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Pakistani

Chicken sajji

Non-vegetarian

سجی · sajji

Balochistan's famous roast: a whole chicken seasoned simply with salt, lemon and pepper and cooked slowly until the skin crisps. This home-oven version keeps the minimal seasoning that sets sajji apart from spicier Pakistani roasts.

Chicken sajji is a Pakistani main course, ready in about 3 hours 45 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and salt. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Chicken sajji: whole roasted chicken on a plate with tomato and lemon slices
Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 20 min
Rest
2 h 10 min
Total
3 h 45 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
702

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the salt, lemon juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, black pepper (opens in a new tab) and chilli (if using). Rub it all over the chicken and into the cuts, cover and refrigerate.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C. Set the chicken on a rack over a tray, brush with half the ghee (opens in a new tab) and roast, basting once with the juices.

    A tray of food roasting in the oven
    How it looks · Photo: locrifa on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Brush with the remaining ghee (opens in a new tab), raise the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C and roast until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear.

    • 20 min
    • 220°C

    Food safety: The thickest part of the thigh should reach 74 °C.

  4. Step 4

    Rest for 10 minutes, then pull into pieces and serve with lemon (opens in a new tab).

    • 10 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Balochistan, Pakistan · Commonly attributedTraditionally lamb or chicken skewered upright around an open fire; now sold across Pakistan.More food from Pakistan
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Grills & kebabs
Cooking method
Roasted, Marinated / cured
Taste
savoury, salty, peppery, mild
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Lemon juice · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Ghee
Techniques
Roasting · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

702 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 323 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 33%
  • Carbohydrate 1%
  • Fat 66%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy702 kcal218 kcal
Protein56.1 g17.4 g
Carbohydrate2.4 g0.7 g
Net carbohydrate2.1 g0.6 g
Sugars0.3 g0.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.3 g0.1 g
Fat50.6 g15.7 g
Saturated fat16.3 g5 g
Trans fat0.3 g0.1 g
Cholesterol239 mg74 mg
Sodium1143 mg354 mg
Salt equivalent2.9 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
604 mg
Calcium
43 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
63 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
168 µg
Vitamin C
9 mg
Vitamin D
0.6 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
20 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: cayenne / chilli powder, lemon.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Sajji relies on slow cooking and fat rather than spice — resist the urge to add more masala.

Common mistakes

  • Roasting at high heat from the start — the skin burns before the meat near the bone is cooked.

Serve with

  • Serve with naan or kaak bread and a simple salad; in Quetta it is often stuffed with rice.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a hot oven until piping hot.

Variations

  • Rice-stuffed sajji (Pakistan): The cavity is filled with par-cooked rice that soaks up the dripping juices.
  • Lamb sajji (Pakistan): A whole leg or side of lamb roasted on skewers around a fire for several hours.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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