Chicken Kosha is a traditional Bengali way of cooking chicken. It is packed with unbelievable flavours, spicy and super-good! The juicy chicken pieces slow cooked in a mix of basic spices is the perfect weeknight meal — it’s prepared with ingredients you probably have on hand: chicken, onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, Indian spices such as coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. Serve chicken kosha with Indian flatbread or basmati rice.
Kosha in Bengali means sautéing meat in oil and spices until onions/tomatoes have dissolved into a thick paste and the meat is nicely browned all over.
Usually potatoes are added to the dish – potatoes are boiled, peeled, halved and fried in oil till they turn golden brown. When the chicken is half cooked, the potatoes are added to it and cooked till they absorb the flavours of the gravy.
Chicken Kosha Bengali Recipe:
Chicken Kosha is a semi-dry chicken preparation from West Bengal. Bengali Kosha Murgir Mangsho is a rich and sumptuous, family-friendly chicken dish, slow-cooked with aromatic Desi spices. This Kosha Murgir Mangsho is easy to make and brimming with flavour. Kosha Chicken tastes really good served over steamed rice.
- To make Kosha Chicken the Bengali way, firstly clean and wash the chicken very well.
- Take the chicken chunks in a bowl and sprinkle salt, turmeric and lemon juice over it. Mix well and prick the chicken pieces with a fork so that the marinade is well absorbed. Marinate the chicken overnight or at least for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, boil, peel and halve the potatoes and keep aside.
- Finely chop the onions and tomatoes.
- Heat cooking oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Put in the potatoes and fry them till they turn golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and keep aside.
- Then sizzle whole garam masala along with ½ tsp sugar and sauté for a few seconds over a low flame. The sugar caramelises and gives a nice rich colour to the gravy, while the sweetness enhances the flavours of the curry.
- Next add the finely chopped onions and fry over medium heat. Add ½ tsp salt (salt hastens the browning process).
- Sauté the onions until nice and brown and the oil starts to separate from the mixture. Keep stirring in-between to prevent them from getting burnt.
- Now add the ginger and garlic paste and sauté over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the chopped tomato and fry for 5 minutes till it turns mushy.
- Next sprinkle all the spices – turmeric, red chilli powder, jeera powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes over low heat till the spices give off a nice aroma.
- Now add the marinated chicken pieces. Mix well, cover and cook over low heat. Occasionally remove the lid and stir in-between to prevent burning.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat. When the chicken is half cooked, put in the potatoes and mix well. Adjust the salt to your liking.
- Cook until the chicken is well browned, soft and succulent and coated well with the masalas. The gravy will turn thick and almost dry and take on a dark brown colour.
- No need of adding any water as the chicken itself releases water. However, in case the chicken is drying up before being fully cooked, add about ½ cup of hot water.
- Remove and serve Kosha Chicken with Basanti Pulao or Indian Flatbread.
If you are searching for more Bengali Chicken Recipes, then do try out Rezala Chicken Curry.
Kosha Murgir Mangsho Recipe details below:
Kosha Chicken Bengali Recipe
Ingredients
Marinate:
- 500 grams chicken
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp lemon juice
For Dry Curry:
- 4 tbsp Oil
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 cardamom
- 2 cloves
- 1/8 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 medium onions
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander powder
Instructions
- For this Bengali chicken recipe, wash the chicken well. Place the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl and add salt, turmeric and lemon juice. Combine well. Prick the chicken with a fork so that it absorbs all the flavours.
- Boil two medium potatoes. Cool and peel them. Cut them into halves and keep aside.
- Finely chop onions and tomatoes.
- Heat oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. Drop in the potatoes and fry them till they turn a nice golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
- Next temper the oil with whole garam masala and sugar and sauté for a few seconds, till they start to splutter and the sugar caramelizes (it lends a rich brown colour to the gravy).
- Add the onions and fry over a medium flame. Sprinkle salt and mix well. The salt speeds up the browning process.
- Once the onions start to brown, tip in the ginger garlic paste. Fry for a few minutes till the raw smell disappears.
- Next put in the chopped tomatoes, mix well and cook covered till they soften and oil starts to separate.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Combine well and cook the masala over low heat until well blended.
- Add the marinated chicken and mix well with the masalas. Cover and cook over low heat. Uncover and stir occasionally.
- When the chicken is half cooked, add the potatoes and mix well. Check the seasoning.
- Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes till the chicken is cooked through and the you get a dark brown, almost semi-dry gravy.
- Remove from heat and transfer the chicken into a serving bowl.
- Serve Bengali Style Kosha Chicken with steamed rice or Naan.
