I grew up eating in cars. As a little kid visiting Karachi from Jeddah my vacations were punctuated by trips to Boat Basin. As a teen living in Karachi my Boat Basin loyalties became divided as I discovered the magic of Boti Rolls or Chicken Paratha Rolls. That slightly crisp fried poori paratha stuffed with spiced mirchi chicken, the slightly oozy chutneys, the crisp onions. That was my jam. I could eat two, no problem. God bless the metabolism that allowed me to. Over and over again.
Adult me still loves these rolls. The classic Chicken Paratha Roll, the Beef Boti Roll, the Garlic Mayo Roll - each version has my heart. What can I say? I am very loving.
However, what adult me does not have is the time or honestly the desire to knead the dough and then deep fry poori paratha. If someone were to do it for me I would be enormously grateful, but until that happens frozen parathas work just fine for me thank you very much.
This version is weeknight friendly and makes even a Wednesday feel celebratory. Best part? I can do half the chutney with less spice and my kids will devour them too.
Ingredients in a Chicken Paratha Roll
A Boti Roll has three components.
1.) Chicken - marinaded in yoghurt, lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, and spices
2.) Chutney made with green chilies, yoghurt and spices.
3.) Crunchy onions mixed with cilantro and mint.
When all three combine great things happen.
Can I Make A Boti Roll Ahead of Time?
This Boti Roll has made it to picnic menus, week at the cottage menus and busy week menus because it's so hands off and requires minimal prep. When I make it for a picnic I assemble it in the morning, wrap it in foil or wax paper and take it to go. They are yummy at room temperature. When I make them to take to the cottage I marinade them a day in advance, make the chutney and the onion mix (separate containers please). Then when it's time to eat I heat parathas, cook the chicken and put it all together.
What can I serve with Chicken Paratha Rolls?
A nice healthy side salad? I kid. A little. While a side salad is always a healthy choice the classic Boti Roll pairing is one of two things.
1.) Masala Fries - Just take your favorite frozen fries and scatter with chaat masala and a pinch of garam masala.
2.) Plain Fries (Or Masala) With Garlic Mayo - this is my personal favourite (recipe below)
How to Make a Quick and Easy Garlic Mayo (Pakistani)
While you can certainly make an aioli from scratch this quick fix Garlic Mayo doesn't disappoint. Simply mix half a cup of mayo with 2 tbsp cold water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1-2 cloves of minced garlic and a small pinch of salt. Yum.
Other Quick and Flavorful Chicken Recipes
Instant Pot Tandoori Roast Chicken
A No Tomato Spicy Highway Karhai Chicken
Tried this Chicken Paratha Roll recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below, tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog and rate the recipe by clicking the number of stars you want to give it right on the recipe card!
Chicken Paratha Roll
Ingredients
- 6 Store-bought parathas cooked per package instructions (4 if you like very stuffed rolls)
Marinade for Chicken
- 1 lb Chicken
- ½ cup Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice (half a lemon)
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tsp Ginger Paste
- 1.5 tsp Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Green Chili Paste (or 2-3 minced green chilies)
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 piece of coal for smoking (optional)
- Oil for cooking and/or soaked wooden skewers if barbecuing
Chutney
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- ½ tbsp Red Chili Powder
- ½ tbsp Cumin Powder
- ½-3/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tbso Lemon Juice
- 2-3 Green Chilies
- 4-5 Mint leaves
- 1 tsp Chaat Masala
Onions
- 1 Onion
- 2 tbsp Mint chopped
Instructions
Chicken
- Cut the chicken into one inch pieces and add in all the marinade ingredients and leave for a minimum of 2 hours and up to overnight. Tip: if you have less time to marinade then make your chicken pieces smaller.
- Heat a saute pan and add 2-3 tbsp of oil, cook the chicken sauteeing occasionally until cooked through. If grilling the chicken then simply thread it onto presoaked wooden skewers and grill for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.
- Heat a piece of coal until you can see hot red spots. Then place the coal on a piece of oil (or an onion skin) inside your sauté pan, drizzle with a little oil and immediately cover the dish with an airtight lid until the smoke dissipates.
Chutney
- Combine ½ the yoghurt (½ a cup) and all the chutney ingredients in a mini blender and puree. Stir in the remaining yoghurt - this prevent your chutney from getting too watery. Adjust seasoning to taste - this chutney should be spicy.
Onion Mix
- Thinly slice your onion and soak in cold water for 30 minutes to get rid of any bitterness
- Drain then mix in the mint.
Assembly
- Place your paratha on a clean surface, create a line of chicken pieces, layer on the onion mix, and then the chutney. Roll up the paratha and wrap in foil/paper and serve with extra chutney on the side. Fries and Garlic Mayo (recipe in post) are always welcome!
- You can reheat a wrapped paratha roll in the oven to really yummy effect!
Omg I could cry 😭 I MISS KARACHI FOR THESE ROLLS! Thoonso-fying waaaay more people than seatbelts in the car, sitting in the garmi outside with chutney dripping into those weird tissues! The other day I was remarking on your chaat recipe that if it ain't consumed sitting in a car, is it even chaat?!?! This however, this I can do. I Will do! Because Dawn kay parathay rock and your recipes never disappoint 😇
What an accurate visual!! AND YES THOSE WEIRD TISSUES!!!! hahaha
keep me posted on if you try this! It doesn't have Red Apple/Hot and Spicy vibes (no poori paratha) but it's still so good!
Never had the real rolls during my Karachi summers (wasn’t allowed to eat street food 😬) but this looked delicious. I tried this recipe for dinner tonight with what I had on hand—no coal, tortillas instead of parathas, added cucumber “matchsticks” to the rolls for crunch, but otherwise followed the recipe. My Mexistani family loved it! Thanks for your all your amazing recipes 😁!
I am SO SO glad you guys enjoyed it! Also fun fact: I am no longer allowed to eat them as well hahhaah or rather I have to sneak them in
Hi Sarah, tried this just now!most amazing and most satisfying! Thank you for sharing.
I am thrilled to hear that!!! Thank you!
Just made this. Will never try any other recipe again. so easy yet soo good!
Thank you!
That's the biggest compliment - thank YOU!
I remember making these last year for iftar. Everyone was so excited to eat something different. My abu said no need to bring 'bahar ke rolls ab'😂
Aww! I love when a recipe is Abu approved!
This looks delicious! If I am unable to find Chaat masala, can I substitute garam masala or would that not work really?
Hmm I would not submit garam masala, id skip it entirely and then adjust seasoning after tasting to make it more savoruy or spicier! Let me know how that goes!
I took your Eid menu suggestions and made these. Super easy and turned out excellent. Eid dinner was a breeze thanks to your menu planning. Thank you!!
Glad to be of service! Thank you for your review!
Former Jeddahite here, too, originally from the US. I currently live in Dubai, and love all the multicultural foods available here. My family LOVES this recipe. I grill the thighs whole on my gas grill because I'm extra lazy. The marinade and chutney is so flavorful! Thanks for sharing. This is my first Pakistani dish that I've made. I lovingly refer to this dish as "Pakistani tacos." Cheers!
Extra lazy!?!? Grilling gives the BEST flavour! I think you just took it up a big notch! Thank you for your review!
delicious!! made it for iftar today, except I didn't add the onion mix, will do it next time 😀
jazakillah khair!
I am SO glad you enjoyed them!