Chicken Rogan Josh

5 from 1 vote

Heady spices feature in abundance flavouring a rich and thick curry sauce that is at once sweet, fruity and smoky, with succulent chicken.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chicken rogan josh

Servings:

1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1kg / 2lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs
5 cardamon pods
2 This is an affiliate link.bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
100g / 1/3 cup This is an affiliate link.canned chopped tomatoes or 1 large chopped tomato
6 tbsp plain yogurt full fat
250ml / 1 cup This is an affiliate link.chicken stock or water
1 tsp This is an affiliate link.garam masala
Salt to taste

In a small food processor or a blender combine all the ingredients for the paste, blend till smooth. Set aside till needed.
In a large pan melt the ghee and add the chicken pieces seasoned with salt, brown over medium heat until golden but not cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan.
To the same pan add the cardamon pods, a cinnamon stick, two bay leaves and the cloves, cook while stirring until the bay leaves start to colour, then stir in the prepared paste and cook for 5 minutes or until there is no more liquid left, just visible oil around the edges and the paste will turn ruddy brown from red.
Add the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine, then bring the chicken back to the pan and stir till it is coated in the sauce, add in the yogurt 1 tbsp at a time. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, let it bubble away for for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Finish off with a sprinkling of garam masala, stir in and serve with basmati rice, naan or chapati.

Don't be intimidated by scratch curry—stay organized and take your time. To make it far simpler, I use Patak’s Rogan Josh paste (not sauce)
Traditionally, Rogan Josh is made with lamb, which is delicious but takes more time to cook. When I need to save time, I substitute with skinless, boneless chicken thighs, which cook quickly and are tasty and economical.
This recipe uses whole spices and ground spices in two separate stages. The whole spices will flavour the oil, and the ground spices are blended into a paste that permeates the meat. This extra detail is important for a restaurant-quality dish.
Kashmiri chilies are mild and can be substituted with paprika. I use 3 tsp + ½ tsp of cayenne for a smoky flavour with just a hint of heat. You can change the spiciness to your own taste by playing with these two ingredients.
Paprika can be used if you don’t have ground Kashmiri chili powder. Kashmiri chili is fruitier, while paprika is smokier, but either will lend the all-important red colouring to the dish. It's ground cayenne pepper that adds heat to the curry. You can shift this up or down to your preference.
Use full fat plain yoghurt or Greek yoghurt, but avoid low fat as it curdles. For an even richer curry sauce, use heavy (double (UK)) cream.
Sprinkle garam masala on the finished curry so its aroma stays vibrant when serving.