Chicken Entertaining Indian

Roast chicken curry

Name: Roast chicken curry recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /indian
Ingredients: 1 (1.2-1.5 kg) whole chicken, butterflied; Coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to serve; Rice or your favourite sides, to serve; ¼ cup (60ml) light olive oil; 20.00 ml lemon juice (from about ½ lemon); 20.00 ml soy sauce; 15-20 fresh curry leaves; ¼ onion, roughly chopped; 5-6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped, or 3 tsp garlic paste (see notes); 3cm piece fresh ginger (15g), peeled, finely grated, or 1½ tsp ginger paste (see notes); 2 tsp ground turmeric; 1½ tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp each ground cumin, chilli powder and fine salt

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

Mar 13, 2025

“El Jannah and Frangos (two Sydney charcoal chicken institutions) inspired this recipe, which probably sounds weird because this is a curry. It’s got that familiar spatchcocked roast chicken technique and appearance, but then it’s got the flavours of a curry. I guess this is a more modern way of plating and eating a curry, but honestly, for me, it’s the minimal effort, maximum return way of making chicken curry. Instead of getting a huge pot and stirring a curry for half an hour, you can just bang the chicken in the oven or on the barbecue. If your mates are coming over, it’s so easy to put this on. Get some cos lettuce and dress it with mayo and lime, and that’s it, meal done. Or, if you want to make it sexy and fancy it up, serve with some condiments and make masala roast potatoes. It’s best to start this the day before, but I’ll be honest, I’ve done a 30-minute marinade and it was still great.” – Justin Narayan. Begin this recipe a day ahead for best results. This is an edited extract from Everything Is Indian by Justin Narayan, photography by Rob Palmer. Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.

1 (1.2-1.5 kg) whole chicken, butterflied
Coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
Rice or your favourite sides, to serve

Marinade

¼ cup (60ml) light olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
1 tbs soy sauce
15-20 fresh curry leaves
¼ onion, roughly chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped, or 3 tsp garlic paste (see notes)
3cm piece fresh ginger (15g), peeled, finely grated, or 1½ tsp ginger paste (see notes)
2 tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp each ground cumin, chilli powder and fine salt

Method

1.

Whiz all the marinade ingredients in a blender until you have a smooth paste.
2.

Pat dry the chicken with paper towel, then smother with the marinade and really massage it in. Allow it to marinate, covered and in the fridge, overnight (or for a minimum of 2 hours or less if you can’t be bothered).
3.

Take the chicken out of the fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced.
4.

Place the chicken, breast-side up, and the marinade in a baking dish or cast-iron frypan, then in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and slightly charred, about 25-30 minutes. Allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes, then carve.
5.

Garnish with any resting juices from the dish and fresh coriander. Serve with rice or your favourite sides.

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Recipe Notes

Recipe note: Because I’m making so many recipes that require garlic and ginger, I keep jars of garlic and ginger paste in my fridge. I make my own in bulk. Get a whole heap of garlic and ginger, peel, roughly chop and blend each separately with a pinch of salt and a little oil (to help extend the shelf life), then place each in a clean jar and store in the fridge. For 1 cup (about 150g) chopped garlic or ginger, go with a pinch of salt (2-4g) and 1-2 tbs oil. If you can’t be bothered, buy some, but I find the flavour of store-bought to be more subdued, so you may need to add more to the recipe to get the same impact as fresh garlic/ginger or a homemade paste.