Chicken Ghee Roast

Chicken Ghee Roast 

Chicken ghee bhuna is chicken roasted with clarified butter. This preparation of chicken is very tasty, full of flavors of spices like cardamom, clove, cinnamon and of nuts cashew, almonds. I have used chicken legs ( the person for whom I made loves chicken legs) but the choice of chicken pieces is left to individual only it should be with bones. 

Nutritional value  (Approx. Values) :

Energy : 600 calories (from fat of chicken) 

Trimmed and fat removed 440gm) 

Fat: 42 gm

Cholesterol : 250 mg (untrimmed chicken, trimmed and fat removed 130 mg.) 

Carbs : 3gm 

Proteins : 80 gm

Sugars : 0

Sodium : 1150 gm

Potassium : 665 gm

Dietary Fibers : 15 gm

Rich in 

Iron, Calcium Zinc, Phosphorus, Manganese, Copper Selenium 

Vtamins : A, B6, B12, E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, 

Micronutrients :

Preparation Time : 30 minutes 

Marination Time : 3 to 4 hours 

Cooking Time : 1 hour 

Servings : 2 Medium servings 

Ingredients Required For Making Chicken Ghee Roast :

• Chicken Pieces : 500 gm  (I took leg pieces) 
• Onion: 25 gm (1 medium size) 
• Garlic : 3 to 4 cloves 
• Ginger : 2 to 3 cm piece 
• Cashew : 6 
• Almonds : 6
• Raisins : 8 - 10
• Ghee (Clarified butter) : 30 ml melted / 5 teaspoon solid) 
• Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon 
• Green Cardamom : 2
• Cloves : 3 
• Cinnamon : 2 cm piece 
• Red chili powder : 1 Teaspoon (optional) 
• Salt : 1/2 Teaspoon ( or as per taste) 

For Marinade :

• Thick curd : 2 Table spoons 
• Ginger- Garlic paste : 2 teaspoons 
• Turmeric : 1/4 Teaspoon 
• Kashmiri red chili powder :1 Teaspoon 
• Red chili powder : 1Teaspoon (optional) 
• Salt 1/2 Teaspoon 
• Nutmeg powder :1/4 Teaspoon (I grate nutmeg) 

Marination :

• Mix all dry ingredients of marinade with curd and whisk nicely to mix and remove all lumps from curd. Marinade is ready. 
• Remove all skin, fat from chicken pieces. Now chicken is dressed and ready for marination 
• Poke chicken pieces with fork and apply the marinade to the chicken pieces. Make sure all sides are covered in marinade. 
• Cover and leave it in fridge for at least 4 hrs. I leave it in fridge for 8 to 10 hrs. The spices of marinade enter the chicken flesh nicely.

Marinated Chicken

• Soak cashew, Almonds and raisins in water for 30 minutes. When Almonds are soaked properly remove the skin from them and make fine paste of soaked almonds, cashew and raisins. Keep aside for further use. 

Cashew-Almond - Raisin paste 

• Peel and chop onion to small pieces. 
• Cut tomato to small pieces. 
• Remove skin from ginger, peel garlic and chop roughly. 
• Crush cardamom, cinnamon, cloves in a pestle mortar. 
• In a thick bottom cooking pan take 2ml. Ghee and heat it on high heat. To the hot ghee onions and lower the heat. Cook with occasionally stirring till onions start getting light brown color. 
• Immediately add crushed garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or so on low heat. The raw smell of ginger garlic will disappear. 
• Add tomatoes and cook on low heat till tomato becomes soft and mushy. 
• Let it cool. Once cooked make paste of the cooked mixture. Keep it aside for further use. 

Onion-Tomato paste 

• In a thick wok /cooking pan take ghee and heat it (do not bring it to smoking point).
• To the hot ghee add 
• Cumin seeds 
• Crushed spices mixture
• Cook for 30 seconds on low heat. 
• Put marinated chicken to the ghee and spices mixture. Do not add the liquid marinade left after taking out chicken. Keep it aside for further use. 

Left over marinade 

• Roast the chicken in ghee on medium heat. After 2 minutes of cooking turn over the pieces so that the spices and Ghee gets coated on both sides.
• Roast on medium heat for 5 minutes on medium heat with occasional turning over. The marinade on chicken pieces will dry up. 
• Pour half of the left over marinade on one side of the chicken pieces, turn them over and pour rest of the left over marinade on the chicken. Roast on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes on with occasional turning over to make sure all sides are cooked evenly. The chicken pieces will start getting golden brown color. 

Marinade poured over chicken 

Nicely roasted after pouring marinade 

• Add onion tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon salt, roast on low heat with turning it over two three times for 5 minutes. The moisture will evaporate, chicken will be coated with  spices nicely. 
• Check for salt and spiciness. Add according to your requirements. 

Salt, onion tomato paste added 

• Add cashew almond paste and roast with turning chicken over nicely for 5 minutes on medium heat. Chicken ghee roast is ready to be enjoyed with hot chapati /parantha. 

Chew-Almond - Raisin paste added 

Chicken Ghee Roast 

• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot "Chicken Ghee Roast" with Roti /Parantha or any type of bread. 

Chicken Ghee Roast 

Tips :

• Chicken pieces should not be too small. 
• If leg pieces are taken the cooking pan should be big enough for them to sit on ghee properly. 

• I took leg pieces because it was someone who loves leg pieces. Chicken curry cut is recommended mostly. 
• Roasting should be done on medium heat, it will make sure that all flavor of all spices seep into the chicken pieces and chicken is cooked evenly to perfection. 

Suggested Variations :

• Along with cashew-almond paste few pieces of Capsicum, few shallots can be added. They add some crunch and texture to the Chicken Ghee Roast "
• Always check chili powder for hotness before adding. Adjust accordingly.