Chicken Rogan Josh Kashmir Influenced Curry

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 packs 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.

I take a different approach, and 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.

I've also got a recipe for a vegetable rogan josh for those of you catering for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet.

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 ahead of time. You can refrigerate it 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. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12" frying pan, not nonstick if possible.
• Mortar and pestle or spice/coffee grinder.
• Kitchen knife.
• Chopping board.
• Mini blender.
• A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
• Stirring and serving spoons.