Kerala Chicken Fry (Roast)

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Bhuna Murg, Kodi Vepudu, Kozhi Varuval, Naadan Chicken Fry, Malabar Kozhi Roast)

Chicken fry is one recipe that is made in unique ways in different places. The tamil nadu kozhi varuval is totally different from the Kodi vepudu from Andhra Pradhesh, which again is different from the breaded KFC style chicken fry. Basically, chicken marinated with spices and fried in oil is called chicken fry. 

Roasting on the other hand is cooking in direct fire or in the oven.  For some reason, the Kerala style chicken fry that is common in Trivandrum and Kanyakumari district is more popularly known as Chicken Roast. It is one dish that is surely present in weddings or functions. It goes well with biryani, ghee rice, fried rice or with white rice and rasam. In our house it is a regular item and no special occasion is complete without this chicken fry.

To start with, the medium sized chicken pieces are marinated in typical South Indian spices and deep fried in oil. The traditional taste comes when you deep fry in coconut oil. As soon as the chicken pieces touch the hot oil, the outside of the chicken gets instantly cooked sealing all the tasty juices within. Similarly, the chicken is usually cut with the bones in making it juicier.The taste is unbeatable. However for health reasons these days people prefer using refined oil and shallow frying.

Recipe for Kerala Chicken Fry

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves : 4

Ingredients

• Whole Chicken - 1/2 kg (or 1 lb cut into 15-20 pieces with bones in)
• Oil (about 200 ml) - for deep frying

For Spice Mix

• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
• Paprika (or Kashmiri chili powder) - 1 tbsp (This is optional but gives a nice color without increasing the spice)
• Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Fennel Powder - 1 tsp (or use Garam Masala)
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
• Rice flour (or Corn flour) - 1 tbsp
• Salt - as needed
• Curry Leaves - 2-3 springs (keep the leaves whole or tear it with hands)

Method

1. Cut the chicken into medium sized pieces and wash it nicely. Traditionally this is made with bone in chicken pieces. You can however make it with boneless chicken too.

   

2. Mix the chicken with all the ingredients in the spice mix - red chili powder, kashmiri chili powder, pepper powder, fennel powder, turmeric powder and salt. You can also mix all the spices in a separate bowl  and then rub it onto the chicken pieces. I haven't added Kashmiri chili powder or paprika here.

   

3. Finally mix in the rice flour, lemon juice and fresh curry leaves. Let this rest and marinate for at least half an hour. Overnight marination will be good.

   

4. When you are ready to fry, heat oil in a kadai on high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, you are ready to fry. You can feel the oil has become hot if you place your palm at a safe distance over the kadai. It should not get smoking hot because then the chicken pieces will not get cooked. 

   

5. Reduce the flame to medium and gently add a few pieces (6-8 depending on the size of the pan) of the marinated chicken in the hot oil. 

   

6. Fry for about 6-8 minutes till all the sides are uniformly golden brown. Deep fry the chicken pieces in batches until it is completely cooked.

   

7. Remove the pieces from the hot oil using a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil in paper towel. The curry leaves will get fried along with the chicken pieces which adds a nice flavor as well as gives a pretty presentation. Sometimes I like to fry some extra curry leaves and garnish using that. In my house, everyone enjoy the crispy fried curry leaves as much as the crispy chicken pieces.

   

Variation

As I mentioned before, these days people prefer shallow frying rather than deep frying. For this, take a wide frying pan and add few tbsp (3-4) of oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single row so that each piece touches the bottom of the pan. Fry for about 10 minutes till one side is browned. Carefully flip the pieces using a spatula and fry for another 5-7 minutes. Serve it.

Serving Chicken Fry

• Serve this crispy Kerala chicken roast with biryani, pulao, ghee rice, fried rice, any variety rice or white rice and some curry.
• It can also be served as an appetizer.

More Chicken Dry Dish Recipes

Chicken Sukha	Chicken/Turkey 65	Nattu Kozhi Uppu Varuval	Breaded Fried Chicken
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Comment by sakina jiwa
    is it ok if i dont include curry leaves and marinate only for 15 mins? i have a competitipn and i want use this but i only have half an hour. please help
 
Reply :-           
    Hi Sakina, 15 minutes of marination would be fine. The curry leaves give a nice South indian flavour. You can skip it, the chicken will still taste good.
All the best for the competition.

Comment by geeta naik      
    My husband made the masala from your recepie " easy to cook chiken roast "
and we made one change. We did not deep fry the chicken pieces but fried it with a little olive oil in a frying pan. ( Shallow fry ) and its good for our health especially since
he has undergone open heart surgery.
Rice, dal and 2 pieces of roasted chicken is great for Me and he eats 2 chappatis ( Phulka ) without oil , dal & 2 pieces of chicken  roast and we enjoy our meal.
Add to this some vegetables in each meal and some curds.
My husband makes a Kadi and I am sure U too should try.............
Ingredients :-  1/4 grated  coconut , add to this 2 Red chillies ( badgi variety ), 1 green chilli , Tamarind , Ginger and 1/2 Onion sliced and salt to taste.
Grind all this into a paste and add water to liquify it to form a curry and U could eat this with Chapaatis or rice or dip your Toated bread and enjoy yor meal
With best wishes and warm regards,
Mrs. Geeta S. Naik
 
Reply :-
    Hi Geetha, Nice to hear that u tried the recipe. Even i shallow fry the chicken when i make it for my family.
I will surely try this kadi recipe...

Comment by sofia fairlin
    what is paprika
 
Reply :-
    Paprika is a variety of chilly powder which has all the flavours of a regular chilly powder without the spice. This can be added to dishes to get the colour and flavour but keeping the dish mild. You can find it in most indian and american groceries.

Comment by cosmos sangma on 30 June 2009 11:04AM
    very simple to cook and easy on the stomach. it looks delicious. shall try it out at home.
 
Reply :-
    Do try it Cosmos. It tastes delicious.