Authentic Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast | Ghee Roast Chicken

This chicken ghee roast, also known as Kundapur ghee roast, is a popular, easy-to-make Mangalorean dish from a coastal city in Karnataka, India. Tender chicken marinated and cooked in a tangy, spicy ghee roast masala. Enjoy this restaurant-style spicy chicken with neer dosa or steamed rice. Learn to prepare this flavorful dish at home with simple step-by-step photos and a video tutorial.

What I love the most about this Mangalorean chicken ghee roast recipe is the aroma of ghee, the heat of red chilies, and the succulent flavor of tender chicken. They all combine to create a dish that’s not only flavorful but so delicious that you will love it.

As a true Mangalorean, I adore all our spicy dishes like this Ghee Roast Chicken, Prawns Ghee Roast, Chicken Sukka, Prawn Sukka, Kori Gassi (Chicken Curry), Mackerel (Bangda) Fish Curry, and Rava Fish Fry.

About This Chicken Ghee Roast

This chicken ghee roast recipe is easy to make semi-dry spicy Mangalorean chicken curry. This dish is a blend of silky smooth ghee roast masala clinging to tender chicken, with a hint of spice.

Don't worry about the spiciness of this ghee roast recipe. Roasting them in ghee reduces their heat and develops a rich flavor without overwhelming spiciness. Tamarind adds a tang and jaggery adds a sweetness that balances the spicy flavor. It's so mild, that even my kids (age 8) love to have it.

The chicken marinated and cooked in a spice blend, becomes incredibly tender after a slow simmer in ghee. Each bite of this ghee roast chicken bursts with the warmth of fiery red chilies, the earthiness of coriander and cumin, and the richness of ghee. Traditionally this ghee roast chicken is served with neer dosa but you can also enjoy it with steamed rice, roti, or Malabar paratha.

While many Mangalorean restaurants offer their twist on this dish, this chicken ghee roast recipe draws inspiration from Shetty Lunch Home in Kundapur, where the iconic Ghee Roast is said to have originated. Here's how to make chicken ghee roast.

You may also like some other popular Chicken recipes from this website

1. Chicken 65
2. Chili Chicken
3. Chicken Pasanda
4. Hyderabadi Chicken Masala
5. Andhra Chicken Fry
6. Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

Ingredients Notes

Homemade ghee roast masala is the star of the dish. While roasting and grinding your masala takes time, the resulting blend infuses dishes with a depth of flavor unmatched by store-bought options. This ghee roast masala can be added to other ghee roast recipes like prawn ghee roast or paneer ghee roast.

• Chicken - This chicken ghee roast recipe is versatile. You can use either boneless or bone-in chicken. Bone-in chicken adds a touch more flavor. Alternatively, swap the chicken for prawns and create a delicious prawns ghee roast.
• Ghee/clarified butter - Ghee provides richness, a wonderful aroma, and a silky smooth texture to the dish. Slow-roasting the spices in ghee with curry leaves releases their aromatic essential oils, enhancing the flavor and aroma. Do not reduce the quantity of ghee - It's ghee roast chicken. Use fresh homemade ghee. If using store-bought ghee, ensure it is fresh (check the manufacturing date).
• Byadgi Chilies - Dried byadagi red chilies give a vibrant red color and spiciness to this ghee roast chicken recipe. You can substitute it with Kashmiri red chilies.
• Tamarind - This is a common ingredient used in Mangalorean cuisine. It gives a tangy taste to the masala. You can substitute it with lemon juice. But the taste will slightly differ.
• Curry leaves - Gives a nice South Indian flavor to this Mangalorean ghee roast chicken. If you do not have it then skip it.

How to make Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast with Step by Step Photos

Marinate the chicken

• Combine chicken, yogurt, salt, and turmeric powder in a mixing bowl. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes. (images 1 & 2). For best results marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Do not skip this step. It will keep the chicken nice and moist, preventing it from drying when we roast it with ghee.

Make the Ghee Roast Masala

• Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Dry roast coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, pepper, fennel, cloves, and cinnamon until aromatic. Remove and set this aside on a plate. (image 3)
• In the same pan dry roast red chilies until crisp. Remove and set this aside on a plate. (image 4). Let all the roasted ingredients cool down completely. (image 5)
• Deseed the red chilies to reduce the spiciness. This step is optional. (image 6)
• Add all the roasted ingredients to the mixer or grinder jar.
• To this add garlic cloves and tamarind. Now add ¼ cup of water and grind to a fine paste. You have to add less water to grind the masala. Otherwise, it will be difficult to roast the masala. (image 7)
• Homemade ghee roast masala is ready. Set this aside. (image 8)

Making the Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast

• Heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the marinated chicken and cook it until the color of the chicken turns from pink to white. (image 9 & 10)
• Next, cook until the marinade thickens (2-3 minutes). The chicken will not be completely cooked at this stage. We will cook it again with ghee roast masala later. (image 11)
• Remove it to a bowl. Keep it covered. (image 12)

• To the same pan add 2 teaspoon ghee. Set the heat to medium-low.
• Add curry leaves and ghee roast masala. (image 13)
• Stir and cook the masala. After 3-4 minutes the ghee roast masala will start sticking to the pan. This is the time to add another 2 teaspoon ghee and continue to cook the masala. (image 14)
• Taste the ghee roast masala and add salt. Be careful, we have already added salt while marinating the chicken. (image 15)
• You have to cook the masala stirring continuously. Keep adding ghee at regular intervals until the masala starts to release ghee from the sides. (It may take 15-20 minutes). (image 16)

• Next, add the chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with the ghee roast masala. (image 17)
• Add 1 tablespoon ghee and combine. (image 18)
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Stir it in between so the masala does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
• Finally, add jaggery, lemon juice, and curry leaves. (image 19)
• Cook it for a minute and remove it from the heat.
• Serve this Mangalorean chicken ghee roast with neer dosa or rice and dal. (image 20)

Tips to make the best chicken ghee roast

1. For authentic Mangalore chicken ghee roast, the byadgi red chilies are soaked in hot water and then ground with the roasted spices. It makes the masala extra smooth in texture.
2. While marinating the chicken for this ghee roast recipe is optional, but it's highly recommended. It ensures the chicken stays nice and moist during cooking.
3. Dry roast all the ingredients on medium-low heat. Make sure to stir them frequently so that they get roasted evenly and to avoid the spices from burning.
4. The slow roasting of spices and chicken in ghee/clarified butter enhances the flavor of the dish. Do not increase the heat to fasten the cooking process, it can burn the masala. Also, stir it continuously while cooking.
5. Be careful when adding water while grinding the ghee roast masala. If you add more water than required then it will be difficult to roast the masala and the cooking time will increase. It will take more time to evaporate the water content from the masala.
6. Use a heavy/thick bottom pan. It will prevent masala from sticking to the pan as this recipe requires a lot of roasting.

Frequently Asked Questions

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5 from 5 votes

Chicken Ghee Roast Recipe (Ghee Roast Chicken)

This Mangalorean chicken ghee roast is also known as Kundapur chicken ghee roast or ghee roast chicken, is a semi-dry chicken curry from Mangalorean cuisine. It is made with succulent pieces of chicken, marinated and cooked in fiery red, tangy, and spicy ghee roast masala. Serve with Neer Dosa, Roti, or Steamed rice.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, mangalorean

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 450kcal

Author Preeti

Equipment

• 1 Heavy bottom pan
• 1 Mixing bowl

Ingredients

To marinate the chicken

• 500 g chicken with bones
• ¼ cup yogurt/curd
• salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

For Ghee roast masala

• 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 15 nos fenugreek seeds (or a pinch)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon pepper (reduce it to half if you prefer less spicy)
• 1 teaspoon fennel
• 4 cloves
• 1- inch cinnamon
• 10-12 bedgi red chilies substitute Kashmiri red chilies
• 8 garlic cloves
• a small ball of tamarind

Other ingredients

• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon of ghee, divided (clarified butter)
• 3 spring curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon jaggery
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice Add as per taste

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

• In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, yogurt, salt, and turmeric powder. Marinate for 30 minutes. For best results marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Making Ghee Roast Masala

• Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Dry roast coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin, pepper, fennel, cloves and cinnamon until aromatic. Remove and set this aside on a plate.
• In the same pan dry roast red chilies until crisp. Remove and set this aside on a plate.
• Let all the roasted ingredients cool down completely. Deseed the red chilies to reduce the spiciness. This step is optional.
• Transfer all the roasted ingredients to the mixer or grinder jar. To this add garlic cloves and tamarind. Now add ¼ cup of water and grind to a fine paste. You have to add less water to grind the masala. Otherwise, it will be difficult to roast the masala. Homemade ghee roast masala is ready. Set this aside.

Cooking the Chicken

• Heat 2 teaspoon of ghee in a heavy bottom pan over medium high heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook it until the color of chicken turns from pink to white.
• Next, cook until marinade thickens (2-3 minutes). The chicken will not be completely cooked at this stage. Remove it to a bowl. Keep it covered.

Making Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast

• To the same pan add 2 teaspoon ghee. Set the heat on medium-low. Add curry leaves and ghee roast masala.
• Stir and cook the masala. After 3-4 minutes the masala will start sticking to the pan. This is the time to add 2 teaspoon ghee and continue to cook the masala.
• Taste the masala and add salt. Be careful, we have already added salt while marinating the chicken.
• You have to cook the masala stirring continuously. Keep adding ghee at regular intervals until the masala starts to release ghee from the sides. (It may take 15-20 minutes).
• Next, add the chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with the masala. Add 1 tablespoon ghee and combine.
• Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Stir it in between so the masala should not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
• Finally, add jaggery, lemon juice and curry leaves. Cook it for a minute and remove from heat.
• Serve this ghee roast chicken with Neer dosa or steamed rice and dal.

Video

Notes

• Dry roast all the ingredients on medium-low heat. Make sure to stir them frequently so that they get roasted evenly and to avoid the spices from burning.
• For authentic Mangalore ghee roast recipes, the byadgi red chilies are soaked in hot water and then ground with the roasted spices. It makes the masala extra smooth in texture.
• Use fresh homemade pure ghee for better aroma & flavor. Or if using store-bought ghee, make sure it is fresh (check the manufacturing date). Old ghee may give a bad smell & can spoil the dish.
• The slow roasting of spices and chicken in ghee/clarified butter enhances the flavor of the dish. Do not increase the heat to fasten the cooking process, it can burn the masala. Also, stir it continuously while cooking.
• Be careful when adding water while grinding the masala. If you add more water than required then it will be difficult to roast the masala. Also, the cooking time will increase. It will take more time to evaporate the water content from the masala.
• Use a heavy/thick bottom pan. It will prevent masala from sticking to the pan as this recipe requires a lot of roasting.
• Storage - Leftover ghee roast can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 5 days. Reheat it until piping hot and serve. Store the leftovers within 2 hours of preparing the dish.
• You can prepare the ghee roast masala in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer. Stays good for 15 days.
• Storage & Reheating
  • • Store the leftover Mangalorean chicken ghee roast within 2 hours of preparing the dish. It can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 5 days.
  • • To reheat - Reheat it on the stovetop in a heavy bottom pan over medium-low heat until piping hot and serve.
  • • You can prepare the ghee roast masala in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer. Stays good for 15 days.
  • • Before consuming the stored leftovers, always check for any signs of spoilage like black spots, foul smell, bad taste, etc. if there are any such signs discard them immediately.