Roasted Chicken Recipe 

Chicken roast is an iconic dish in Bengali cuisine. While normal chicken curry can be had on almost any day, chicken roast means that today’s spread is special.

In Bangladesh, Chicken Roast is the go to chicken curry to have with Polao. Even though we say Polao-Korma a lot, Korma has a difficult time taking Chicken Roast’s place in the menu of any event. Be it a house party or a grand wedding event – it will be simply empty without chicken roast.

I always thought something this delicious and special would be a little complicated to make. Maybe you need at least some special ingredients for that magical taste. But turns out it’s just simple yogurt and nuts that give the dish its iconic flavor. And apart from that, chicken roast recipe is simple, as you can see from the Shahi Chicken Roast and Special Spicy Chicken Roast recipe.

If you go looking for a Bengali chicken roast recipe online, make sure you write “biye barir” in the search bar. “Biye barir” means “of a wedding”, and as i said chicken roast is very popular as in weddings. A wedding feast would be incomplete with chicken roast curry.

Now what I do not understand about bengali chicken roast is the name. The dish is cooked normally on a pan, over a stove fire. There is no roasting involved in the whole process. Yet the dish is universally called chicken roast.

The name chicken roast or roast chicken, whichever way you put it, evokes different thoughts for Bengali people and everyone else worldwide. Because we think about the chicken roast I have talked about so far. But everyone else thinks about proper roasted chicken.

Today’s recipe is of that, a proper roast chicken, not a curry cooked on a frying pan or cauldron.

Now here is the interesting part. Both versions of roast chicken, the Bengali curry and this actual roasted chicken, are reserved for special occasions.

The roasted chicken you see in Western cuisine is what families make for Sunday dinners or holiday gatherings. It is comfort food, but also celebration food. The whole family sits around the table, and someone carves the chicken right there. There is something very warm and special about that.

In our Bengali homes, we bring out the chicken roast curry when guests are coming or when we want to make a meal special. Same intention, completely different cooking method! But surprisingly the same name for completely different dishes with the same spirit.

What I love about this oven-roasted chicken is how simple it actually is. Just like our Bengali chicken roast turns out to be simpler than expected, this roasted chicken is also surprisingly easy. You basically season it, stuff some herbs and onion inside, and let the oven do the work.

The leftovers is one of the best parts about roast chicken. With Bengali chicken roast, leftovers are rare because everyone finishes it. Maybe you have some gravy left in the bowl.

But with a whole roasted chicken, you will have meat for sandwiches the next day, maybe even enough to make a quick chicken fried rice or soup.

One tip I have is never throw away the bones. Make stock from them. That stock will make your next batch of cooking taste incredible.

Whether you are making the curry version for a wedding or roasting a whole chicken for Sunday lunch, both dishes bring people together. And that is what matters most.