Chicken Cafreal (Galinha Cafreal) is a classic chicken dish from Goa, India, with roots in Portuguese cuisine. This Goan chicken curry recipe is made with succulent chicken marinated in homemade aromatic cafreal masala, pan-fried, or grilled.
Traditionally served with potato wedges, lemon wedges, or bread, learn to prepare this flavorful dish from Goan cuisine with step-by-step photos and a video tutorial.
What I love about this Goan Chicken Cafreal recipe is that it is so easy to prepare. Just marinate and cook. The unique flavor of Goan Cafreal curry lies in its homemade Cafreal masala used to marinate the chicken before it's pan-fried or grilled to perfection. It’s an amazingly aromatic, spicy, and tangy Goan chicken curry.
I've learned to cook Cafreal Chicken from my Goan neighbor. She told me that, similar to Chicken Xacuti, this rustic Goan chicken curry is also a Sunday special dinner/lunch dish in Goan households, often prepared on festive occasions.
Here's my tried and tested chicken cafreal recipe that we frequently make at home for weekend meals. I sometimes make it with boneless chicken thighs, stuff it into pav, and enjoy street-style cafreal pav at home. More Goan recipes that you might like are Goan Fish Curry, Chicken Vindaloo, Sorpotel, and Recheado Mackerels.
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About This Goan Chicken Cafreal (Galinha Cafreal) Recipe
The Chicken Cafreal recipe is a traditional dry or semi-dry Goan chicken curry with homemade Cafreal masala. This Goan cafreal curry is also known as Galinha Cafreal in Portuguese. "Galinha" means "chicken" in the Portuguese language. Cafreal is a dish of chicken in thick, spicy green gravy.
This Goan Galinha Cafreal is made with chicken marinated in a simple homemade green masala also called cafreal masala. Pan-fried or grilled to perfection. This masala gives the cafreal gravy a distinctive taste. It's spicy, sour, so aromatic, and has a fresh, herbal flavor.
Cafreal chicken is a popular Goan appetizer in restaurants and shacks in Goa. This Portuguese-influenced dish is traditionally served with potato wedges and lemon wedges. You can also serve it with Bread or Pav.
You may also like these other popular chicken recipes from this website:
Ingredient Notes
For Cafreal Masala
Cafreal masala is an aromatic green spice paste made by blending fresh coriander leaves, green chilies, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon, and cumin. It is ready in just 5 minutes with minimal ingredients and is surely a keeper. You can use this spicy and tangy paste in other Goan curries and marinades.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
For Goan Chicken Cafreal
- Chicken: Authentic Galinha Cafreal is prepared with whole chicken legs, which retain their juiciness during cooking. However, you can also make it with whole chicken (curry cut) or chicken thighs.
- Vinegar: You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or tamarind. Traditionally, Goan toddy vinegar is used to make this Goan Cafreal curry.
- Fresh Coriander leaves: They give fresh flavor and a green color to this Galinha cafreal. Do not substitute it with parsley or any other herbs.
- Ginger and Garlic: I used fresh ginger and garlic. You can also use store-bought ginger and garlic paste.
- Green Chilies: It is going to spice up this Goan chicken curry. The spiciness of green chilies differs. Add it as per your taste. You can deseed the green chilies to reduce their spiciness.
- Sugar: A dash of sugar- believe me, it won't make it sweet, but it balances the overall flavors.
- Whole spices: Cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and cumin.
- Powdered spices: Salt and turmeric powder.
- Oil: I have used sunflower oil for this Galinha cafreal gravy recipe. You can use any neutral-flavored oil that has a high smoke point.
How to make Chicken Cafreal (With Step-By-Step Photos)
1) Make a few gashes on the chicken.
Making Cafreal Masala
2) Make Cafreal Masala: Grind the ingredients mentioned under cafreal masala to a fine paste. Do not add more water to grind. We need a thick paste. Keep it aside.
Marinate the Chicken
3) Next, add this cafreal masala to the marinated chicken. Coat the chicken well with the green spice paste. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
Tip: Marinate overnight. The longer you marinate the chicken, the better it tastes.
Making Chicken Cafreal
4) After 2 hours, take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Keep it on the kitchen counter until it comes to room temperature.
5) Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Take out the marinated chicken and place it on the heated pan. Keep the remaining marinade in the bowl.
6) Pan-sear the chicken until golden on both sides. The chicken need not be cooked at this stage. If needed, add more oil.
7) Now, add 2 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked. Stir it in between as required.
8) Once the chicken is cooked, open the lid and cook it uncovered for 5 minutes or until the excess moisture dries up. Serve Cafreal chicken with potato wedges, Greek yogurt coleslaw, and lemon wedges. You can also serve Galinha cafreal with bread or pav.
Tips to make the Best Chicken Cafreal
- Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator. Marinating the chicken makes it tender, juicy, and flavorful. The chicken absorbs all the flavors and fresh aroma of the marinade. Do not skip this step.
- De-seed the green chilies if you prefer a less spicy cafreal.
- Be careful while adding water while grinding/blending the cafreal masala. Add less water to make a thick paste so that you can coat the chicken well with it.
- Galinha Cafreal is a semi-dry or dry Goan chicken curry. Do not add more water at any stage of cooking.
Recipe Card
Goan Chicken Cafreal Recipe (Galinha Cafreal)
Video
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Heavy bottom pan
Ingredients
Marinate the chicken
- 2 Whole chicken legs
Make Cafreal Masala
- 2 cup coriander leaves with stems
- 4-5 green chilies add as per taste
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- 1- inch ginger
- 1- inch cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon vinegar (Substitute: lemon juice or tamarind)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Other ingredients
- 3 tablespoon oil
- lemon wedges to garnish
Instructions
For Cafreal Masala
- Make Cafreal Masala: Make a few gashes on the chicken legs. Grind the ingredients mentioned under Cafreal Masala to a fine paste. Do not add more water to grind. We need a thick paste. Keep it aside.
Marinate the Chicken
- Next, add this Cafreal masala to the marinated chicken. Coat the chicken well with the masala. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
Making Chicken Cafreal
- After 2 hours, take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Keep it on kitchen counter until it comes to room temperature.
- Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
- Take out the marinated chicken and place it on the heated pan. Keep the remaining marinade in the bowl.
- Pan-sear the chicken until golden on both sides. The chicken need not to be cooked at this stage. If needed, add more oil.
- Add 2 teaspoon of oil to the pan. Pour the remaining marinade over chicken.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked. Stir it in between as required.
- Once the chicken is cooked, open the lid and cook it uncovered for 5 minutes or until the excess moisture dries up.
- Goan cafreal chicken curry is ready. Galinha Cafreal is served traditionally with roasted potato wedges and lemon wedges. You can also serve it with bread or pav.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator. Marinating the chicken makes it tender, juicy, and flavorful. The chicken absorbs all the flavors of the marinade. Do not skip this step.
- De-seed the green chilies if you prefer a less spicy cafreal.
- Be careful while adding water while making the cafreal masala. Add less water to make a thick paste so that you can coat the chicken well with it.
- This is a semi-dry or dry chicken dish. Do not add more water at any stage of cooking.
- Storage Suggestion
- Store the leftover cafreal within 2 hours of cooking.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature. Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days. Sprinkle some water over it, reheat on low heat until piping hot, and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Preeti
I’ve made this Chicken Cafreal recipe many times, and every bite is loaded with simple yet authentic Goan flavors. It’s full of spices, and so flavorful that you’ll love making it again and again.