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Chicken Kosha Recipe | Bengali-Style Kosha Mangsho Using Chicken

Chicken kosha bengali style chicken curry with rich gravy

About The Author

Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!

Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.

Sundays are special for every Bengali household. And while special days demand good food, Sundays for a Bengali would mean a Bengali chicken kosha paired with hot rice, followed by an afternoon siesta.

In this blog, you will learn how to ace the art of cooking the perfect chicken kosha. Every step along with measurements are tried and tested in the kitchen and I am sure you will delight yourself and your friends and family with this recipe.

What is a Bengali Chicken Kosha?

A Bengali chicken kosha is a chicken curry cooked by continuously braising the meat over a medium to high flame. The end result is a thick, spicy, semi-solid gravy that comes bundled with a halved potato that has absorbed some of the delicious gravy.

Golbari is also synonymous with kosha mangsho. If interested, you can also refer to my earlier post on Golbari Kosha Mangsho (Chicken version).

Cooking a Perfect Kosha Mangsho & Perfecting the Art

Certainly, a dish can be good or great. What qualifies a great Bengali chicken kosha? Read all the details below, before hopping on to the recipe.

Well-Braised & Juicy Meat

A good kosha mangsho or chicken kosha should have a brown texture outside and a juicy, white meat inside.

This is achieved using the following techniques:

  • Continuous stirring of the chicken without adding any water helps the outer skin to develop a brown char
  • A juicy, white meat is a result of braising the meat over medium to high heat along with a proper understanding of when to add the tomatoes

Add the tomatoes when you are sure that the meat is cooked. Adding tomatoes while the chicken is uncooked results in chewy meat. The acid within tomatoes toughens the meat.

Well-Cooked Potatoes for a Complete Chicken Kosha

Potatoes are an important ingredient in the chicken kosha. A Bengali kosha mangsho without a potato is only half the dish.

And this is also the part that looks easy. And easier to mess up. It has happened with me multiple times where the potatoes did not get properly cooked from the inside and while I could bite and chew them in, my guests had to throw them out.

The kosha mangsho should have a soft potato that you can press into and break using your thumb and index finger (finger next to your thumb) with little effort.

For the tastebuds, the potatoes should have the soft gooeyness while giving you a flavor of the gravy.

The best way to get your potatoes done is boil them till they are 95% done and get the rest done by sauteing in the oil, before it goes into the gravy during the last phase of the curry.

Smooth, Brown, Semi-Solid, Spicy Gravy

A lot of terms in there!

The gravy of a kosha mangsho should have a smooth texture. Ideally, you should not be able to distinguish between the onions, tomatoes. The brown consistency on the gravy should be thick and spicy, with a slight tang that does not overpower the other flavors.

This is achieved by ensuring the following.

  • Brown your onions well. Unless the onions are browned properly, they will not transform into a mush and integrate with the other elements of the curry. However take care to not over brown it. That will in turn give a bitter taste to the gravy and kill the joy of a great Bengali chicken kosha
  • Tomatoes should be cooked well. They should lose their form and integrate with the gravy
  • Do not add water. For the specifications given in the recipe below, you would not need to add any water. If you are changing the ratio of ingredients and find that the spices sticking to the bottom of the wok, just sprinkle a few teaspoons of water
  • The semi-thick gravy is because of the onions which has been used in larger quantities than you would do for a normal chicken curry. Apart from the onions, the cumin and coriander form the body of the spices
  • If you are using chilies that are very hot, you may decrease the amount based on your heat tolerance

Serve Chicken Kosha or Kosha Mangsho With…

This is a one-recipe-fits-all. It is savored with luchi (pooris made of common flour). The spicy dish creates a magic with Basanti Pulao which is a Bengali sweet pulao.

You can also serve it with chapatis, rotis, parathas or a plate of steaming hot rice. Accompany it with a wedge of lemon and some sliced onions!

Kosha Mangsho

Bengali Chicken Kosha Recipe | Kosha Mangsho

Spicy, Semi-solid Gravy. Juicy Chicken. Burst of Flavors
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
4.93 from 13 votes
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
CourseSide Dish
Cuisinebengali
KeywordBengali Chicken Curry, Bengali chicken kosha, Chicken Kosha, Kosha Mangsho
Servings: 6 people
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 250

Note

The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.

Equipment

  • Knife
  • Preparation Bowls
  • Mixie
  • Wok
  • Spatula
  • Serving Plates/Bowls
  • Pot, saucepan or pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 kg medium-sized chicken pieces on the bone
  • 2 pc potato cut into halves
  • 6 pc medium-sized onions or 4 big sized onions, 10 small-sized onions
  • 2 pc medium-sized tomatoes
  • 4 pc finely chopped green chilies
  • 6 pc finely chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup well-beaten curd
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 3 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp each for caramelizing at the beginning, and balancing the flavors at the end
  • 1/2 cup oil

For Ginger Garlic Paste

  • 8 pc garlic pods
  • 2 inch ginger
  • 4 pc green chilies
  • 2 pc red chilies
  • 1/3 tsp salt a pinch will do
  • 1 pc kashmiri red chilly optional

Whole Spices for Tempering

  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 pc bayleaf
  • 2 pc red chilies
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 6 pc green cardamom
  • 4 pc cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin seed

Instructions

Preparation for Chicken Kosha Recipe (20 minutes)

  • Peel and cut the potatoes in half. Boil the potatoes in a covered sauce pan or pot for 15 minutes on high flame. Alternatively, pressure cook the potatoes for 1 whistle with a pinch of salt.
  • Soak the red chilli and Kashmiri red chili in hot water for around 15 minutes as mentioned under "For Ginger Garlic Paste"
  • Slice the onions and peel the ginger and garlic. Also finely dice the tomatoes
  • In a mixie, add all the ingredients mentioned under "For Ginger Garlic Paste" and make into a fine paste

Cooking the Kosha Mangsho or Bengali Chicken Kosha Recipe (40 minutes)

  • Take a wok and heat it. During the entire cooking process, keep the flame to medium
  • Add the mustard oil and wait till the oil starts smoking
  • Once the oil starts smoking, fry the potatoes on a medium flame on all sides till they get a light color. This will take 5-10 minutes. Keep aside
  • Reduce the flame to low and wait for 20-30 seconds
  • Add the whole spices mentioned under "Whole Spices for Tempering". First add the cinnamon stick, bayleaf and black pepper and allow it to saute for 10-15 seconds. Add the cloves, red chilies and cardamom pods and give it a nice stir. After another 30 seconds, add the cumin seeds
  • Once the cumin seeds start crackling and the red chilies have turned brown or black, add a teaspoon of sugar. Allow this sugar to caramelize.
  • When the sugar starts changing to brown, add in the onions
  • Immediately add the coriander powder. Coriander powder takes the longest to cook, and hence we add it immediately after adding in the onions. Don't worry, this is tried and tested
  • Once the onions begin to turn brown, add the finely chopped green chilies and finely chopped garlic
  • Give this a nice stir and add in the ginger-garlic paste prepared previously
  • Once the onions turn brown, add the chicken pieces
  • Keep stirring to avoid the spices from sticking to the bottom of the wok
  • After 10 minutes, add in the turmeric powder and cumin powder and give it a nice stir to coat all the chicken pieces with the spices
  • Let this cook for another 5 minutes and add in curd. Before adding the curd, ensure that the curd is well-beaten to avoid curdling
  • Keep stirring to avoid the curd and spices from sticking to the bottom
  • When the chicken has cooked around 80%, add in the chopped tomatoes
  • Give this a nice stir and allow it to cook
  • When the tomatoes turn mushy, add the salt and potato
  • Allow to cook for another 5 minutes before adding the sugar
  • Give it a nice stir and simmer for another couple of minutes
  • The Bengali-style chicken kosha is now ready. Allow the kosha mangsho to rest for 15-20 minutes
  • Serve it with rice, roti, fried rice, poori, or luchi

Notes

  • Bengali chicken kosha should always have meat on the bone. While you can still use boneless pieces, chicken pieces on the bone gives a better flavor
  • Since this recipe is very near to my heart, I take the pain to peel the ginger and garlic. You can use ginger-garlic paste too, however, remember that roasted garlic cooked with chicken creates magic in the wok
  • Never add tomatoes before your chicken has cooked. Tomatoes contain an acid which toughen up the meat and prevent it from being juicy
  • Do not worry if the curd curdles after you add it. Eventually it will cook and even out. Ensure that you do not add water if there is curdling
  • Never roast the whole spices on high heat. It will burn the essential oil in the spices and negate the effect of whole spices on the food. Reduce the flame to a minimum and allow sometime for the spices to slowly release the essential oil
  • The kosha mangsho using chicken needs patience and should never be approached in a hurry. Give enough time for the spices to work their magic, and allow the onions to be fried properly before proceeding with the rest of the process
  • Simple spices available at home help create the best chicken kosha. Avoid store-bought chicken masala packets for this recipe. If fresh tomatoes are available, avoid canned tomatoes
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9 thoughts on “Chicken Kosha Recipe | Bengali-Style Kosha Mangsho Using Chicken”

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  2. Superb recipe.. I cooked exactly as told and the taste is authentic.. Darun laglo.. Ebar basanti pulao ta try kora hobe.. Thanks Samrat

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