the chicken marinate overnight or a minimum of 6 hours.

Preparing the stuffing :

1. Splutter the mustard seeds in 3 tbsp olive oil.
2. Then splutter the curry leaves.
3. Before the curry leaves start turning brown, add the onions and sauté till the onions start turning brown.
4. Add the Biryani Masala. You may also use the ready made version. Mix the masala well with the onions and continue sautéing.
5. Add whole cashew nuts and the boiled egg.
6. Continue to sauté till the oil starts separating from the mixture.
7. Remove from fire and let it cool.

Preparing the chicken to roast :

1. Pre heat oven to 200 C.
2. Stuff the chicken: Push the egg in to the cavity and then onion mixture. Finally tie and secure the chicken with a kitchen twine. I didn’t have a kitchen twine so I used dental floss
3. Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Pour 1/4^th cup olive oil and place the chicken in the frying pan brown the chicken on all the four side in the frying pan (this process will take atleast 5 minutes on each sides).
4. Place the chicken (breast side down) on a baking dish and arrange the veggies (carrots, onions & potatoes) on the sides of the chicken. If there is any left over stuffing arrange these also along the sides.
5. Drizzle olive oil on the top of the chicken and over the veggies. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the veggies.
6. Place the chicken inside the oven and let it roast for around 45 minutes.
7. After 20 minutes turn the chicken (breast side up.)
8. After another 20 minutes turn the chicken back to breast side position and baste the chicken with the juice that has come out from the chicken. Continue the basting process at regular intervals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basting

Preparing the Gravy :

1. After placing the chicken in the oven start preparing the gravy.
2. Splutter a few mustard seeds in the oil which was used to brown the chicken.
3. Add the ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies and let it fry for 30-40 seconds.
4. Add the chopped onions and sauté till it turns transparent.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Now add the spices- turmeric, coriander powder and garam masala and salt to taste. Continue to sauté till the spices are well cooked.
7. Now add the tomato puree and mix well with the mixture and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes. (Make sure that it retains the thick liquidy consistency. If you feel that the mixture is drying up then add half a cup of water).
8. Remove from fire and let it cool.

Adding the Gravy to the Chicken :

1. After the first 40 minutes of roasting is over take the chicken out from the oven.
2. Pour the gravy over the chicken and drizzle the rest on sides of the chicken.
3. Slightly mix and toss the side veggies to ensure that the veggies have not stuck to the bottom of the dish.
4. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for another 30-40 minutes.
5. In between make sure that the chicken is well basted in regular intervals.

Remove the chicken from the oven and remove the twined. Carve after cooling. The taste gets better as the dish gets older.

Good Reading:

Patti’s Kerala Chicken Roast

Ginni Ann’s Roast Chicken with Indian Spices and a Pan Gravy

Reza Mahammad’s Stuffed Chicken

Sigsiv’s Whole Roast Chicken with Chestnuts

 

 

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