The use of saffron in this chicken roast transforms it into a rich and aromatic delicacy that has been relished and enjoyed ever since the days of the Mughals and the Nawabs in India. I still don’t know when and how this recipe was created and developed. But it has been circulating in our family ever since we came to Canada. I would call it chicken roast indian style! It is not roasted with any vegetables but is very flavourful and tasty. The chicken just comes off the bone and is so juicy. It is enjoyed with naan, biryani rice or any kind of rice.
The chicken is marinated in prepared spices and then roasted closed for 1.5 hours, then roasted again at a higher temperature for another 30 minutes. It is so full of flavour and so delicious!
Ingredients:
1 whole Chicken
1 tbs ginger garlic paste
5 – 6 cloves
1/8th of a tsp saffron
1/4 cup almonds
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 a tsp turmeric powder
1 tbs vegetable Oil
2 tbs lemon juice
Instructions:
1. Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste, grind the almonds in a wet grinder to a fine paste.
2. Clean and wash the chicken, drain and towel dry. Heat a small frying pan with oil. Add the cloves, immediately followed by ginger garlic paste, turmeric, coriander and red chilli powders, then ground almonds stirring well with a small whisk after each addition. Cook the masala quickly till smooth. Do not burn them. Remove and let it cool down for sometime.
3. Crush the saffron in a mortar and pestle, add a few drops of water to it, mix well and pour this saffron water in the marinade but only after it cools down so as to retain the saffron flavour.
4. Meanwhile make slits all over in the chicken especially in the thighs, drumsticks and breasts. Rub the chicken with salt and lemon juice leave for 15 mins.
5. Now smear the chicken with the prepared masala all over and leave to marinate for up to 4 hours.
6. Preheat to oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Put the chicken in a roasting pan add 1/2 a cup of water, cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 1.5 hours
7. After 1.5 hours uncover the lid, change the oven setting to convection roast and raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees. If you do not have convection roast setting in the oven, not a problem, you could just raise the temp to 375°F and continue roasting.
8. Roast the chicken uncovered for another 20 – 30 mins. Keep basting the chicken every now and then with its own juices so that it remains moist throughout. Remove when nicely roasted. If there are any juices left pour them over the chicken before serving. Serve hot with saffron rice, naan or rumali rotis and enjoy!
Recipe
Roast Chicken Zafrani (Saffron Flavoured Chicken Roast)
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 1 whole Chicken
- 1 tbs ginger garlic paste
- 5 - 6 cloves
- 1/8 tsp saffron
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 a tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbs vegetable Oil
- 2 tbs lemon juice
Instructions
Instructions:
- Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste, grind the almonds in a wet grinder to a fine paste.
- Clean and wash the chicken, drain and towel dry. Heat a small frying pan with oil. Add the cloves, immediately followed by ginger garlic paste, turmeric, coriander and red chilli powders, then ground almonds stirring well with a small whisk after each addition. Cook the masala quickly till smooth. Do not burn them. Remove and let it cool down for sometime.
- Crush the saffron in a mortar and pestle, add a few drops of water to it, mix well and pour this saffron water in the marinade but only after it cools down so as to retain the saffron flavour.
- Meanwhile make slits all over in the chicken especially in the thighs, drumsticks and breasts. Rub the chicken with salt and lemon juice leave for 15 mins.
- Now smear the chicken with the prepared masala all over and leave to marinate for up to 4 hours.
- Preheat to oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Put the chicken in a roasting pan add 1/2 a cup of water, cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 1.5 hours
- After 1.5 hours uncover the lid, change the oven setting to convection roast and raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees. If you do not have convection roast setting in the oven, not a problem, you could just raise the temp to 375°F and continue roasting.
- Roast the chicken uncovered for another 20 - 30 mins. Keep basting the chicken every now and then with its own juices so that it remains moist throughout. Remove when nicely roasted. If there are any juices left pour them over the chicken before serving. Serve hot with rice, naan or rumali rotis and enjoy!
Fouzia Husainy
Thank so much for trying out my recipe and letting me know how it turned out. I am so happy that you all enjoyed it. Marinating it overnight must have made the chicken absorb all the spices and made it more flavourful. The longer you marinate the better but not more than 8 – 10 hours as the texture becomes really soft which is not desirable. As the recipe suggests please add no more than half a cup of water with well drained and towel dried chicken. But no water at all if the chicken is not drained well. And if adding vegetables then no water again, coz the vegetables ooze out water too. I hope this will help. Thank you very much for leaving your comments as I can now add more explanation in my recipe notes based on your cooking experience.
Imran Hassan
Tried this recipe out over the weekend. Also added in the vegetables as was shown in one of the Instagram posts. The only difference I made with my recipe was to marinate it overnight. We loved the taste of the chicken and this is definitely going to be a repeat dish in our kitchen. Only thing I would do different it add 1 cup less water and a little bit more chili powder (personal preference). Thanks for the recipe!