Easy to make and super comforting, this easy chicken Kothu roti recipe might just become your next dinner favorite!
Packed with loads of flavors from the chicken curry, crunchy veggies, and the soft rotis (flatbread), the Chicken Kothu Roti is a classic Sri Lankan street food recipe that you absolutely have to try your hands at. It is actually an excellent way to use up any leftover rotis that you might have, and also not let your dinner’s chicken curry go waste.
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If you have the roti and curry ready, this one-pot meal takes very little time and effort to put together. Ready to try the recipe? Here’s all you need to know about it before you do!
Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need three sets of ingredients to make the chicken Kothu roti. If you already have the roti and the curry ready, you’re almost there.
For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- Basmati rice: 2 tbsp
- Dry red chilies: 3-4
- Mustard seeds: 1 tbsp
- Coriander seeds: 2 tbsps
- Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp
- Fennel seeds: 2 tsp
- Cloves: 5-6
- Black pepper (Whole): 3 tbsps
For the Chicken curry
- Oil: 2 tbsps
- Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
- Curry leaves: 1 sprig
- Pandan leaves: A bunch
- Coconut (grated): 2 tbsps
- Onions (chopped): 1 cup
- Dry red chilies: 3-4
- Pandan leaves: A bunch
- Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
- Chicken: 200 gms
- Sri Lankan Curry Powder: 4 tbsps
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Salt: As per taste
- Water: 1 cup
- Coconut milk: ½ cup
For Kottu Roti
- Paratha/Parotta: 2
- Oil: 2 tbsps
- Curry leaves: 1 sprig
- Green chilies (chopped): 2 tbsps
- Carrot (julienne): ½ cup
- Leeks (chopped): ½ cup
- Onions (sliced): ½ cup
- Eggs: 2-3
- Chili flakes: 2 tbsps
- Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Salt: As per taste
- Prepared chicken curry
Kitchen Tools Needed
How to Make the Chicken Kothu Roti
Once you’ve got all your ingredients and kitchen tools ready, here’s what you need to do.
For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder, start by first dry roasting the basmati rice for about 30 seconds on medium flame.
Next, add all the remaining dry spices to the same pan and dry roast until done.
Keep the mixture aside to cool down and then grind the same into a powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, pandan leaves, grated coconut, and dry red chilies and saute.
Next, add the onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute.
Add the chicken next and mix well.
Add the Sri Lankan Curry Powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well.
Add water and cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Add the coconut milk. Let the curry simmer for 2 minutes.
For the Kothu Roti, take a parotta or paratha and cut it into small pieces.
Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the onions, green chilies, carrots, leeks, curry leaves, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the eggs and scramble them. Cook for a minute.
Add the chili powder, chili flakes, and salt next and mix well.
Next, add the cut parotta pieces and mix well.
Once the veggies are completely cooked, add the prepared chicken curry and mix.
Put everything together and give it a good mix. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
While this chicken Kothu roti recipe calls for the use of chicken curry, you can replicate the same with any other curry you have- even a vegetarian curry if that’s what you prefer. The idea is to use up your leftover curry and flatbread, and transform it into a new, flavorful dish.
Just remember that the consistency of the curry that you’re using should not be too thin and watery, or it might end up making the roti soggy. 
There are so many different variations that you can bring into this classic Kothu roti recipe. There’s always a vegetarian option, but if that’s not what you want, you can try adding some scrambled eggs into the mix and turn it into a nice egg Kothu roti or add shredded beef to make a beef Kothu roti.
If you’re a cheese lover, you can also make a cheesy version of this flavorful meal. 
The chicken Kothu roti can, at times, get a tad bit sticky and soggy if the curry is watery. To fix this, you can turn down the heat and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes, without covering the lid on the pan. This will help all the excess water evaporate and your Kothu roti will get the texture you want it to have.
If you’re not a fan of making flatbread from scratch, but still want to give this recipe a try, you can make do with any frozen flatbread of your choice too. Tortillas are a great alternative as well. 
Tips to Make the Chicken Kothu Roti
All set and ready to give the recipe a try? Wait up! You might want to keep these additional tips and tricks in mind.
- Remember that Kothu roti is one of those recipes that tastes best when served immediately, while it is still hot. If you try to serve it later, it will turn dry and won’t have the texture you would want it to have.
- Use a large pan or a skillet to make this chicken Kothu roti and remember to season it well. This will help keep any of the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
- To enjoy extra flavor and yumminess of the chicken in every bite, you can use ground chicken instead of the chicken pieces. Another great idea is to shred the chicken in the curry off the bone then use them for the recipe.
- To enjoy the best texture, cut the roti that you’re using into small, thin strips.
- You can also add some more sliced veggies like green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes to increase the nutritive value and crunch factor in the dish.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
The best part about the chicken Kothu Roti is the fact that it is actually a complete meal in itself, and you don’t need to put a lot of effort into serving it. You can enjoy it as is, or team it up with any comforting soup of your choices like some Moroccan Harira soup or some simple Japanese clear soup. And if you really want to make it a full-fledged meal for everyone in the family, you can pair it with some Nasi Goreng, which is a flavorful rice-based dish.
Sri Lankan Chicken Kothu Roti
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- 2 tsp Basmati rice
- 3-4 pcs Dry red chilies
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 5-6 pcs Cloves
- 3 tsp Black pepper (Whole)
Ingredients for the Chicken curry
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- A bunch Pandan leaves
- 1 tsp Coconut (grated)
- 1 cup[ Onions (chopped)
- 3-4 pcs Dry red chilies
- 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
- 200 gms Chicken
- 4 tsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- As per taste Salt
- 1 cup Water
- ½ cup Coconut milk
Ingredients for Kottu Roti
- 2 pcs Paratha/Parotta
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 2 tsp Green chilies (chopped)
- ½ cup Carrot (julienne)
- ½ cup Leeks (chopped)
- ½ cup Onions (sliced)
- 2-3 pcs Eggs
- 2 tsp Chili flakes
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- As per taste Salt
- Prepared chicken curry
Instructions
- For the Sri Lankan Curry Powder,start by first dry roasting the basmati rice for about 30 seconds on mediumflame.2 tsp Basmati rice, 4 tsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
- Next, add all the remaining dryspices to the same pan and dry roast until done.2 tsp Coriander seeds, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 tsp Fennel seeds, 5-6 pcs Cloves, 3 tsp Black pepper, 3-4 pcs Dry red chilies, 1 sprig Curry leaves, 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- Keep the mixture aside to cooldown and then grind the same into a powder. Store it in an airtight container for future use.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add mustardseeds, curry leaves, pandan leaves, grated coconut, and dry red chilies andsaute.3-4 pcs Dry red chilies, 1 tsp Mustard seeds, 1 sprig Curry leaves, A bunch Pandan leaves, 1 tsp Coconut, 2 tsp Oil
- Next, add the onions and gingergarlic paste. Saute.1 tsp Ginger garlic paste, ½ cup Onions
- Add the chicken next and mix well.200 gms Chicken
- Add the Sri Lankan Curry Powder,turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well.½ tsp Turmeric powder, As per taste Salt
- Add water and cook the chicken for8-10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.1 cup Water
- Add the coconut milk. Let thecurry simmer for 2 minutes.½ cup Coconut milk
- For the Kothu Roti, take a parottaor paratha and cut it into small pieces.2 pcs Paratha/Parotta
- Next, heat oil in a pan. Add the onions, green chilies, carrots, leeks, curry leaves, and saute for 2-3 minutes.1 cup[ Onions, 2 tsp Green chilies, ½ cup Carrot, ½ cup Leeks, 2 tsp Oil
- Add the eggs and scramble them. Cook for a minute.2-3 pcs Eggs
- Add the chili powder, chili flakes, and salt next and mix well.2 tsp Chili flakes, 1 tsp Red chili powder, As per taste Salt
- Next, add the cut parotta pieces and mix well.Prepared chicken curry
- Once the veggies are completely cooked, add the prepared chicken curry and mix.
- Poud everything together and give a good mix.
- Serve hot.
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