chicken rogan josh - Indian hotel style
You can make this rogan josh with chicken or lamb. Either way it is sure to please.
Servings: 2
Calories: 617kcal
Ingredients
The spice mix
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp tandoori masala
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper - butcher's grind is best (a little coarse)
- 1 tsp kasoor methi - dried fenugreek leaves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
rogan josh
- 3 tbsp neutral oil e.g. vegetable oil
- 1 2 inch cinnamon bark - cassia
- 3 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom (optional but a nice touch)
- 1/2 onion - cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste - recipe link below
- the spice mix from above
- 1 tbsp plain yoghurt - I like full fat Greek yoghurt for this
- 1 cup Indian hotel curry gravy - Recipe link in the notes. It's meant to be thick. The juices from the chicken will thin it and you can adjust it to taste at the end.
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves and stems - finely diced
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 4 pieces each
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
Do your prep
- Measure out your spices. Prep your chicken. Measure out a cup (237 ml) of Indian hotel curry gravy.
- Cut your cherry tomatoes. Mince the cilantro.
Make the chicken rogan josh
- Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan over medium heat until the oil just starts to shimmer.
- Add the cinnamon bark, green cardamom and black cardamom if using. Let the whole spices cook for about 30 seconds. You should see little bubbles forming around the spices. If you don't, your oil is not hot enough.
- Add the onion pieces. Cook until the they are softened, stirring fairly constantly.
- Stir in the garlic ginger paste. Gently fry until the garlic ginger paste stops sputtering. This can get a little messy.
- Turn your heat down to medium low and add your spice mix. Cook for about 30 seconds. You want to fry your spices in the oil. There are fat soluble compounds in spices. You are making magic happen at this point.
- Add the yoghurt. Stir it well. Fry for about 30 seconds. I know frying yoghurt is odd. But it makes a difference. Just trust me. The yoghurt needs to get cooked out. It will be fine.
- Add the Indian hotel curry gravy. Stir it really well to get the oil to combine with the curry gravy. You want everything mixed together. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the cilantro.
- Add the chicken thigh pieces in a single layer. Nestle them down into the sauce. Cover and cook about 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid, flip the chicken and replace the lid. Continue simmering until the chicken is done. You are shooting for an internal temperature of 160F. It will get to 170F as the curry finishes cooking. Not a bad idea to get an instant read thermometer if you don't have one. Done is not subjective. It's a measurement. You are guessing otherwise.
- At this point you have a decision to make. If the chicken threw a lot of liquid the sauce might be right. My guess is you'd like it a bit thinner. More like a restaurant sauce. Add a couple tablespoons of chicken stock. Check it again. If it's still too thick, add a bit more stock. I've never added more than a 1/4 cup.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, cover, and simmer for another minute or so.
- Chicken rogan josh goes great with rice or chapatis - or both if you feel like treating yourself.
Notes
If you want to make rogan josh with lamb, substitute pre-cooked lamb for chicken and add 1/4 cup of chicken stock (not bouillon cubes) when you add the lamb.
To pre-cook lamb combine 1 pound of diced lamb shoulder with 2 tsp of the curry powder of your choice, 1 tsp of salt and enough water to cover. Simmer gently until the lamb is fork tender. This can take 1 to 2 hours. When the lamb is tender, drain, reserve about 1/2 cup of the broth for the final curry and proceed with the recipe. You won't need to cook the curry as long as the lamb is pre-cooked.
Make your Indian hotel curry gravy ahead of time. It does take time to make so think about doing it the day before. You can freeze one cup portions and pull them out when you need them. That's what I do.
For maximum flavour consider making your garlic ginger paste from scratch. I know I say this a lot but it makes such a difference.
1 cup is 237 ml.
Nutrition
Serving: 2servings | Calories: 617kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 1272mg | Potassium: 983mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 920IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 5mg