Inspired by the royal Murgh Musallam, here is my take on an Indian-style Stuffed Roast Chicken recipe – perfect for special occasions and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
It gets rather boring when you have to spend Christmas Day in the UK because nothing’s open! But on the flip side, it’s an ideal day to cook up a storm as I have the whole day to play around in the kitchen. This year, my sister is staying at mine, and since she never had a roast dinner before, I decided to make a Stuffed Roast Chicken with a flair of Indian spices!
I definitely don’t have the chance to make a whole chicken very often as it’s unrealistic to eat up a whole chicken myself; nor is my apartment big enough to host my friends over for dinner parties and cook up a whole chicken. But with my sister around, it’s well worth the effort to give this a go. We feasted on the chicken all day along with other side dishes we’ve (I’ve) made (i.e Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Rashers, Saffron Rice, Yorkshire Pudding and Roasted Potatoes). There was just the right amount of leftovers for the next day as well.
At first, I find the whole idea of making a Stuffed Roast Chicken a bit daunting. However, everything turned out much easier than I expected. I had a lot of fun making this and it was a huge success. I will most definitely make it again for another special occasion.
Inspired by Murgh Musallam
I took some inspiration on an Indian classic dish for this Stuffed Roast Chicken recipe. This is my own little take and twist on Murgh Musallam, which is a very popular dish among the royal Mughal families of Awadh in India.
By literal translation, Murgh Musallam means whole chicken. It’s a lavish royal dish originated in Northern India. In a traditional Mughal way, the chicken is stuffed with chicken mince and boiled eggs.
Personally, I find filling up the chicken with more chicken a bit too much. Therefore I decided to switch it up with nuts and peas instead while keeping the boiled eggs.
How to prepare the Stuffed Roast Chicken
In comparison to all my other recipes on the blog, this one is much lengthier. There are many steps to follow, hence I’m only making this for a special occasion. Though don’t be put off by the looks of the recipe, it’s actually easier than it looks! If I can pull it off in my tiny kitchen, I’m sure you can too.
I used the Shazan Medium Whole Chicken which I picked up from my local Tescos. I started marinating the chicken on the morning of the day before and left it overnight to be ready for the actual day.
Additionally, I also pre-made the nut paste that’s used in the gravy and kept it in an air-tight container. It’s really quick to roast the nuts (Almonds & Cashews) in the oven for about 2 minutes. Then you just have to pop them into the blender along with Garam Masala and Fried Onions.
On the Day of Cooking
If you’re really short on time on the day of cooking, you can cook the stuffing beforehand too.
I did it on the day of cooking. It was totally manageable but if I were to do it again, I would’ve prepped it beforehand to minimise the faff in the kitchen.
Then all there’s left to do is the fill up the chicken with the stuffing, place it into a roasting bag and simply pop it into the oven! I cooked the stuffed chicken at 180ยฐC for about 70 minutes as its internal temperature reaches 75ยฐC.
As I was resting the chicken, I started making the gravy. I made it into quite a creamy sauce-like texture but feel free to adjust the amount of water to make it into your desired consistency. Last but not least, I poured the gravy (or sauce in my case) over the chicken and garnished it with coriander.
Side Dish Ideas to Serve
Here are some side dish recipes you can pair with this roast chicken:
Common FAQ
Check the internal temperature of the chicken by using a cooking thermometer. You chicken is cooked when its internal temperature reaches 75ยฐC
Using a cooking thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the chicken without touching any bones. ย Pull it slowly up through the meat and watch the display for the lowest number that it reads. 75ยฐC is the temperature deemed safe to consume the chicken.
If you have any other questions, please leave a comment and I will answer you and include them here on this FAQ.
Indian Stuffed Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Large Roasting Tin
- Cooking Strings and Toothpicks
- Roasting Bag
- Spice Grinder / Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Whole Chicken (1.4-1.6kg)
Marinade
- 190 g Yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- ยฝ tsp Cardamon Powder
- 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Salt
Stuffing
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Red Onions finely chopped
- 35 g Almonds
- 40 g Cashews
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- Salt
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- ยผ tsp Tumeric
- 2 Boiled Eggs
- 60 g Peas
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- ยฝ tsp Garam Masala
- ยฝ tsp Cumin Powder
- 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Nut Paste
- 2 tbsp Garam Masala
- ยฝ cup Fried Onions
- 2 tbsp Almonds & Cashews Roasted
Gravy
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- Salt
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 125 g Yoghurt
- 1 cup Water (adjust accordingly depending on texture)
- ยฝ cup Cream
- Coriander for garnish
Instructions
Marinating the Chicken
- In a large bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients.
- Scorch the chicken and place the whole chicken into the marinade, make sure the marinade coats over the meat. Cover and refrigerate and allow to marinate overnight.
Making the Stuffing
- Heat a large pan with oil. Cook Onions for about 10 minutes until softened.
- Stir in Almonds and Cashews. Cook for 2 minutes until roasted.
- Mix in Ginger Garlic Paste, Chilli Powder, Tumeric, and Salt.
- Add in Peas and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in Tomato Paste, Garam Masala, and Cumin Powder. Cook until it forms a paste.
- Add in Lemon Juice and the Boiled Eggs. Mix well.
Stuffing and Roasting the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 180ยฐC
- Take out the Marinated Chicken (keep the remaining marinade) and fill up the cavity with stuffing. Tie up the legs with a string and use a toothpick, if needed, to keep everything in place.
- Place the Stuffed Chicken into a Roasting Bag and put into the oven for 90 minutes. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 75ยฐC.
Making the Nut Paste and Gravy
- After the chicken is cooked, allow to cool down aside.
- In a spice grinder/blender, blend in Garam Masala, Fried Onions, Roasted Almonds, and Roasted Cashews. Set aside.
- Heat up a pot with oil. Add in Ginger Garlic Paste.
- Then stir in the remaining Chicken Marinade and Tomato Paste.
- Season with Salt and Chilli Powder.
- Mix in Yoghurt. Then stir in the Nut Paste.
- Add water and allow to cook to a gravy texture.
- Stir in Cream and the Chicken Juices that's been released into the roasting tin. Cook until oil starts to separate.
- Garnish with Coriander and pour over the Roasted Chicken. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The prep time does not include time for marinating the chicken
- I made the nut paste the day before to minimise the faff on the actual day of cooking. Simply keep it in an air-tight container after blending it.
- You can also prepare the stuffing beforehand.
- This is completely optional but I prefer using a Roasting Bag as it helps to keep the moisture of the Chicken.ย
- Cooking times may vary for different ovens and different chicken sizes.
- Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 75ยฐC before removing from the oven.
- You can check the temperature by using a cooking thermometer and inserting it into the thickest part of the chicken without touching any bones.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving
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Mmm would this work with other chicken pieces, like thighs? Looks great!
I think Chicken Legs would still work wonderfully! Just omit the stuffing part but you can still do the marinade and gravy ๐
Good stuff!
Thank you!
Can this be made in instant pot Duo Crisp Air fryer?
I never tried making this with an air fryer so I can’t give you a firm answer, sorry! But in theory, it should work as long as you shake off any excess marinade and make sure the stuffing is secured inside. You’d have to flip it halfway through as per any other whole chicken air fryer recipes, then make the gravy separately.
We really enjoyed the recipe. It turned out soooo well. I made this for thanksgiving and used Cornish hen, added ground turkey to the stuffing. Since I was too lazy to cook the gravy I added remaining marinade to the remaining stuffing. But all the masalas are still you lol. It was delicious with rice.
Thank you for the lovely comment, so glad it turned out great! I’m loving your twist to the recipe and it sounds amazing ๐ Happy Thanksgiving!
My family really enjoyed the chicken. Took me an extra 10 minutes to cook through my chicken. Not too spicy, just the right flavor.
Thank you for your lovely comment, I am so pleased that you and your family enjoyed it! The cooking time does depend from oven to oven and the size of the chicken you are using.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!