Authentic Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry, also known as black chicken curry, is spicy with deep curry flavours.

Ingredients for the spicy chicken curry.

• Marinating ingredients.
  • Chicken parts(for best results, use a mix of chicken parts).
  • Red chilli powder.
  • Curry powder is also known as unroasted curry powder.
  • Black pepper powder.
  • Turmeric powder.
  • Tamarind paste or water.
• Tempering and cooking ingredients.
  • Oil.
  • A piece of Pandan leaf(substitute with a bay leaf).
  • Curry leaves.
  • Cinnamon piece.
  • Cardamoms.
  • Cloves.
  • Minced ginger(3 to 4 cloves minced).
  • Minced garlic(1″to 2″ piece cleaned and minced).
  • Green chillies split in the middle. you can use red chillies as well.
  • Onion sliced fine.
  • Fenugreek seeds.
  • Water as needed.
  • Coriander powder(optional ingredient).

If you are looking for a curry without coconut milk, whether you are managing high cholesterol levels or a heart condition, this no-coconut-milk chicken curry is ideal.

Recipe summary at a glance.

• Serving size: for 5 to 6 individuals.
• Prep time is 15 minutes, and marinating time is 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes.
• Cooking method: stovetop cooking.
• Cooking difficulty: medium-easy.
• Access to ingredients is easy.
• Flavour profile: deep curry flavours and spicy.

Serving ideas for this spicy chicken curry.

This spicy chicken curry is slow-simmered, which allows the chicken parts to absorb the flavours and gives the dish its uniquely Sri Lankan curry powder flavour that you will have a chance to taste without the coconut milk.

• Serve with coconut roti, roast paan, flat breads, regular sandwich bread or string hoppers.
• Rice recipes that will go well with the spicy chicken curry.
  • Coconut rice.
  • How to cook rice on the stove.
  • Easy lemon rice recipe.
  • vegetable fried rice(spicy).
  • ghee rice(nei choru).
• Vegetarian side dishes.
  • Pumpkin curry(Sri Lankan wattakka curry).
  • Sri Lankan Dhal(red lentil)spinach curry
  • Potato and green bean curry(Sri Lankan, vegetarian).
  • cabbage curry with coconut milk
  • Spicy green bean stir-fry(bonchi thel dala).
  • Easy kankung(water spinach)stir-fry with toasted garlic.
  • pol sambol(Sri Lankan Coconut Sambol).
• Here are three Sri Lankan menus so you can add this chicken curry to enjoy a rice and curry meal. Serve the curry in banana leaves for a real feel of a village-style meal.
  • Sri Lankan Lunch Meal Plan 1
  • Sri Lankan Meal Plan-2
  • Meal plan 3
  • Meal plan 4
  • Meal plan 5

Workflow to make the spicy chicken curry

• Have all the ingredients ready.
• Marinate the chicken.
• Temper the spices.
• Combine ingredients in the large pan.
• Slow-simmer until the chicken curry is cooked.

More chicken curry recipes.

Sri Lankan chicken curry.
Sri Lankan kalupol chicken curry.
Sri Lankan pepper chicken curry
Sri Lankan ambulthiyal chicken curry.

Step-by-step photo tutorial.

What You Will Need in the Kitchen.

Chopping board and knife.
Small bowl to soak the tamarind.
A large bowl to marinate the chicken.
Small frying pan to dry roast the spices.
Cooking with wooden spoons.
A large cooking pan or wok to cook the spicy chicken curry.
Serving bowl and spoon.

Cooking the spicy chicken curry(no-coconut-milk)

Prep work.

• Clean, cut, remove excess fat and wash the chicken parts thoroughly and drain any excess water. Place them in a large bowl.
• Place the tamarind with the seeds in a bowl, add a little water and let it soak.

Dry roasting the spice powders.

Place a small or medium-sized cooking pan over low heat.
Add the red chilli powder and the curry powder.
Gently dry roast the curry powder, constantly stirring the spice powders.
Dry roast until the colour changes to a dark brown.
Transfer to a bowl and let the roasted curry powder cool.

Marinating the chicken.

Once the dry-roasted curry powder is ready.
Add the turmeric powder, black pepper powder and the dry roasted curry powder to the chicken.
Season with salt.
To add the soaking tamarind, squeeze out the tamarind seeds from the pulp and pour it over the chicken parts.
If you are sensitive to spices, please use disposable gloves or a spoon while mixing.
Combine well, cover and set aside to marinate for 30 to 45 minutes.

Tempering for the spicy chicken curry.

Place a large cooking pan over low-medium heat and pour in the oil. Once the oil heats, add the pandan leaf, curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves.
Stir for 60 seconds.
Add the minced ginger and garlic, stir and cook until they release their aroma.
Add the green or red chilli and sliced onions. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are soft and slightly caramelised.
Finally, add the fenugreek seeds. Cook for 60 seconds. Constantly stir to avoid the fenugreek seeds from burning.

Add the marinated chicken to the tempered ingredients.
Combine thoroughly and slow-simmer for 15-20 minutes or until there is less liquid.
At this point, decide if you want to fry the chicken slightly to lock in the spice flavours.
To do this, pour in a tablespoon of oil(not added to the ingredient list)to fry the chicken slightly for 5 minutes.
Use low-medium fire, or continue to the next step below if you prefer not to.

Pour in the water, stir, check for seasoning and continue to slow simmer.

How to thicken the spicy chicken curry gravy.

15-20 minutes into cooking time, check the curry.
Use a spoon to scoop a little gravy, raise it and slowly pour it back into the pan.
If the gravy looks too watery as you pour it back, add 1-2 tablespoons(not more)of coriander powder to thicken the gravy.
As you slow cook the chicken, you will notice the thin gravy gradually thickens and reduces.
(Keep in mind that the gravy without coconut milk is still lighter and doesn’t thicken to a sauce-like consistency.)

Taste and season with salt if needed.
Slow-cook the spicy chicken curry for 30 minutes or until the correct consistency(as mentioned above)is reached.
Remove from the stove, let cool for 5 minutes and serve while still warm.

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Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry| black chicken curry

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Authentic Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry, also known as black chicken curry, is spicy with deep curry flavours.

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Ingredients

Curry powders to dry roast

• 2 tablespoons of red chilli powder
• 4 tablespoons of curry powder(unroasted curry powder)

Marinating ingredients

• 700g to 1 kg of chicken parts(for best results use a mix of chicken parts)
• 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper powder
• The dry roasted curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste or 2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp with seeds to be soaked in 1/4 cup water.
• Salt to season

Tempering and cooking ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 2-inch piece of pandan leaf(optional)
• A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with 2 bay leaves)
• 1-inch piece of Cinnamon
• 3 cardamoms slightly bruised
• 3 cloves
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic(3 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger(1"to 2" piece minced)
• 2 green chillies split in the middle(optional)
• 1 large onion sliced fine
• 2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
• 1 and 1/2 cup water or water until the chicken parts are covered

To thicken the gravy

• 2 teaspoons of coriander powder

Instructions

Prep work.

• Clean, cut, remove excess fat and wash the chicken parts thoroughly and drain any excess water. Place them in a large bowl.
• Place the tamarind with the seeds in a bowl, add a little water and let it soak.

Dry roasting the spice powders.

• Place a small or medium-sized cooking pan over low heat.
• Add the red chilli powder and the curry powder.
• Gently dry roast the curry powder, constantly stirring the spice powders.
• Dry roast until the colour changes to a dark brown. Transfer to a bowl and let the roasted curry powder cool.

Marinating the chicken.

• Once the dry-roasted curry powder is ready.
• Add the turmeric powder, black pepper powder and the dry roasted curry powder to the chicken.
• Season with salt.To add the soaking tamarind, squeeze out the tamarind seeds from the pulp and pour it over the chicken parts.
• If you are sensitive to spices, please use disposable gloves or a spoon while mixing.
• Combine well, cover and set aside to marinate for 30 to 45 minutes.

Tempering for the spicy chicken curry.

• Place a large cooking pan over low-medium heat and pour in the oil.
• Once the oil heats, add the pandan leaf, curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms and the cloves.
• Stir for 60 seconds. Add the minced ginger and garlic, stir and cook until they release their aroma.
• Add the green or red chilli and sliced onions. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are soft and slightly caramelised.
• Finally, add the fenugreek seeds. Cook for 60 seconds. Constantly stir to avoid the fenugreek seeds from burning.
• Add the marinated chicken to the tempered ingredients.
• Combine thoroughly and slow-simmer for 15-20 minutes or until there is less liquid.
• At this point, decide if you want to fry the chicken slightly to lock in the spice flavours.
• To do this, pour in a tablespoon of oil(not added to the ingredient list)to fry the chicken slightly for 5 minutes.
• Use low-medium fire, or continue to the next step below if you prefer not to.
• Pour in the water, stir, check for seasoning and continue to slow simmer.
• 15-20 minutes into cooking time, check the curry.
• Use a spoon to scoop a little gravy, raise it and slowly pour it back into the pan.
• If the gravy looks too watery as you pour it back, add 1-2 tablespoons(not more)of coriander powder to thicken the gravy.
• As you slow cook the chicken, you will notice the thin gravy gradually thickens and reduces(Keep in mind that the gravy without coconut milk is still lighter and doesn’t thicken to a sauce-like consistency.)
• Taste and season with salt if needed. Slow-cook the easy chicken curry for 30 minutes or until the correct consistency(as mentioned above)is reached.
• Remove from the stove, let cool for 5 minutes and serve while still warm.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 523Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 151mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 10gSugar: 3gProtein: 42g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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