Chettinad Chicken Curry

A beautiful Chicken recipe that sure opens up all your taste buds in an amazingly flavorful way. This curry is spicy and only for the brave of hearts. Now the spice level can always be turned down by adding less chilies than recommended. You can always make modifications to suit your own palate, but the fact is that this is not the curry where you should really be doing this. It has to be made this way for experiencing the real taste of Chettinad.

This recipe is from the southern state of India, Tamilnadu. Chettinad chicken curry is quite fiery. I have tasted this curry as different restaurants, each different from the other. The curry always managed to win our heart. But I had never thought of making it at home until recently that we tried it as a restaurant in Bangalore, the night before we were traveling back home.

First bite of that curry and I just knew that this was the perfect Chettinad curry ever. the spice level just sent us rocking. I just knew that all the ones before this were so modified and I would highly recommend, please do not do that. This curry is amazing and is one of our family favorite too.

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Chettinad Chicken Curry

Chettinad Chicken curry is from Tamilnadu, a southern state of India

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Cuisine

Indian

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Servings

people MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 No. Chicken [with bones] cut into small to medium pieces.
• 1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp Fennel seeds
• 3 No. cloves
• 2 No. Cinnamon sticks small
• 3 No. Green cardamom
• 4 No. Whole dry red chilies
• 1/2 tbsp Black pepper [whole]
• 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup Dry coconut powder
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 5 No. Dry Red small round chilies You can also take the regular long ones if you don't have these.
• 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• 2 No. Onions chopped
• 4 No. Green chilies small, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp unsalted More or less according to your taste
• 2 No. Tomatoes Medium to Big size, chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp Tamarind paste

Cuisine Indian Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Servings people MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 No. Chicken [with bones] cut into small to medium pieces. 1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds 2 tbsp Fennel seeds 3 No. cloves 2 No. Cinnamon sticks small 3 No. Green cardamom 4 No. Whole dry red chilies 1/2 tbsp Black pepper [whole] 1 tbsp Cumin seeds 1/2 cup Dry coconut powder 4 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 5 No. Dry Red small round chilies You can also take the regular long ones if you don't have these. 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste 2 No. Onions chopped 4 No. Green chilies small, chopped 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp Red chili powder 1/2 tsp unsalted More or less according to your taste 2 No. Tomatoes Medium to Big size, chopped finely 1/2 tsp Tamarind paste

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Instructions

1. Take all the dry spices together, except for the coconut.

   
2. Dry roast them lightly, till you smell it roasting and the color changes.

   
3. Roast the coconut as well.

   
4. Take the whole spices and coconut in a grinder and dry grind it.

   
5. The powder should be very fine. This is the chettinad masala that can be stored for 2 months in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

   
6. Take oil in a pan. Add Bay leaf, Mustard seeds and round small dry chilies.

   
7. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add Ginger garlic paste to the pan. Cook till the raw smell goes away.

   
8. Add the chopped onions to the pan and saute' on low heat till they turn pinkish.

   
9. Add the green chilies and mix well.

   
10. Add the curry leaves. Adding curry leaves at this point enhances the taste of the curry. We get the juices from the curry leaves without them getting crunchy.

    
11. Add the chicken along with Turmeric powder and Red chili powder.

    
12. Add the Chettinad Masala powder and mix well.

    
13. Add the Tomatoes

    
14. Add one cup of water.

    
15. Cover and cook on low heat till the curry gets thicker and the chicken is cooked.

    
16. Add the Tamarind paste and mix well.

    
17. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes and its ready to be served. Serve along side of boiled Rice, Parantha or Roti.