Chicken Chettinad - Spicy Chicken Curry

Chettinad chicken curry with homemade masala. Spicy Indian chicken recipe for lunch and dinner.

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Chettinad - Spicy Chicken Curry

Chicken Chettinad is an aromatic and spicy chicken curry from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, known for its roasted spices, fiery masala and rich gravy. This chicken masala can be served with appam, rice, dosa, appe (paniyaram), idi or even steamed rice, roti, etc.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Kushi

Equipment

Ingredients

For the marination

600 g Chicken bone-in pieces 1 pound
½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Salt
1 to 2 tablespoon Lemon juice

For the Chettinad masala

5 Dry red chillies
2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 to 2 teaspoon Black peppercorns adjust to heat tolerance
3 Cardamom hari elaichi, optional
1 inch Cinnamon stick
3 Cloves laung, optional
1 Star anise chakriphool, optional
1 Stone flower a small piece of kalpasi or dagad phool
6 to 8 Cashews or almonds or white poppy seeds
¼ cup Coconut
1 Curry leaves sprig

For the curry

3 tablespoon Oil
7 to 8 Garlic cloves crushed
2 Onions finely chopped
1- inch Ginger
2 to 3 Tomatoes chopped or pureed
2 Curry leaves sprig
Hot Water as needed (½ to 1 cup)
3 tablespoon Coriander leaves
Salt

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

In a bowl, add the chicken, turmeric, lemon juice, and salt, and mix well.
600 g Chicken bone-in pieces, ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 to 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
Cover and let it sit aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

Making of the chettinad masala

In a pan, add red chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, stone flower, and cashews, and dry-roast on a low flame for 8 to 10 minutes, until crunchy and golden brown. Keep stirring so that dont burn. Transfer this to a plate and let it cool down.
5 Dry red chillies, 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 to 2 teaspoon Black peppercorns, 3 Cardamom, 1 inch Cinnamon stick, 3 Cloves, 1 Star anise, 1 Stone flower, 6 to 8 Cashews
To the same pan, add the coconut and curry leaves with ½ tablespoon of oil, and sauté until aromatic and light golden, for 7 to 8 minutes. Switch off the flame.
¼ cup Coconut, 1 Curry leaves
To make the chettinad masala, add all the dry-roasted ingredients to a blender and blend them to a smooth powder. You can use it immediately or store it in the refrigerator.
To make the curry, add the toasted coconut to the same jar with the powder, then add ½ cup water and blend to a thick, smooth paste. Chettinad masala paste is ready.

Making of chicken chettinad

Heat oil in a pan. Add trhe cushed garlic cloves and saute for 2 to 3 minutes on medium flame.
3 tablespoon Oil, 7 to 8 Garlic cloves
Add the onions and ginger and saute for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onion turns translucent.
2 Onions, 1- inch Ginger
Add the marinated chicken and fry on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes (or puree) and cook until the rawness disappears completely.
2 to 3 Tomatoes
Add chettinad masala paste, curry leaves, salt to taste and ½ cup of hot water.
2 Curry leaves, Hot Water, Salt
Mix well, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked through completely. The internal tempertaure ofthickest part should be 165 degrees F.
At this point, taste the curry and adjust the salt. If the gravy becomes dry during the process, add extra water; if it becomes runny, cook uncovered on high heat until the water evaporates.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
3 tablespoon Coriander leaves
Serve the dish with dosa, appam, chapati, appe (paniyaram), idli or steamed rice and enjoy.

Notes

Adjust the black pepper corns to your desired level of spiciness.
Instead of dry red chillies, red chile powder can be used. Add it along with tomato puree.
The colour of the gravy will range from dark red to brown, depending on how you have dry-roasted the ingredients and adjusted the spice amounts.
Fresh ginger and garlic are what I prefer always. If unavailable, use the store-bought paste.
Always use bone-in chicken for juicy Chettinad chicken.
Spices must be roasted on a low flame. don’t burn them.
Use coconut oil or sesame oil if possible.

Nutrition