Ah! The stunning qualities of a roast chicken! Too many to enumerate, but here are a few for now. That aroma – heavenly! That golden skin – gorgeous! That succulent texture and flavor – exquisite. Make that into a garam masala infused one and it will be exceptional.
This garam masala infused roast chicken is an outcome of my love for chicken korma and all the warm aromatic spices that are used to make korma. Garam masala is a medley of pungent and aromatic spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mace, nutmeg etc. There are as many versions of this spice mixture as there are chefs and home cooks in the Indian subcontinent. Here in this roast chicken, warm spices like ground cinnamon, cardamom and cloves are blended with ghee and then this mixture is rubbed generously all over as well as under the skin of the bird. After that, it is just a matter of firing up the oven, popping the chicken in, and after an hour and 15 minutes you have a crispy skinned, deliciously moist bird.
If you have a mortar and pestle lying around, make use of it and grind the spices in it. It is the key to make that roast chicken into an exceptional one. Coffee grinders should be fine too. But I would insist steering away from the bottled versions. Freshly ground spices do make a difference. True to the korma tradition, I use ghee to roast the chicken. I opted out yogurt or nuts that are typically used in korma. But the onions underneath the chicken softens up and along with the garam masala do deliver in that unique taste of korma. I couldn’t resist myself using lemon and rosemary in this Indian inspired roast chicken. Surprisingly, it worked really well and the lemon that gets roasted under the chicken is perhaps my favorite part to eat, cause I am a fan of all things citrusy.
Recipe
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 1 five to six pound whole roasting chicken |
| 1 yellow onion sliced |
| 8 garlic cloves |
| 1 lemon, halved and sliced |
| Juice of half lemon |
| ½ tablespoon fennel seed |
| 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary |
| Seeds of 4 to 5 cardamoms |
| 1 inch stick cinnamon |
| 3 cloves |
| 2 bay leaves |
| 5 tablespoons ghee |
| 2 teaspoon salt |
| 2 teaspoon pepper |
| ½ cup water |
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Preheat oven to 450 degree F |
| Grind fennel seeds, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon and rosemary in a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder |
| Combine the spices, 1 ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and ghee |
| Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Dry skin is crucial to that gorgeous golden skin |
| Slide hand under skin of chicken breast to loosen skin from meat |
| Rub chicken with masala ghee all over and under the loosened breast skin |
| Put bay leaves and 4 cloves of whole garlic inside the cavity of the chicken |
| Pin the legs to the breast to hold the shape. You can also tie them with a butcher twine |
| Spread the sliced onion, remaining 4 garlic cloves and lemon on a 12 inch cast iron skillet |
| Sprinkle half teaspoon salt and pepper and dot with some garam masala ghee |
| Lay the chicken on the bed of lemon, garlic and onion |
| Squeeze juice of half of a lemon on top of the chicken |
| Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, basting it once or twice with the juices from the bottom of the skillet |
| Reduce oven temperature to 400 degree F |
| Add the water to the skillet and continue roasting the chicken for 30 more minutes |
| Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before carving |
| Serve with the onion and lemon and all the pan juices from the roast |
Inspiration: Flavors of chicken korma
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