Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe, an easy chicken curry full of flavour that makes a great midweek dinner. It's ready in about half an hour, and it's as good as the take-away version, but a lot healthier.
Another curry recipe from me; I must have posted quite a few lately. I quite like a good homemade curry, chicken curry especially, because I can control the amount of heat that goes into it.
The ready-made versions that shops have in offer, although nice, some of them are way too spicy for my liking.
I'm not against spicy food, and I get that curries by definition have a certain level of spiciness, but there is spicy and unbearably spicy.
Can't really deal well with the latter. I like tasting the food I eat, and enjoying the ingredients that went into it, rather than just feeling fire going through my stomach.
So, yeah, this is another mild curry for me, but which, of course, can be tweaked to your own liking. Feel free to add more chillies or chilli powder, and make this chicken rogan josh as spicy as you like.
Jump to:
What is a rogan josh curry?
One would be tempted to think that all curries are pretty much the same, given that they use pretty much the same kind of spices, but actually, each of them have their own cooking technique, and aroma that is so unique.
Rohan Josh is a meat dish of Kashmiri origin, and is traditionally cooked with red meat, especially lamb. Now, there are lots of variations, as you can imagine, some people say this curry does not use yogurt nor tomatoes, but western interpretations of this curry tend to add both of them.
In the UK, where curry is considered a national dish, lots of recipes have been adapted to appeal to our taste buds, which means not all of them are pure traditional recipes. But, they are as good and tasty as one can get.
This chicken rogan josh is my own version of the popular dish, I opted to use onions and tomato puree as a base for the curry sauce, and a range of spices like: chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, garam masala and ground cinnamon. Plus, the usual culprits: ginger, garlic and green chillies.
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Ingredients used
- chicken breast - it's my preferred part of the chicken to use in curries, but chicken thighs or legs can work too
- onion - it can be either yellow, red or shallots
- garlic
- ginger - I used fresh ginger, but you can use ground ginger if you don't have fresh
- red chilli - rogan josh is a spicy curry, if you don't have red chillis, you can use chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- paprika - it adds the red colour the dish is famous about
- ground cinnamon - another unusual addition to an Indian curry recipe, the cinnamon adds a touch of sweetness
- water -since there is no need for a tomato sauce here, the water is the only liquid that helps the chicken cook
Step-by-step photos and instructions
The curry sauce is what makes this chicken rogan josh so special; it's beautifully fragrant and coats the chicken pieces very well.
- chop the onions, garlic and ginger, then blend them until you get a smooth paste
- heat up the oil in a large pan, add the paste, and fry on a low heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden
- add the spices and green chillies, and add the chicken and mix to coat
- pour over the water and add the tomato puree, and leave to cook on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened
- season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with coriander (cilantro)
Tips and FAQ
Unlike many chicken curries that are very saucy, rogan josh doesn't have as much sauce, this only coats the chicken when it's cooked, but there isn't much around.
The sauce is traditionally spicy, but you can dial down on the heat if you'd rather go for a more mild version, especially if you cook for children too.
The sauce cooks very quickly, so keep an eye on it, as it can easily burnt. There is no need to add any other liquid to the sauce, or it won't be rogan josh anymore.
Absolutely! To defrost, you can either microwave it, or add it to an ovenproof dish, and heat it up until it's bubbling hot.
Yes! Just make the sauce, then add the leftover chicken towards the end, it only needs to heat it up, since it's already cooked.
Other chicken curry recipes
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Easy Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 cm fresh ginger (1 inch)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh coriander (cilatro) to garnish
- 1 green chilli (deseeded)
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Instructions
- Peel and chop the onions, garlic and ginger, then blend to a smooth paste.
- Heat up the oil in a large pan, and fry the paste for 3-4 minutes on a low heat until slightly golden.
- Add the spices and chopped green chilli, mix well, then add the chicken cut into pieces and mix to coat.
- Increase the heat to medium, then add the tomato puree and water, and leave to cook with a lid on for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with coriander leaves.
Notes
- Unlike many chicken curries that are very saucy, rogan josh doesn't have as much sauce, this only coats the chicken when it's cooked, but there isn't much around.
- The sauce is traditionally spicy, but you can dial down on the heat if you'd rather go for a more mild version, especially if you cook for children too.
- The sauce cooks very quickly, so keep an eye on it, as it can easily burnt. There is no need to add any other liquid to the sauce, or it won't be rogan josh anymore.
Sarel Marais says
Looks good will try you recipes.
Philip Stevens says
Impressed, that was good.
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad you enjoyed it!
Nicole says
This is delicious. I browned as per usual and then sealed in a pressure cooker for 25. So yum!
Daniela Apostol says
Glad you liked it!
Chetan Rathod says
Daniella, I think you have toned down the Chicken Rogan Josh recipe and have used less spices. This is what is revealed from the picture you have shared because the original Rogan Josh is spicy and colourful. It is nice to see you explore the Indian cuisine your way. Keep sharing such interesting posts.
Daniela Anderson says
Yes, l usually simplify international recipes to cater for all tastes. Most original curry recipes are too spicy for me, so l make them mild. They are still very tasty though!