Method
- Marinate chicken with yogurt, the first 30g ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chili, turmeric and salt. Rest 4 hours.
- Heat ghee in a heavy pot. Add green and black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Cook 60 seconds.
- Sear the marinated chicken pieces 3 minutes per side; lift out.
- Add the second 30g ginger-garlic paste to the ghee; fry 90 seconds. Add cashew-almond paste; cook 4 minutes — the kitchen smells deeply rich and creamy.
- Return the chicken. Pour in 400ml water. Add green chilies, two-thirds of the birista and sugar. Cover and cook 30 minutes over low heat.
- Add saffron-milk, double cream, kewra water and rosewater. Cook 5 more minutes — the gravy should turn deep orange-yellow with the saffron and have a heady rose-and-pandanus perfume. Top with the remaining birista. Rest covered 10 minutes. Serve with kacchi biryani or pulao at a Dhaka wedding banquet.
Common questions
Can Bangladeshi Chicken Roast be made ahead?
Bangladeshi Chicken Roast is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 45 minutes.
Is Bangladeshi Chicken Roast spicy?
Bangladeshi Chicken Roast as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Bangladeshi Chicken Roast vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Bangladeshi Chicken Roast to make at home?
Bangladeshi Chicken Roast sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 75 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Bangladeshi Chicken Roast be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Bangladeshi chicken roast is the wedding banquet dish — distinct from Indian Mughlai chicken in its more aggressive use of fragrant essences (kewra, rose) and the more orange-yellow saffron-driven colour. The dish appears at every Dhaka wedding alongside kacchi biryani and borhani; ordering chicken roast at a Bangladeshi restaurant signals a celebration. The cashew-almond gravy is the Mughal heritage; the saffron and kewra are the Persian-Mughal flourishes. The dose of cream is a Bangladeshi modernisation; older recipes used yogurt only.
