• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Instant pot recipes
    • Main course recipes
      • Appetizer Recipes
      • Beverages
      • Fall recipes
      • Easy impressive meals for company
      • Baking Recipes
      • Indian desserts for all occasions
      • Salad Recipes
      • Seafood
      • pasta
      • Rice Recipes
      • Breads
      • Vegetable curry recipes
      • Dry side dish recipes
      • Dips and pickles
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Traditional Kerala recipes
      • Sadhya Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
    • Around the World
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
elephants and the coconut trees
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Instant pot recipes
    • Main course recipes
      • Appetizer Recipes
      • Beverages
      • Fall recipes
      • Easy impressive meals for company
      • Baking Recipes
      • Indian desserts for all occasions
      • Salad Recipes
      • Seafood
      • pasta
      • Rice Recipes
      • Breads
      • Vegetable curry recipes
      • Dry side dish recipes
      • Dips and pickles
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Traditional Kerala recipes
      • Sadhya Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
    • Around the World
×

Whole Roasted Chicken- Kerala Style with step by step pictures / Whole Roasted Chicken in spicy Indian masala with less oil/ Christmas Special Menu

Last Updated on December 22, 2013

Share
Pin26
Tweet
Whole roasted chicken, a tested and successful recipe is shared with you.

Every year for Thanksgiving umpteen number of turkey recipes float so I adapted the technique and made this chicken  using our spices to get the authentic taste of Kerala chicken. So this post is for all those who wanted to try roast chicken instead of turkey.

I have made different flavored whole chicken few times earlier too but they were all for dinner and without light I could never take pictures.So this time during Thanksgiving long weekend  I prepared everything early for lunch and took some portion for few photos and put it back fast so I would not deprive my family the fun of digging into warm food. I could not do justice to pics as much as I would have loved to but I guess that's ok because the best part is always seeing the joy on my daughter's face biting into a yummy warm chicken piece.

Before we go to the recipe:

  • The items served are whole roasted  chicken ,onion gravy (recipe below), Fruit and nut pilaf  is very similar to Cranberry Pistachio pilaf ( i used cashewnut and raisins here all the rest is same) then  a simple yogurt based salad here's a better one Beetroot raita. Some Veg Cutlet too would be really nice.
  • I have not removed  the chicken skin because it keeps the meat tender and juicy , the skin crisps up u can almost hear the crunch when u take a bite.
  • Every oven is different so please keep an eye on the heat and browning of meat.
  • Plan ahead.


FOR THE WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN 
Ingredients:
Chicken -3 lb (with skin)
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/3 tsp
Salt to taste

Baker twine - to tie the legs
Red onion 2 large - For the bed

Spices to be dry roasted and powdered :(dry)
Cinnamon - small piece
Cloves-5
cardamom- 3
Black pepper- 1 tsp
Whole red chili - 4
Coriander seeds- 11/2 tbsp

Spices to be ground to paste :(wet)
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Garlic 8-10 flakes
Green chili -1
Small onion/shallot - 4
Curry leaves - a few

PART 1 - To marinate
Wash the chicken well outside and inside well.Pat it dry with a paper towel on the outside.
mix the dry spices with red chili powder,turmeric powder and salt. slowly separate the skin from the flesh.Make few gashes/pokes on the flesh inside the chicken with knife also on the flesh outside   without tearing bruising the skin  (This is very important as the shin holds all the juices inside )

Then use ur lovely hands to apply the spices evenly into all pockets u can reach. Apply on all sides and inside too.Then do the same for the ground wet spices.Tie the legs with a twine and wipe all the leftover spices on ur hands on the skin.

Marinate and keep it in fridge(not freezer) for at least 2-3 hours ideally overnight.Bring it to room temperature before putting into oven.

PART 2 - To roast:
Tuck the chicken wing edge to the back.(to avoid burning of wing tip) Cut two large onions into two and lay the bed.On top of that carefully place the chicken pour around two glasses of water into the baking pan.Cover  the pan tightly with aluminium foil.U may require two sheet to cover the whole thing.

Preheat oven to 350 F and put the pan on the middle rack and cook for 1 hour then turn it upside carefully add some more water to the pan if it is dried up and cover with the foil again and bake for another 1 hour.The steam formed inside the pan cooks the chicken evenly and the onion bed enables even circulation of heat.

PART 3 -For final coating

Red chili powder -1 tsp (don't add more as it will burn the chicken skin faster)
Cooking oil 2-3 tsp ( Use butter if you like )

Remove the onions from the pan and drain the liquid  and keep it aside.

Now mix the oil and chili powder and apply evenly on both sides of the chicken with a basting brush and return it into the pan.
Roast in 350F for half an hour( front up) and then turn and roast another half an hour( back up).If u feel it is browning too much take the aluminium foil used earlier and put it back loosely on top of the chicken but this time need not tuck and close sides.

Remove from oven when done and let it cool down for some time before u cut so the juices wont flow out.

Leftover chicken: After u cut and serve all the pieces there would be some meat left around the rib and bones.Separate and rip the meat using ur lovely hands and use it for chicken cutlet or Chicken thoran the next day.

Here comes the best part all the fat that was left in the pan after roasting ... all those who are worried about fat in the chicken....now u are in the safe zone :))

U can discard the fat.
Note
  • The first time I made tandoori whole roasted chicken it tasted really awesome but there were two big mistakes I did one I did not tie its legs and two I did not make any veg bed..The chicken looked odd and was sinking in pan with the fat and juices in the end.
  • This is not kozhi nirachathu as I have not used any filling inside the chicken.
  • Please make sure that it is completely cooked inside, check with a meat thermometer if u have one -the temperature of chicken breast should be -165F and thigh -165 -175 F
TO MAKE ONION GRAVY 
 

Ingredients

Ginger-a 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 -5 flakes
Red onion -1 sliced+ 2 chopped from the bed
Tomato -2 chopped
Green chili -1 cut
Red chili powder- 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 /4 tsp
Salt to taste

Chicken stock reserved - 1 cup (not fat)
Method:

While the chicken is getting roasted  heat oil in a pan add ginger then garlic and green chili when a nice aroma comes add the onion and saute till it becomes translucent then add the cooked onions chopped red chili powder,turmeric powder and salt.saute for few minutes then add tomatoes saute for another 5 minutes then add the reserved stock and cook covered until the gravy reduces to required consistency.

Ipol swadistamaya chicken roast readyanu ini vrithaya pathrathil saladukalodu opum vilambiyaal mathi (Boeing Boeing Malayalam movie)

Hope you guys would give it a try and let me know.

Meena

Share
Pin26
Tweet

More Traditional Kerala recipes

  • Split pigeon peas curry, Tomato lentil curry,Tomato dal curry , takkali parippu curry
    Split pigeon peas curry
  • cabbage stir fried with coconut , cabbage thoran
    Cabbage stir fry with coconut
  • Kerala style sambar in instant pot without tamarind
    Sambar in Instant pot without tamarind
  • Chickpeas and Raw Banana with fried coconut

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anupa Joseph (Palaharam)

    December 23, 2013 at 12:52 am

    hmm..nalla vecha kozhiyude manam...it looks so lovely...I am all in, to dig in and have stomach full of it...

    Reply
  2. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 1:02 am

    Ha haaa....thank you Anupa come over lets cook and have fun.:)

    Reply
  3. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 1:05 am

    Thank you Aara:))

    Reply
  4. Linsy Patel

    December 23, 2013 at 1:10 am

    Wish I can come and eat it. You don't have to tell anyone about it. Promise?

    Reply
  5. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 1:20 am

    Thank you Rekha 🙂

    Reply
  6. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 1:23 am

    That is so sweet of u Linsy .Promise.. noone will know 🙂

    Reply
  7. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 5:26 am

    Thank you so much Priya. Ur words of encouragement mean a lot to me.
    He he..adu kalaki :))))

    Reply
  8. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 5:29 am

    Thank you so much for stopping by my space Anjali and for the comments.Will definitely come over to ur blog.

    Reply
  9. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 5:29 am

    Thank you Razina.

    Reply
  10. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 5:30 am

    Thank you Ramya.

    Reply
  11. Meena Kumar

    December 23, 2013 at 5:59 am

    Thank you Priya you make me feel so good.
    Oh what a time to fall sick get well soon dear.

    Reply
  12. Shweet Spicess

    December 23, 2013 at 1:03 am

    wah wah wat a party pleaser the whole spread would b

    Reply
  13. Rekha Vengalil

    December 23, 2013 at 1:08 am

    Yummy looks super delicious and I loved tho pics. Your spread is making me drool meenukutty :)))

    Reply
  14. Rafeeda AR

    December 23, 2013 at 6:26 am

    hahahaha... avasaanathe dialogue enikishtapettu!!! the roast looks super, love all the ground masalas... i keep roasting my chicken in my oven, the best thing about the oven is that there is a seperate setting for chicken and each time i roast, it comes out perfect because of that! we normally remove off the skin, bcoz HD gets irritated seeing it around. love the whole platter, set up... would have loved to be in ur place for lunch! *sigh*

    Reply
  15. Droolsss...

    December 23, 2013 at 3:28 am

    Ohfff!! Meennaaa...this is simply superb!! I could feel the aroma in the whole house as I read through your post. Thankyou very much for that detailed explanation and loved the idea of the onion bed and finally the guilt free indulgence into the chicken(fat free). Ippozhanu Christmas aayi ennnu sherikum thonunathu. Anyhow, Boeing Boeingile Mohanlalilnte avastha alla ee chicken undaaki kazhiyumbol ennu urappu...he..he..

    Reply
  16. singh anjali

    December 23, 2013 at 4:05 am

    Hi Meena , just came across you blog....Though I am a vegetarian , I do cook non veg for the family , and I must say that the chicken looks great .Would appreciate if you check my space too .
    http://anjalisfoodkaleidoscope.blogspot.in/
    Happy Blogging and a Merry Christmas

    Reply
  17. Razina Javed

    December 23, 2013 at 4:14 am

    wow so beautiful spread, and that chicken is perfectly done...

    Reply
  18. nandoos Kitchen

    December 23, 2013 at 9:21 am

    A perfect treat. whole spread looks lovely. kidilan...

    Reply
  19. Ramya Venkat

    December 23, 2013 at 5:10 am

    Lovely meens.super and perfect feast for Christmas.lve the pics

    Reply
  20. Priya R

    December 23, 2013 at 5:50 am

    Wow Meena a perfect chicken roast and your explanation and tips are priceless nothing like a home blend recipe. This is sure a perfect treat. I think this bookmarked recipe will be top of the list in my agenda to try. Not well at the moment but will make this sometime when my tummy is alright. Merry christmas

    Reply
  21. Navaneetham Krishnan

    December 23, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Everything is so good together. Oh boy!!! I am feeling hungry now. The roast is definitely cannot be replicated because there's only two of us at home. Yet I love the kerala touch.

    Reply
  22. Divya Shivaraman

    December 23, 2013 at 6:10 am

    You know meena Radhika of Food for seven stages was here 4 weeks back and we made this whole roast chicken - that was one yummy recipe and changed my opinion(i had opinion whole chicken will not have flavors inside) about its taste...your recipe reminded me the fun we had and made me stun by the way you explained and clicked.....lovely dear...sherikkum kalakki...thande neighbour avarunnu enikku 🙂

    Reply
  23. Preetha Soumyan

    December 23, 2013 at 7:04 am

    Wow... Meena you make me drool with your delicious recipes everyday.. and this one.. ammo.. enthaado .... ennikku vayya....i could smell the aroma.. in your kitchen here... wow!!!! yumm... if my kids see this pic.. they will definitely say mummy.. New year ithu mathi....your spread is so inviting dear....

    Reply
  24. Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory)

    December 23, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    I am so badly craving for it right now, looks so delicious. Your pictures are always awesome 🙂

    Reply
  25. Shanthi

    December 23, 2013 at 3:13 pm

    awesome presentation..no words to express Meena..gorgeous, fantastic, wonderful etc............Keep up your good work...

    Reply
  26. Tisa Jacob

    December 23, 2013 at 3:45 pm

    Thanks Meena.This is exactly what my children wanted after they saw my big fat turkey 😉 Pretty looking bird and I love the gravy you made with it.

    Reply
  27. Resna Nishad

    December 23, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    As usual I don't have any words dear.. cooked like professional...tips, preparation and presentation allover a professional touch... wonderful..

    Reply
  28. Shree

    December 24, 2013 at 2:51 am

    I cant stop laughing at the last sentence 😀 Ee chicken full thinnan njan mathram mathi ;). great pics as usual Meena 🙂

    Reply
  29. Shahina Rasi

    December 24, 2013 at 8:02 am

    Meena...KOthippich kollumallo

    Reply
  30. Bhawna Bagri

    December 25, 2013 at 3:36 am

    Must say it is very very delicious .....well explained Meena ...

    Reply
  31. Teena Mary

    January 05, 2014 at 11:17 pm

    OMG! This looks sooooo good! Looks perfectly made too! What more does anyone need for an X'mas feast 🙂

    Reply
  32. Meena Selvakumaran

    January 06, 2014 at 9:17 am

    wow, wonderfulplatter.beautiful clicks.

    Reply
  33. Maha Gadde

    January 06, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    Aha..such a beautiful pics..feeling hungry badly aftr these pics..totally mid blowing meena.n hope ur fine .:)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

FREE Recipes

To keep u - updated and me - motivated :)

Click HERE to Subscribe!

WELCOME

Hey ! this is Meena. Welcome to my space.

My blog has become my medium of expression and a way of keeping me happy.

I started off as novice in cooking and over the years my husband has put up with all my disasters in such a gracious and enduring manner, I owe him a lot for that...

Read More

Popular Recipes

vegan vegetable stew

Vegan Vegetable Stew

best salmon with shallots

Salmon with shallots | Easy stovetop recipe (Video recipe)

Carrot halwa in instant pot 2

Carrot Halwa in Instant pot

Coconut crusted cod fish 1

Coconut Crusted Cod Fish

Umm Ali / Om Ali / Egyptian Dessert / Middle Eastern Cuisine

beetroot wine

Beetroot Wine / Homemade Red wine recipe / Step-by-step recipe for wine making / Easy wine recipe

Footer

↑ back to top

Useful Links

  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
  • Contact
  • About

Newsletter

Join my mailing list to receive the latest recipes FREE to your inbox!     SUBSCRIBE

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Elephants and the Coconut Trees