Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe (Traditional Kashmiri Style)
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A royal Kashmiri curry with tender chicken, aromatic spices, and a rich, velvety gravy, this Chicken Rogan Josh is pure comfort in a bowl. Make it at home using my easy recipe.
Quick Look: Chicken Rogan Josh
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4 people
Calories: Approx. 500 per serving
Dietary Info: Gluten-free (skip hing for strict GF)
Skill Level: Medium
Tools Needed: Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker; mortar and pestle; small pan for optional ratanjot tempering.
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Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Chicken Rogan Josh
- What Is Rogan Josh? (And Why Most Restaurants Miss the Point)
- About Chicken Rogan Josh
- Ingredients
- How To Make Rogan Josh Chicken
- Chicken Rogan Josh FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Suggestions
- Other Kashmiri Recipes We Recommend
- Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe (Traditional Kashmiri Style)
What Is Rogan Josh? (And Why Most Restaurants Miss the Point)
The name Rogan Josh comes from Persian: rogan means “oil,” and josh means “heat.” Together, they describe a technique: meat cooked in clarified fat at high heat until the oil separates and rises to the surface, forming the dish’s signature glistening top layer.
Chicken Rogan Josh is a traditional Kashmiri curry that most restaurants get wrong. The real version uses no onion, no tomato, and no shortcut masala paste.
Rogan Josh was brought to the Indian subcontinent by Persian settlers. It sits at the heart of the Kashmiri Wazwan, the grand ceremonial feast, and is traditionally made with lamb or mutton.
The Kashmiri Pandit version is made without onion and garlic, relying entirely on yogurt, asafetida, and spices. The Kashmiri Muslim version incorporates onion and garlic.
It is one of the most popular curry dishes in Kashmiri cuisine. However, it is not an everyday curry. It is made only for special occasions, such as weddings and festivals.
I learned this recipe from a Kashmiri chef, and I have been making it ever since for dinner parties, festival meals, and lazy weekend indulgences. It is the dish that always gets the most questions, and now I am sharing every detail so you can make it perfectly at home.
What Rogan Josh Is Not – Most Indian restaurants worldwide serve an onion-tomato-based curry and call it Rogan Josh. That is not Rogan Josh. The authentic dish has no tomatoes, uses a yogurt base, and gets its deep red color from Kashmiri chili and ratanjot, not from tomato purée. It relies instead on two signature spices, fennel seed powder and dry ginger powder (sonth), cooked in a yogurt base with whole Kashmiri spices until the oil rises to the top in a beautiful crimson film.
About Chicken Rogan Josh
Chicken Rogan Josh is a faster, home-cook-friendly variation using chicken instead of lamb. The yogurt base, whole-spice tempering, fennel powder, and dry ginger remain the same; only the protein changes.
This recipe can be made in an Instant Pot or a traditional stovetop pressure cooker. I am sharing both methods in the post below.
Do try my mutton Rogan Josh and lamb Rogan Josh recipes as well.
Ingredients
All the ingredients for this curry, including bone-in chicken cut into pieces, are available at Indian grocery stores.
- Chicken – I prefer bone-in, skinless chicken pieces for this curry. Bones release a lot of juice, making the curry very flavorful. However, if you prefer boneless chicken, you can use it as well.
- Whole Spices – You will need whole spices such as black cardamom (badi elaichi), cloves (laung), green cardamom (hari elaichi), black peppercorns (kali mirch), bay leaves (tej patta), dry Kashmiri red chilies, and mace (javitri).
- Spice Powder – This curry is flavored with ground spices, including Kashmiri red chili powder, fennel powder (saunf powder), dry ginger powder (sonth), coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala powder.
- Yogurt – Plain yogurt (dahi, curd) serves as the base for this Kashmiri chicken curry.
- Oil – Traditionally, this curry is made in either mustard oil or ghee. However, you can use any other cooking oil if you prefer.
- Others – You will also need milk, saffron strands, cumin seeds, asafetida (hing), and salt.
- Tempering (Optional) – Adding a tempering of ratanjot in ghee to the curry gives it a fiery red color. It is totally optional, though.
Kashmiri red chili powder is what gives Rogan Josh its vibrant, brick-red color without burning your mouth. If you cannot find it, combine 2 parts mild paprika + 1 part cayenne pepper as a substitute. Never use regular red chili powder as a 1:1 swap; the color will be wrong and the heat excessive.
How To Make Rogan Josh Chicken
Preparation
Step 1: Soak 1 pinch of saffron strands in 2 tablespoons of milk and set aside until needed in the recipe. Lightly crush the following whole spices in a mortar and pestle.
- 3-4 black cardamoms
- 4-5 cloves
- 3-4 green cardamoms
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- 1 javitri
Step 2: Add ¼ cup of plain yogurt to a bowl along with the following ingredients.
- 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 powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
Step 3: Whisk well to combine.
Make The Curry
In An Instant Pot
Step 4: Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot. Add 5 tablespoons of mustard oil (or ghee) to the pot. Add the following ingredients once the oil is hot, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- crushed whole spices
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-5 Kashmiri dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
If you don’t like spices getting into your mouth, you can tie them in a muslin cloth. Then discard the cloth once the curry is ready.
Step 5: Now, add 1 kg of skinless, bone-in chicken (cut into 1 ½-inch pieces) and cook for 5-6 minutes. This bhunao (searing) stage seals in the juices and enriches the gravy.
Use 500 g of boneless chicken thighs (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces) if you don’t like bone-in chicken. You can also use boneless chicken breast, but they are slightly drier than thighs.
Step 6: Now add the yogurt mixture and the saffron-soaked milk, and mix well.
Step 7: Add a cup of hot water and mix until well combined.
Step 8: Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
Step 9: Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually. Open the lid.
The finished curry should have a semi-thin consistency, not watery, not thick, with a characteristic layer of red oil floating on the surface. That oil is the Rogan the dish is named for.
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Follow the above recipe in a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles over medium-high heat.
- Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Temper The Curry (Optional)
Step 10: Heat ¼ cup ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add a 1-2-inch piece of ratanjot and cook for a minute, until it releases its color into the ghee.
Step 11: Strain the ghee and add it to the curry.
Traditionally, this dish doesn’t have any garnish, but for a pop of color, I like to garnish it with some chopped cilantro (fresh coriander).
Step 12: Serve hot with steamed rice or Naan.
Chicken Rogan Josh FAQs
Ratanjot, or Alkanet or Alkanna tinctoria, is a plant primarily used as a natural dye. The plant’s roots produce a red dye used in cosmetics, food, and clothing. It is also used in traditional medicine for its potential healing properties. In Indian cuisine, it is often used to give dishes, such as curries, a red color. You can source it from an Indian grocery store or on online platforms like Amazon.
Typically, Rogan Josh is a moderately spicy curry. However, you can reduce the amount of Kashmiri red chili powder if you want a milder curry, or add more heat by increasing the chili powder or adding fresh chilies.
Heat the oil and add the crushed whole spices. Then add 1 cup of sliced onions and 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic to the pot. Cook until onions turn golden brown, stirring frequently. Then add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the yogurt mixed with spice powders and saffron soaked in milk. Then cook the chicken as mentioned in the main recipe.
Serving Suggestions
This delicious curry is typically served with Basmati rice, which absorbs the flavorful sauce very well. You can also serve it with cauliflower rice for a low-carb meal. A lightly spiced rice dish, such as ghee rice or jeera rice, also goes well with it.
You can also serve it with Indian flatbread, such as butter naan, garlic naan, Peshwari naan, tandoori roti, or lachha paratha.
Serve cucumber raita or another raita on the side to mellow the heat of this curry. I also like to serve kachumber salad on the side.
Storage Suggestions
This curry tastes even better the next day, as the flavors deepen. Store the curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until hot, then serve. If the curry has thickened after refrigeration, then add some hot water while reheating.
You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
Other Kashmiri Recipes We Recommend
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Chicken Rogan Josh Recipe (Traditional Kashmiri Style)
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 3-4 black cardamons (badi elaichi)
- 4-5 cloves (laung)
- 3-4 green cardamoms (hari elaichi)
- 8-10 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 1 mace (javitri)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- 3 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 teaspoons fennel powder (saunf powder)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder (sonth)
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 tablespoons mustard oil (or ghee or any other cooking oil)
- 2 bay leaves (tejpatta)
- 4-5 Kashmiri dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 kilogram skinless bone-in chicken (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces, rinsed)
For Tempering (Optional)
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1-2 inch piece of ratanjot
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak saffron strands in milk.
- Lightly crush black cardamoms, cloves, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, and mace in a mortar and pestle.
- Whisk yogurt with Kashmiri red chili powder, fennel powder, asafetida, dry ginger powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, and salt.
Make The Curry
In An Instant Pot
- Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.
- Add oil to the pot.
- Once the oil is hot, add crushed whole spices, bay leaves, dry red chilies, and cumin seeds, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Now add yogurt mixture and saffron soaked in milk and mix well.
- Add 1 cup of hot water and mix well.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes at high pressure.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure manually.
- Open the lid.
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Follow the above recipe in a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles on high heat.
- Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Temper The Rogan Josh Curry (Optional)
- Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat.
- Add ratanjot and cook for a minute.
- Strain the ghee and add it to the curry. Serve hot with steamed rice or Naan.
good at last found a recipe without onion garlic and tomato
Thanks Anusha.Do give it a try!