Goanese Racheado Chicken

July 09, 2025

Goanese Racheado Chicken

This recipe is a blend of the goan red or racheado masala and some Chinese sauces. You could also flavour it according to your preference :

1. Add some pieces of star anise in the end to give it a more Chinese flavour. Or

2. Add curry leaves for a south Indian flavour.

Ingredients :

Chicken (live) : 2 kg

Lime : 2

Vinegar : 1 tblsp

Soya sauce: 1 tblsp

Worcestershire sauce: 1 tblsp

Salt : to taste

Oil : 1/4 cup ( for frying )

Racheado masala :

Kashmiri chilies : 8 (medium size)

Turmeric : 1/2 tsp

Tamarind : 1 lime size ball

Water : 1/4 cup

Ginger : 1 inch piece

Garlic (Indian) : 8 - 10 cloves

Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds : 1/2 tsp

Pepper : 1/2 tsp

Cloves : 8 - 10

Cinnamon : 3 inch pieces

Onion : 1 small

Tomato : 1 small

Cane jaggery : 4 tblsp

Vinegar : 1/3 cup

Salt : 1/4 tsp

Procedure :

Clean the chicken, then marinate it with salt, lime juice, vinegar, soya sauce and Worcestershire sauce and leave for 10 to 15 minutes.

Roast the onion and tomato on direct flame or over a slotted/ wire pan until their skin turns dark.

Clean the tamarind, then soak it in some water.

Deseed the Kashmiri chilies, peel the ginger and garlic. Peel roasted onion and tomato and roughly cut them . Get all other ingredients ready.

Grind all the masala ingredients along with the soaked tamarind and vinegar to make a fine paste. Then add the jaggery and salt and blend once again.

Now use this masala to marinate the chicken. Use enough masala to cover all the chicken pieces thoroughly. If you feel the masala is too much for the chicken, you may reserve some for later use or for making fish racheado. Keep the marinated chicken in the refrigerator overnight.

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken in it in one or two batches. First seer the pieces on all sides over a high flame, then cover it with a lid and let it cook over a medium to low flame for about 20 to 25 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.

Once the chicken is cooked you may check for the seasoning, and add salt, jaggery and lime/ vinegar if needed. (At this point you can add the pieces of smashed star anise or some curry leaves). Also adjust the consistency, you may keep a thick dry gravy consistency or dry fry completely until it gets caramelized on top.