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.
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.
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”!
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
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.
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.
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!
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! 🙂
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Sri Lankan Chicken Kottu Roti (Chicken Koththu Roti)
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
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
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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Weng says
I love this recipe
Shobana says
Hi. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. What can I do to make the dish less soggy? How much gravy would you recommend adding?
Dini says
Hi Shobana
Kottu Roti is not meant to be soggy. If you use a different type of roti, this will impact the final texture of the dish. Tortillas or other roti can have a different texture when it absorbs liquid leading it to be soggy. And some people may prefer their kottu roti to have some gravy mixed in (which is my preference), while others prefer a completely dry preparation. So, you can add as much or as little gravy to suit your preference. You can add none at first and add a little at a time until you get the flavor and texture you like.
I hope that helps.
Amber says
Such a great recipe! I used this one as well as your Sri Lankan curry powder and roti recipe and it turned out great. My partner moved from Sri Lanka about a year ago and I’ve been really wanting to make a Sri Lankan meal for him. He absolutely loved it, said it’ll put some Sri Lankans to shame 🙂
Kaitlyn says
This was absolutely delicious, even better than one I tried at a restaurant in Australia. I didn’t have jalapenos but used some random homegrown red chillis I had. I added about a tsp more of the dry spice mix but other than that the recipe is just about perfect. I’ll have to try it with cheese next time.
Katina says
I love this recipe. Thanks
Sunil says
Very helpful recipe, to make delicious Kottu roti with step by step and useful tips. We cook them and came out nicely. We love it.
Ruston Dickens says
This recipe is amazing! Perfect step by step and delicious. It had been 10 years since having this in Sri Lanka. Made it last night and really enjoyed it. I used 3 jalapeño and 3 banana pepper, had a good spice to it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Arjuna says
Hi Dini, I just made this dish for dinner and my wife and I both loved it! Thank you for sharing such an authentic recipe:)
Do you have any suggestions for a curry sauce to mix the kotti roti in while eating it?
Dini says
Hi Arjuna
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 It’s one of our favorites!
We usually use the leftover gravy from the chicken curry to eat with the Kotthu. But any leftover curry gravy works too!
Radini says
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!
Anjali says
Loved it
Bryn says
I tried this but i swapped the chicken for smoked tofu and used tortillas instead of roti. I guess I had too little liquid as the shredded bread stuck to each other quite a bit. But lovely taste and will probably do it again.
Dini says
Hi Bryn!
I’m glad you liked the Kottu roti you made!
Tortillas will be a heavier in Kottu compared to the roti, so having less liquid will make it less sticky. As it absorbs more liquid, it will tend to weigh down more. You can try drying the cut up tortillas in the oven for a few minutes before adding them next time, or reducing more of the liquid.
I also have a recipe on how to make the roti used for Kottu on the blog. You can find it here.
Hope that helps!
M.Ekanayake says
It was so delicious..
Lauren says
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 ☺️
Dini says
Thank you so much Lauren! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, it really is a must try dish in Sri Lanka! 🙂
Julia Schuster says
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
Dini says
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!
Gill Higgs says
This is amazing!!! Just like we had in SriLanka
Jasmine says
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!
Jasper says
Autentic taste and relative easy to prepare. Brings me back to my stay there, each time I eat it. Thanks for sharing!
Tarloke Johal says
the recipe notes mention yellow banana peppers but the recipe itself does not??
Dini says
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!
EP says
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!)
Dini says
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
Basith Ali kamil says
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
L says
Do you stir fry the kottu roti to make it crisp?
Great recipes btw gonna try the roasted curry powder soon
Dini says
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! 🙂
rob b says
How much is one lb of roti? How many naan loaves? Thank you
Dini says
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.
Ada says
Best kottu recipe I could find on the internet!
Dini says
Thank you Ada, I’m a big fan of kottu too. 🙂 So glad you liked the recipe!