Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe (Traditional Kashmiri Style)

What Is Chicken Rogan Josh?

Chicken rogan josh is a Kashmiri curry of bone-in chicken cooked in a spiced yogurt base with fennel powder and dry ginger. The authentic version has no onion, garlic, or tomato. Its deep red color comes from Kashmiri chili and ratanjot, a natural red root.

No onion. No tomato. No garlic. And it’s still the reddest, most fragrant chicken curry I make. The secret sits in two humble jars at the back of my spice drawer: fennel and dry ginger.

I learned this recipe from a Kashmiri chef, and it changed how I think about red curries. Since then, it has been my go-to for dinner parties, festival meals, and slow weekend lunches. It is also the dish guests ask about the most. So here are all the details, from the whole spices to the red oil that floats on top at the end.

What Does Rogan Josh Mean?

The name comes from Persian. Rogan means oil or clarified fat, and josh means heat or intensity. Together they describe the technique: meat cooked in fat over strong heat until the oil separates and rises to the top as a glossy red layer.

Rogan josh came to Kashmir with Persian influence and is a centerpiece of the Wazwan, the grand multi-course Kashmiri feast. Traditionally made with lamb or goat mutton, it is saved for weddings and festivals.

There are two home styles:

• Kashmiri Pandit style: No onion, no garlic. The flavor comes from yogurt, asafetida (hing), fennel, and dry ginger. This is the version below.
• Kashmiri Muslim style: Adds fried onions and garlic, sometimes with a spice cake called ver.

What rogan josh is not: Most restaurants outside Kashmir serve an onion-tomato curry and call it rogan josh. The real dish has no tomato at all. The red comes from Kashmiri chili and ratanjot, never from tomato purée.

Chicken rogan josh is the quicker, home-friendly version. The yogurt base, whole spices, fennel, and dry ginger all stay the same. Only the meat changes. If you want the classic, try my Mutton Rogan Josh too.

How To Make Chicken Rogan Josh

Prepare The Spices

Step 1: Soak the saffron. Add 1 pinch of saffron to 2 tablespoons of milk and set it aside. Soaking draws out the color and aroma, so do this first.

Step 2: Crush the whole spices. Lightly crush 3-4 black cardamoms, 4-5 cloves, 3-4 green cardamoms, 8-10 black peppercorns, and 1 mace in a mortar and pestle. You want them cracked, like in the photo below, not ground. Cracked spices release their oils into the hot fat quickly.

Step 3: Make the yogurt-spice mix. Add ¼ cup of plain yogurt to a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder, 3 teaspoons fennel powder, ¼ teaspoon asafetida, 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and 2 teaspoons salt.

Step 4: Whisk until smooth. Whisk until you get a thick, even red paste with no dry streaks. Mixing the powders into the yogurt first keeps them from clumping or scorching when they hit the hot pot.

Make The Curry In An Instant Pot

Step 5: Temper the whole spices. Press SAUTÉ and add 5 tablespoons of mustard oil or ghee. Once the oil is hot, add the crushed spices, 2 bay leaves, 4-5 Kashmiri dry red chilies, and 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. Let them crackle for just 4-5 seconds.

Step 6: Sear the chicken. Add 1 kg skinless, bone-in chicken (1½-inch pieces) and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. This bhunao stage (searing over high heat) seals in juices and adds depth to the gravy. The pieces should turn opaque on the outside.

Step 7: Add the yogurt and saffron. Add the yogurt-spice mix and the saffron milk. Stir well so every piece is coated.

Step 8: Add hot water. Pour in 1 cup of hot water and mix. Hot water keeps the pot temperature steady, so the yogurt is less likely to split. Scrape the bottom as you stir; anything stuck there can trigger a burn warning.

Step 9: Seal the lid. Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to SEALING.

Step 10: Pressure cook. Press PRESSURE COOK and set 6 minutes on high. When it beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the rest manually. The natural release keeps the chicken tender and gives the oil time to rise.

Make The Curry In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker

Follow steps 5-8 in the cooker over medium-high heat. Close the lid and cook for 3 whistles. Turn off the heat and let the pressure drop on its own before opening.

Temper The Curry (Optional)

Step 11: Color the ghee. Heat ¼ cup of ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add a 1-2 inch piece of ratanjot and cook for about a minute. The ghee will turn deep red, as you can see in the photo below.

Step 12: Strain it over the curry. Strain the ghee straight onto the curry. Traditionally, rogan josh has no garnish, but I like a little chopped cilantro for a pop of green.

Step 13: Serve. Serve hot with steamed rice or naan.

Variations

• Kashmiri Muslim style: Fry 1 cup of sliced onions and 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic in the oil until golden before adding the chicken.
• Boneless chicken rogan josh: Use 500 g of boneless thighs cut into 1½-inch pieces. I keep the cooking time the same as with the boneless chicken because the gravy needs that time to cook properly.
• Milder version: Cut the Kashmiri chili powder to 2 tablespoons and skip the whole dry red chilies.
• Ghee-only rogan josh: Use ghee instead of mustard oil for a softer, richer flavor.
• Mutton rogan josh: Swap in mutton and cook longer; follow my mutton rogan josh for timings.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this curry with saffron basmati rice, which soaks up the thin gravy beautifully. A lightly spiced ghee rice or jeera rice also works well. For bread, try butter naan or laccha paratha.

A cooling raita and a crunchy kachumber salad balance the heat. For a full Kashmiri spread, add Kashmiri dum aloo and finish with a cup of kahwa.

Storage Suggestions

Chicken rogan josh is best eaten fresh and hot, when the red oil is still glossy on top. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days; the flavors deepen by the next day.

To reheat, warm it in a heavy pan over medium heat with a splash of hot water, stirring gently until it bubbles; skip the microwave, as it heats unevenly and can toughen the chicken.

Make it a day ahead for a dinner party, or freeze it in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.