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Chettinad Chicken

Tanvi Srivastava
Prepare yourself for a burst of fiery flavors with my Chettinad chicken recipe. Chettinad chicken is a spicy south indian chicken curry from the Chettinad region of India. This fiery chicken curry has aromatic flavors of fresh ground spices (chettinad masala), onion and tomatoes. 
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 5 servings
Calories 446 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb chicken drumsticks or thigh portions, skinned (use any dark meat portions, bone in pieces recommended)
  • 2 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (hot) adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For The Chettinad Masala(Dry Roast and grind these whole spices)

  • 10-12 dried kashmiri chillies
  • 6 cloves
  • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1.25 teaspoon white poppy seeds
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut

For The Chettinad Gravy

  • 6 tablespoon avocado oil or any cooking oil
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 2 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 pc star anise
  • 1 pc black cardamom see (note 8)
  • 2 cup(~200g) onion sliced, (see note 6)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced (see note7)
  • ½ inch ginger julinned (see note7)
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder or paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 cup(~108g) tomato crushed (2-3 tomatoes)
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • ¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add the chicken and add lime juice, red chili powder and salt. Let stand while you work on the chettinad masala.

Make Chettinad Masala

  • In a heavy botton pan or cast iron skillet, dry roast the dried chillies & whole spices on low flame. Once you see that the spices appear and smell toasty, add the desiccated coconut and mix. Desiccated coconut could burn easily so be careful and keep stirring on low flame.
  • Once few of the coconut appear brownish, immediately transfer everything to a plate. Let cool down a bit.
    Note - If you are using fresh coconut, no need to toast it, simply grind with spices. 
  • Add roasted spices to a grinder and grind adding a little water. The paste doesnt have to be silly smooth.Your fresh homemade chettinad masala is ready! 
  • Transfer chettinad masala to a bowl and in the same jar (without washing), crush some tomatoes. 

Make Chettinad Chicken Gravy

  • Heat oil in a pot and temper with bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon stick and star anise. I used my dutch oven because a heavy pot is key in slow cooking.
  • Add onions and fry them until they are nicely browned. Browned onions give a beautiful flavor and color to the gravy so take your time.
  •  Next add the garlic paste, ginger, turmeric & red chili powder. Fry for 1-2 minutes until raw smell of ginger & garlic is gone. 
  • Tomato puree goes in next. cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes until you see tiny oil bubbles separating. 
  • Add the chicken, chettinad masala and salt next. Also add the curry leaves. Fry the chicken with the masala on medium heat for good 7-10 minutes, stirring intermittently. No need to add water. We want the chicken to appear whitish. This "bhunai"(frying the chicken with masala) is key step in a flavorful curry, please don't skip. 
  • Add hot water next to cover the chicken. Keep in mind that the chicken will release its water as well. Don't add a lot of water. Cover and let cook for 12-18 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Please adjust time depending on the quality of chicken and whether you are using bone in or boneless chicken. 
  • Switch off the flame, add some lime juice and let the curry rest for good 20-30 minutes if possible to deepen the flavors. Uncover and add some cilantro leaves if you wish. Serve warm with rice.

Video

Notes

  1. Marination - If you plan ahead, rub the chicken with half of the ground chettinad masala and let marinate for few hours or overnight. This will make a deeply flavorful curry. 
  2. Spice level - You could reduce the chilies in chettinad masala as per your preference. Don't make it too mild for then the true essence of the curry is lost.
  3. If you have stone flower spice (dagga phool/kalapasi) in your pantry, please use it while making the chettinad masala for even more authentic preparation. 
  4. Use Shallots - Traditional chettinad chicken is cooked with shallots, use those if you wish. I use red onions and those work fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 18gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 917mgPotassium: 329mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 557IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
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