Whole Roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style)
Flavored with aromatic spices, this whole roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style) comes out so yummy! The skin is deliciously crisp and the meat is tender and moist. This roast is very easy and quick to prepare, too. Perfect to make even on busy weeknight dinners!
When I was pregnant for the first time with our eldest son ten years ago, the main food I craved was roast chicken. I had a really bad “morning” sickness (of course, it could be any time of the day!) for the first 4 months or so, and nothing seemed to calm my stomach and make me happier than roast chicken!
I don’t know why that was, but I guess I should just be happy my cravings were not too “exotic” or hard to find!
I hadn’t made this roast Masala Chicken back then, nor was I even acquainted with it, but had I made it or known about it, I’d be pretty sure this would have been my main craving. It’s just so tasty and hits all the right flavors I love in a chicken flavored with curry spices.
When I made this, hubby immediately told me that I had to make it again, and several days later, I did to make sure it was really good. The second time around, we were more than convinced. 🙂
The secret is the above spice rub, paste, or mix—whatever. The combination of aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and turmeric, just to name a few, really brought out the chicken’s flavor. And yet, it’s not really spicy at all—just flavorful.
I am sure you can add some heat there if you wish to, but if not – it’s delicious. It’s so easy that all you need to do is mix all the spices and seasonings together, which fortunately are all available in any grocery store, so there’s no difficulty at all in finding them to create a rub.
Then, generously apply the spice blend all over the chicken and let it marinate for a bit (as little as 1-3 hours or more if you like) before roasting. In fact, the second time I made this, I barely marinated it, but it still came out yummy, though I am sure letting it marinate longer would be even better.
The result is a super-tasty chicken with garlicky, crispy skin and really moist and tender meat, as you can see below. Of course, enjoy it with some Basmati rice and some greens on the side, too!
So deliciously good!
Want more chicken recipes? Check out these very popular chicken dishes!
If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we’d love you to subscribe to our posts or join our site. Needless to say, we’d love you to like us on Facebook and Instagram, too where you can get more recipes and updates. Thanks and happy browsing!
FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
Flavored with aromatic spices, this whole roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style) is so yummy! The skin is deliciously crisp, and the meat is tender and moist. This roast is also very easy and quick to prepare.
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS FOR WHOLE ROAST MASALA CHICKEN?
- 2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground Coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
- 1 teaspoon powdered Garlic
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup ground Almonds
- 5 Tablespoons plain Yogurt
- 3-4 lb roasting Chicken
HOW DO YOU MAKE WHOLE ROAST MASALA CHICKEN?
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the chicken. The mixture will look like a thick paste.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan (with rack, if preferred). Generously rub the chicken all over with the spice mixture, including under its skin (breasts portions), to get in more flavor. You can also place some of the spice mix into the cavities. Cover the chicken with foil and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow absorption of the spice rub.
Take the chicken out of the fridge, then preheat the oven to 400F. Tent the chicken loosely with a foil then roast in the oven for 1 hour. The foil cover helps prevent the chicken from getting too dark. Remove the foil after an hour and then roast for another 20-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh (without touching the bone) reaches 165F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, the chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when pricked on the thigh. Serve immediately with some green veggies and freshly cooked rice! Enjoy!
Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Cook time: 01 hrs. 20 mins.
Total time: 1 hrs. 30 mins.
Tags: India, Indian, Chicken, Roast, Asian, Masala
Whole Roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp ground Cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground Cumin
- 1 tsp ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground Cloves
- 1 tsp powdered Garlic
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 cup ground Almonds
- 5 tbsp plain Yogurt
- 3-4 lb roasting Chicken
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix all ingredients except for the chicken. The Mixture will look like a thick paste.
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan (with rack, if preferred). Generously rub the chicken all over with the spice mixture including under its skin (breasts portions) to get in more flavor. You can also place some of the spice mix into the cavities.
- Cover the chicken with foil and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow absorption of the spice rub.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge then preheat the oven to 400F. Tent the chicken loosely with a foil then roast in the oven for 1 hour. The foil cover helps prevent the chicken from getting too dark.
- Remove the foil after an hour and then continue to roast for another 20-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh (without touching the bone) reaches 165F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, the chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when pricked on the thigh.
- Serve immediately with some green veggies and freshly cooked rice! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Last updated on November 4th, 2024 at 04:04 pm
Hi Abigail, I am allergic to nuts. Can the almonds be omitted in whole roast masala chicken or if not is there a nutless substitute that can be used?
The almonds are essential but if you are allergic just leave it out. I cannot think right now of any nut substitute but it may still work without it. Let us know.
I’ve just made this with spicy potatoes, garlic green beans, raita, home made chutneys and naan. What a feast
Just put the chicken in the fridge with all the spices to marinate. I’ll update you tonight on the final outcome. I’m looking forward to tasting this masterpiece!!!
Here it is put of the oven…looks pretty good for my first attempt!
Do you add water or broth in the pan? Can’t wait to make this.
Thanks
No. The instruction is as is. If you do try that then let us know if it works better. Thanks. Enjoy.
Thanks for sharing. Loved it and will definitely do it again
So good to know that! Thanks for letting us know!
I made this last night, marinated first over night and this was super tasty and I will be making this again, might try it with chicken pieces too. I was nervous because my kids say they don´t like Indian food (are they even mine?) but I didn´t tell them that the marinade was Indian and they had seconds. Had rice with it, naan bread, some kind of indian onion-potato platters and I made a white garlic/lemon dipping sauce, it was like heaven on a plate, so I want to say thank you for sharing this fantastic recepi, it´s a keeper for sure 🙂
Yay! So glad to know this Rakel! Thanks for letting us know.
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
So glad to know this. Thanks for letting us know.
Awesome. My whole family raved about the flavour. I used a rack that holds the bird as if it was a beer can. She turned out beautifully moist, delicious, and crispy. I would never have thought of using almond flour but it was perfect. I can see many more variations of this recipe in our future.
Yay! So glad you all enjoyed this. Thanks for letting us know.