Chicken rogan josh, is defined by its deeply flavoured & well spiced gravy, traditionally made with lamb this version is much quicker to make.
Featuring freshly ground mace, cardamom, cloves and star anise alongside classic Indian spices like cumin, coriander and turmeric this dish pack a wonderful punch of flavour!
Anglo Kashmiri Chicken Curry
This chicken rogan josh recipe is a rare request from readers and followers on social media.
My Kashmiri influenced lamb rogan josh recipe is one of the most popular on my site and I regularly get asked if it can be made with chicken.
The answer is of course yes and no. You could just swap out lamb for chicken and it would be tasty. But chicken and lamb are very different meats and you deserve better.
We have become accustomed to thinking that the protein element of a curry is entirely exchangeable. As far as I am concerned it ain’t good enough and we do not do it with any other cuisine!
In all of my recipes, I ensure that the sauce is tailored to the core part of the meal.
My lamb tikka masala and chicken tikka masala recipes, pork vindaloo and beef vindaloo and chicken dopiaza and beef dopiaza recipes are other examples of this approach.
As a result, I have gone back to the roots of my original recipe and rebuilt it for chicken.
Out goes the marinade period and the yoghurt that helps cut through the fattier lamb. Some of the spices get scaled back to recognise that chicken is not blessed with as much flavour as lamb.
And in comes a much more saucy curry reminiscent of the sort of chicken rogan josh you would find in a curry house.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use the whole spices?
No, not at all, you could use ground spices or even an off the shelf garam masala if you prefer.
I tend to use whole spices if I do not use the spices often. This is because ground spices lose their flavour much more quickly.
What is mace?
Mace is the outer coating of the nutmeg seed. It is not often associated with Indian food, but Jawantry features in many regional garam masala mixes.
I love the stuff and use it in everything from my chicken tikka biryani to my homemade Cumberland sausage… So yeah, kinda versatile!
Can this be made in advance?
Absolutely, this is a perfect curry to make up ahead of time. You can refrigerate after cooking for 2-3 days and it will be at its very best about a day after initially cooking.
To reheat add it to a medium (20cm) saucepan, add a lid and slowly bring it up to temperature.
It will freeze for up to 3 months. I would personally place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag and reheat slowly using the “boil in the bag” technique.
Serving Suggestions
If you have cooked one of my curry recipes before you probably know where this is gonna go… Naan bread, of course!
My tandoori style naan bread is the perfect gravy mop for the rich gravy from this chicken rogan josh.
Of course, bread is not the only “fruit” when it comes to curries and rice is a perennial favourite. I typically stick to plain boiled rice, although a nice pilau rice would be a great addition.
If you are looking for something to change up your curry sides then how about potatoes?
Both my roast Bombay potatoes or aloo methi recipes would be perfect with this delicious curry.
Of course, no Indian fakeaway is complete without poppadoms!
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- 30cm or 12″ frying pan, not nonstick if possible.
- Mortar and pestle or spice/coffee grinder.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe
Chicken rogan josh, a dish that is Kashmiri in origin, my version is coloured by the British Indian curries I grew up with in the 80's and 90's.
Ingredients
- 350g (12oz) Chicken Thighs
- Thumb Sized Piece Ginger
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Star Anise
- 3 Green Cardamom Pods
- 3 Cloves
- 1 Blade Mace
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper Corns
- 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 150g (1 Cup) Onion
- ¼ Tsp Ground Cumin
- ¼ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1½ Tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- ¾ Tsp Ground Coriander
- ¾ Tsp Ground Turmeric
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- 2 Tomatoes
- 150ml (⅔ Cup) Water
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into 2-3cm pieces.
- Blitz together the ginger and garlic with a little water to form a paste and massage it through the chicken.
- Cut the onion in half and peel it, then cut it into thin half-moon shapes about 3mm thick.
- Add the cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cloves, mace and star anise to a dry pan frying pan (not non-stick and round 30cm or 12" in diameter) and toast off over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.
- Grind these spices in a coffee grinder or a pestle and mortar.
- Reduce the heat in the pan to medium and add the cooking oil.
- When the oil is hot throw in the onions, and cook until they start to go golden brown which should take 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken along with the ground cumin and cinnamon, coriander, the spices that we ground up earlier, the Kashmiri chilli powder, and turmeric, then stir to combine.
- Season with the salt and cook for 5 minutes making sure you keep it moving as it will want to stick to the pan. This is normal and helps build flavour.
- Cut the tomatoes into 8 wedges each.
- After 10 minutes add in the tomato puree, tomato wedges and water and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low add a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid have a taste and add more salt if needed then cook uncovered for a final 3-5 minutes to thicken if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 422Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 782mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 8gSugar: 10gProtein: 21g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Jim
Tuesday 8th of August 2023
This was delicious but there were too many peppercorns in in for me. Half that amount, let it sit overnight and eat it the next day... wow! Thanks!
Brian Jones
Saturday 26th of August 2023
Glad you enjoyed it Jim... re peppercorns, we all like different stuff and that's cool, glad to have provided you a base for a recipe :)