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Home Recipes All Breakfast & Brunch
Posted:3/2/2018
Updated:3/3/2018

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti – Famous Sri Lankan Street Food!

50 mins
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Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti - Stirfried chopped flatbread Sri Lankan style. Koththu roti is a popular Sri Lankan food that you can now enjoy at home. Great way to use up leftover chicken or vegetables too. 

 There’s a reason why Chicken Kottu Roti is insanely popular in Sri Lanka! Chopped flatbread mixed and mashed together with chicken and vegetables and lots of aromatic spices, this chicken kottu roti recipe is as delicious as it is comforting, and it also works splendidly as an anti-hangover meal! 🙂 I’ve also provided tips and substitutes for adapting this famous street food dish to make at home. 

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti - Stirfried chopped flatbread Sri Lankan style. Koththu roti is a popular Sri Lankan food that you can now enjoy at home. Great way to use up leftover chicken or vegetables too. 

Let me start with this proclamation – Chicken Kottu Roti is the BEST Sri Lankan street food.

You can’t ever visit Sri Lanka and leave without eating Kottu roti (also spelled Koththu or Kotthu). It’ll be hard to avoid it anyway. If you take a stroll down a busy street in the heart of Colombo (or any other urban/suburban part of the country) in the late evening, you’ll be greeted with the sound of street vendors making kottu roti from a fair distance away, followed immediately by the aroma of a tantalizingly delicious meal that will flood your mouth with saliva. To be fair though, the mere mention of kottu roti will have that effect on many Sri Lankans, who have come to embrace this uniquely Sri Lankan dish regardless of race, religion, age or socioeconomic status.

Chopped roti – I use store-bought paratha roti, when I can’t find godamba roti.

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu roti - Chopped Godhambara Roti or Paratha Roti or Roti Canai, ready to be used.

About Sri Lankan Kottu Roti

Kottu roti is made with a type of flatbread called “Godhambara roti” or “Godamba roti” (which is also called roti canai, which originates from Malaysia, or the flakier cousin – paratha, from India), that is shredded and then mixed with vegetables, meat and eggs (or not, for a vegetarian or vegan option) and aromatic spices and sauces. The whole mix is then chopped and mixed together on a large flat griddle with two large steel chopping blades, which produces that characteristic sound and the theatrics of making kottu roti. A lot of street vendors will also have their very own beat and rhythm when using those blades, which make for a very tasty as well entertaining dish! It’s the Sri Lankan version of “dubstep teppanyaki”!

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu roti - The standard vegetables that go into Kottu roti (kothuthu roti), and leftover shredded chicken and curry sauce.

Different Sri Lankan Kottu Roti options

While Chicken Kottu Roti (or Chicken Koththu Roti) is my absolute favorite (and probably most popular), there are different versions of this kottu that you can make. So you can adapt this recipe for Curried Chicken Kottu to also make any of the following.

  • Roast Chicken Kottu roti (same as the curried chicken kottu, but without the curry and made with roast chicken instead)
  • Vegetarian Kottu roti (or vegetable kottu)
  • Egg Kottu roti
  • Cheese Kottu roti
  • Chicken and Cheese Kottu roti
  • Beef Kottu roti

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu roti - Use a big pan to cook the kottu. Once the vegetables are "par cooked", add the eggs in the middle and scramble.

Cheese kottu is a more recent addition to the repertoire, and I’m not quite sure what I think about it. I passed up the opportunity to try it when I last visited Sri Lanka, because really, nothing could beat a classic chicken kottu, with a side of spicy curry gravy. But I’ve been told that it’s quite delicious and catching on. If you’d like to try chicken and cheese kottu, you can easily add 1 cup of shredded cheese to this recipe.

What’s even more fun and unique about Sri Lankan Kottu Roti is that this dish has gained in popularity as a great antidote to hangovers! This is why you’ll find street vendors chopping up a storm well into the night and even wee hours of the morning on many days. The carbs, the protein, the spices and the calories will definitely help settle your stomach and keep the nausea at bay.

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu - Overhead view of the Sri Lankan kottu roti can be adapted to your tastes.

If you’ve seen kottu roti being made by a street vendor in Sri Lanka, you might be wondering how on earth can I replicate that at home?

Thankfully, with just a few adaptations, it’s really quite simple to make Sri Lankan chicken kottu roti (chicken koththu roti) or any kottu for that matter, right at home without the use of those large steel blades and large flat griddle.

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti - All the vegetables and protein used to make Koththu roti stirfried with shredded roti.

How to adapt Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti (the epically popular Sri Lankan street food dish) to make at home

  • If you live in an area with Sri Lankan, Indian or Malaysian restaurants, you can easily get godhambara roti (OR roti canai OR flaky paratha) and chop it yourself.
  • If you can’t find that particular roti/flatbread easily, you can make TWO substitutions – either you can get the FROZEN paratha from Asian grocery stores and cook them yourself, OR you can use tortilla wraps! (Yep, you CAN use tortilla wraps as well, it won’t be the real deal, but it’ll taste almost the same!).
  • You can’t really replicate that chopping action at home. But no worries, you don’t have to. You can start with cut up roti and use a big wok or pan to “stir-fry” everything together. I use my big 12-inch frying pan with high sides to make this kottu recipe.
  • Use leftover chicken curry and curry sauce. Here’s a great recipe for Sri Lankan chicken curry!
  • Use leftover roast chicken if you don’t have leftover chicken curry. Leftover veggies can be used in this kottu recipe as well, and is a great way to use up vegetables in the fridge!

Sri Lankan Kottu Roti - Leftover Curry sauce being poured over kottu. My favorite way to enjoy Chicken Kottu roti.

The end product may not be very pretty, but it’s right out of flavortown! The chopped roti pieces soak up all the spices and flavor of the chicken and vegetables (or any other ingredient or protein option you may choose to include), WITHOUT becoming soggy, and produce a dish of irresistible flavor and comfort. This is such a favorite in our home, K frequently requests this for his lunches to take to work. So I often make a big batch on weekends, and then freeze individual portions for him to take to work. I hope you guys like this Sri Lankan chicken kottu recipe just as much as I have my whole life! 🙂

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu - Perfect Sri Lankan street food . Koththu roti can be served on a plate with a side of curry sauce. Lime is optional, just brightens the flavors.

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Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti - Stirfried chopped flatbread Sri Lankan style. Koththu roti is a popular Sri Lankan food that you can now enjoy at home. Great way to use up leftover chicken or vegetables too. 
5 from 8 votes

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti (Chicken Koththu Roti)

Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti - Stir-fried chopped flatbread Sri Lankan style. Koththu roti is a popular Sri Lankan food that you can now enjoy at home. Great way to use up leftover chicken or vegetables too. 
Total Time 50 minutes
Serves 4 people
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ medium onion
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic about 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 6 large jalapenos or 3 anaheim peppers, halved and sliced (see recipe notes for substitutions)
  • 1 cup sliced leeks washed, white part only
  • ¼ of a cabbage
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper leave it out if you prefer a mild kottu
  • 2 heaped cups of shredded chicken leftover chicken curry OR rotisserie chicken
  • ½ cup leftover curry sauce OR use the curry spices below
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup shredded cheese optional - for chicken and cheese kottu roti
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 lb chopped godhamba Roti or flour tortillas (see recipe notes for substitutions)

Curry Spices For Kottu

  • 1 tbsp Sri Lankan curry powder
  • ⅓ cup chicken stock
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper for a spicy version
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
US Customary - Metric

Instructions:

  • In a large wok or non-stick pan (12 inch), heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is heated, add the onion and saute until softened. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds. Do not let them burn.
  • Add all the vegetables (except for the carrots) and a generous pinch of salt and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the chicken, cayenne pepper and the curry sauce and stir-fry until the vegetables are just starting to soften. If you don't have leftover curry sauce, then add the ingredients for the curry spices given in the recipe.
  • Add the carrots and mix them in. Whisk the eggs together in a bowl, and season with a pinch of salt. Create a well in the middle of the vegetable mix and add the eggs into this well. Let the eggs cook while scrambling them. When the eggs are almost cooked, you can mix it with the vegetables and chicken. Taste and season with salt.
  • If you're making chicken and cheese kottu roti, add the shredded cheese and mix through at this point.
  • Add the shredded roti, and mix through with the vegetables and chicken. Mix frequently until the shredded roti is completely coated with the all the spices and curry sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Serve while hot with extra leftover curry sauce (optional).

Tips & Tricks

Note 1 - Please de-seed the chili peppers if you want it less spicy. You can reduce the amount of chili peppers used, but don’t omit them as they add flavor.
Note 1 a - If you can find yellow banana peppers, use 6 banana peppers instead. This is what's traditionally used in Sri Lanka.
Note 2 (Substitutes for godhamba roti) - roti canai, or store-bought or homemade paratha roti. These roti are almost identical to godhamba roti. If you cannot find these roti, then you can use FLOUR tortillas instead.
Note 3 - Substitute the chicken with cooked beef, pork, or extra vegetables for different versions.
Course:Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Hungover food, Lunch, Street Food
Cuisine:Sri Lankan
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti - Stir fried chopped flatbread Sri Lankan style. Koththu roti is a popular Sri Lankan food that you can now enjoy at home. Great way to use up leftover chicken or vegetables too. #SriLankanFood #SriLankanStreetFood #StreetFood #LeftoverRecipes

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  1. Radini says

    September 21, 2020 at 01:15

    5 stars
    This is the best recipi for kottu! I followed your instructions and it came out perfectly. It’s so handy that you have included how to make the curry sauce if we don’t have some already. Thank you so much for this!

    Reply
  2. M.Ekanayake says

    September 7, 2020 at 08:23

    5 stars
    It was so delicious..

    Reply
  3. Lauren says

    March 26, 2020 at 12:45

    5 stars
    I came back from Sri Lanka recently with a love of Kottu Roti and I was desperate to recreate it. This recipe was perfect! I used tortillas as they are easier to find in my area and it was so delicious. Thanks Dini for sharing this ☺️

    Reply
    • Dini says

      March 26, 2020 at 15:05

      Thank you so much Lauren! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, it really is a must try dish in Sri Lanka! 🙂

      Reply
      • Julia Schuster says

        January 1, 2021 at 19:41

        Hi Dini, happy new year. Wondering if it’s possible to make this with some sort of gluten free bread? Or would that ruin everything? Do you have a recipe to make home made roti instead of buying it? Then probably could use gf flour

        Reply
        • Dini says

          January 2, 2021 at 10:14

          Hi Julia
          We don’t traditionally make this with bread. The bread will soak up too much and become soggy. The roti still have some chew to it even after being “stir fried” with all the other ingredients.
          The roti that I use is the same roti I use in this recipe. However it cannot be made with gluten free flour, as gluten is an important part of stretching the roti to create paratha / roti canai.
          You could make a different type of roti with gluten free flour and use it instead if you like. It still wouldn’t be the same, but I have had heard others who made this with tortillas / regular flat roti (like chapati) and got pretty good results.
          I hope that helps!

          Reply
  4. Gill Higgs says

    March 12, 2020 at 13:52

    This is amazing!!! Just like we had in SriLanka

    Reply
  5. Jasmine says

    February 5, 2020 at 19:35

    5 stars
    I made this, including the roti from scratch and it was amazing. The flavours are definitely tantalising but I think the recipe could do with a bit more heat, it was quite mild even with all the cayenne pepper and more. The quick done curry mix in place of leftover curry was a lifesaver. This is a dish I would love to make again and again because everyone just loved eating it!

    Reply
  6. Jasper says

    December 18, 2019 at 02:10

    5 stars
    Autentic taste and relative easy to prepare. Brings me back to my stay there, each time I eat it. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Tarloke Johal says

    November 21, 2019 at 14:09

    the recipe notes mention yellow banana peppers but the recipe itself does not??

    Reply
    • Dini says

      November 21, 2019 at 15:03

      Hi Tarloke
      In the ingredient list, I have listed jalapenos, and to see notes for substitutions (note 1 and 1a are regarding these chili peppers). So the banana peppers are to be used instead of jalapenos in the recipe, but if you like you can add both too.
      Hope that helps!

      Reply
  8. EP says

    November 12, 2019 at 08:00

    I am using the curry powder instead of curry gravy, so should I add some liquid also to make it juicy? Or is the dry mix alone fine?

    (The roasted curry mix is fantastic btw!)

    Reply
    • Dini says

      November 15, 2019 at 12:08

      Thank you EP!
      Sorry for the late reply!
      You can use a little extra curry powder! You could add a little coconut milk if you like too, but you can leave it out and only add it towards the end if you want it to be “juicier”. I sometimes really enjoy a drier kottu roti 🙂
      Cheers,
      Dini

      Reply
  9. Basith Ali kamil says

    October 28, 2019 at 01:09

    5 stars
    One of the Favourite dish in Sri Lanka. I usually have at least 3 times a week. now even five stars hotels in Sri Lanka Making this dish Thanks for sharing Dini

    Reply
  10. L says

    August 5, 2019 at 15:18

    5 stars
    Do you stir fry the kottu roti to make it crisp?
    Great recipes btw gonna try the roasted curry powder soon

    Reply
    • Dini says

      August 12, 2019 at 09:57

      Hi L
      The kottu is usually made on a large flat grill. Because of the gravy added, it doesn’t crisp up, but it shouldn’t be dripping or too soggy either.
      Since I don’t have such a large grill, I cook it on the largest pan I have. It is “stir-fried” in the pan, but not to crisp up.

      I hope you enjoy this recipe and you love the curry powder as much as I love it too! 🙂

      Reply
  11. rob b says

    July 27, 2019 at 22:34

    How much is one lb of roti? How many naan loaves? Thank you

    Reply
    • Dini says

      July 28, 2019 at 12:42

      Hi Rob
      It is hard to say how many rotis would make 1 lb, because each paratha roti is sized differently and therefore will weigh different. Also I wouldn’t recommend making this with naan, because it will soak up all the liquid giving this dish a different texture.

      Reply
  12. Ada says

    April 21, 2019 at 17:18

    5 stars
    Best kottu recipe I could find on the internet!

    Reply
    • Dini says

      April 23, 2019 at 18:51

      Thank you Ada, I’m a big fan of kottu too. 🙂 So glad you liked the recipe!

      Reply

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