Dry Chicken Ghee Roast

Updated: August 6, 2022, By Swasthi

Dry Chicken Ghee Roast is a South Indian style chicken roast where chicken is cooked with spices and later roasted to perfection until aromatic and really delicious. This dry chicken ghee roast goes well as a side with plain rice, Rasam alongside any Vegetable Curry. You may also serve this with roti, paratha or chapati.

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Dry Chicken Ghee Roast

Chicken Roast

Chicken roast is one of the popular dishes made in various cultures, across the world and you are likely to find a zillion versions of the dish. There is whole chicken roast, chicken leg roast, Thigh roast etc.

This recipe of chicken roast is made with whole cut-up chicken that is bone-in. However you may use chicken legs, thighs or even bone-less cut chicken.

As the name suggests this is a dry dish meaning there is no sauce or gravy but it has a lot of aromatic and delicious semi-dry masala that coats the chicken. This recipe yields chicken roast that is tender, juicy, flavorful and super delicious.

About the Recipe

Ghee is the key ingredient used in this chicken roast but it can be replaced with butter. At home we call this the chicken ghee roast and a point to note is that this is not the same as Mangalorean chicken ghee roast.

This recipe is my Mom’s specialty and growing up this was our favorite Sunday dinner with steamed rice and rasam. Whoever has tasted this in our home has always complimented us and gotten back for the recipe.

To begin with chicken is cooked till tender with all the spices/masala and then ghee roasted with curry leaves and crushed black pepper. Curry leaves and pepper lend a great flavour to the chicken.

This is an easy make ahead recipe where you can cook the chicken, cool and refrigerate for the next few days. When you are ready to serve just roast the chicken under 5 mins & enjoy.

To make dry chicken ghee roast, left over good chicken curry can also be used. That’s how I end up making this most times. Just follow the step by step photos from step 2. Any curry that has been prepared with yogurt or tomatoes or lemon juice goes well to make this yummy chicken ghee roast.

More Chicken Recipes
Chicken Varuval
Garlic Chicken
Pepper Chicken
Lemon Chicken

Photo Guide

How to make Dry Chicken Ghee Roast (Stepwise Photos)

You can skip this step if you are using any leftover curry to make the ghee roast. or Marinate chicken with crushed onions, ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, lemon juice, garam masala, pudina or coriander leaves and ghee. Cook on a low flame till the meat is tender and soft. If there is surplus moisture left after cooking chicken, evaporate it by cooking on a medium high flame.

Add ghee to a pan, Fry curry leaves and garlic. set aside few curry leaves for garnish.

spices for dry chicken ghee roast

Add cooked chicken and fry till the masala dries up.

cooked chicken in ghee

Sprinkle pepper powder and salt if needed to adjust. Fry for about one to two minutes till you get a nice aroma of pepper, ghee and curry leaves.

roasting chicken

Garnish chicken ghee roast with curry leaves that were set aside.

Dry chicken ghee roast recipe

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

dry chicken ghee roast

Dry Chicken Ghee Roast

5 from 9 votes
Super flavorful, delicious and easy to make dry chicken ghee roast. Tender and juicy chicken coated with roast masala. Serve it with rice and rasam or simply as a side.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings3
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 3 sprigs curry leaves , fresh
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • ½ tablespoon black pepper , coarsely crushed (adjust to taste)

To Marinate and cook or use any left over curry

  • ½ kg chicken (1.1 lbs bone-in or boneless chicken)
  • 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon mint leaves , pudina or chopped coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric or as needed
  • 1½ teaspoon Garam masala
  • 1½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to suit your taste)
  • 1 large onions or 2 medium (coarsely crushed or pulsed in grinder)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

Instructions

  • To a pot, add chicken along with the ingredients mentioned under to marinate.
  • Mix everything well and cook on a low flame till the chickn is tender and cooked completely.
  • If you find moisture in the pot, Cook on a slightly high flame and evaporate it. Set this aside for about 30 to 45 minutes.

How to Make Dry Chicken Ghee Roast

  • Heat a pan with ghee. Add chopped curry leaves and garlic. Fry until the curry leaves turn crisp. You can set aside few leaves for garnish if you want.
  • To the pan, add the cooked chicken and begin to roast until all of the moisture dries up.
  • When the masala gets roasted well but not burnt, sprinkle black pepper and salt if needed.
  • Fry till you get a nice an aroma of pepper chicken ghee roast, for about 2 mins. The dish is done when the masala becomes aromatic. Switch off the flame.
  • Garnish with curry leaves. Serve dry chicken ghee roast with rice and rasam or with roti. Squeeze some lemon juice if you want.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Dry Chicken Ghee Roast
Amount Per Serving
Calories 554 Calories from Fat 360
% Daily Value*
Fat 40g62%
Saturated Fat 16g100%
Cholesterol 163mg54%
Sodium 146mg6%
Potassium 515mg15%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 730IU15%
Vitamin C 54.4mg66%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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Comments

5 from 9 votes (9 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




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5 stars
I haven’t understood the recipe. You haven’t mentioned marination in the recipe card. Also you say to marinate with crushed onion which is missing in the card. Please clarify. I have followed all your chicken recipes with excellent results.

5 stars
Hello Swathi

I felt I owed you a review. I only recently started cooking as I always had my MIL at home with me. For a beginner, who didn’t know the ABC of cooking, your recipes are what I come back to always. Even after cooking various dishes now from other websites, yours always remain a favourite.

Thankyou for helping beginners like me. Much love!

5 stars
Ez to make

5 stars
Dear Swasthi ji, I learnt and have been cooking your recipes for last 7-8 years. They come out so wonderful. My wife and children love all my non veg dishes.
Thanks keep at it. We all appreciate my cooking, everyone at home feels I am genius. Haha and I take all the credit. Sorry cheating

5 stars
Just tried this recipe, this turned out excellent …thank you

How can do a chicken 65?

5 stars
Dear Swati, I love your recipes slot and I do follow those to cook delicious food for my family. If I say that that I learnt Indian cooking by seeing your recipes, that’s true. I am a srilankan who knew nothing about Indian cooking. Thank you and continue to do the same. All the best.

5 stars
Tried this recipe today. Must say it was too yummy. Happy that it came out really well. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Looking forward to try many more from your collections ?

I followed ur exact recipe but my chicken looks almost white in color…nothing like ur pic and not even brown…since i used boneless i even added 1/4 tsp more garam masala and chilli powder too…and still it looks blank…why? What did i do wrong?

5 stars
I never thought chicken will be tasty with this simple recipe.. thanks for the recipe.. very easy to make and liked it so much..

5 stars
Thank you so much its very very easy to cook i loved it 🙂

5 stars
Thank you for your recepie for dry roasted chicken. It turned out very tasty.

4 stars
Most of the recipes I tried were really delicious

5 stars
Liked it a lot…homemade n healthy,,easy to prepare.thanks

5 stars
Today I made peper chicken masala as your instruction. Yield is very very very…..supr.
your instruction is exact and hand made masala gives more taste….
.ch..ch…ch….
Thanks more…

Love masala : )

nce swathi chicken roast without tomoto looks yummy and easy too