Chicken Chettinad or Chettinad chicken curry.
A South Indian chicken curry with its thick, flavorful gravy is a must-add to your monthly curry menu.

Chettinad chicken masala curry origins.

Chettinad cuisine originates from the regions and the community it’s named after.
The Chettinad is from the state of Tamil Nadu.
There’s a vast array of popular dishes that have hit the world, and once you’ve tasted this Chettinad curry, you’ll understand why this particular cuisine is gaining popularity.
The spices and the thick Chettinad chicken gravy in this dish make it one of the most popular Indian curry dishes out there.
Most Indian dishes are a little complicated for a cook who’s just starting with the basics.
Not because of the difficulty in making them, but because they usually have a few steps, or shall we say, building blocks to complete the dish.

What to serve with chettinad chicken.

• Rice dishes.
  • Home-cooked white rice
  • coconut rice
  • chicken biryani
  • egg biryani or with Sri Lankan yellow rice.

• Naans, parathas and breads.
• Garlic naan
• plain naan
• poori.
• Sri Lankan coconut roti or Paratha
• Some Roast paan

• Vegetable side dishes and salads.
• Dal tadka
• chickpea and potato curry(chana aloo curry).
• Eggplant stir fry
• Sri Lankan fried eggplant/brinjal salad.

Tips and questions for Chettinad chicken curry.

• Tips.
  • Before you even give this recipe a try, have all the ingredients to this Indian chicken curry ready.
  • With all the aromatic spices used for the Chettinad chicken, the curry needs to be slow-cooked so that the meat has enough time to absorb all the flavours.
  • Take your time and don’t increase the fire of the stove to cook the curry quicker.
  • I usually leave out the amount of salt to be added to the reader(you), so make sure you do a bit of taste testing as you cook the curry.
  • The combination of dry red chillies and chilli powder can be too spicy, so reduce the number of chillies you use to suit your level of heat.
  • There are three essential steps to making this Chettinad chicken curry.
    • Heating and grinding some of the spices and scraped coconut.
    • Make a wet spice mix to add additional flavour to the gravy.
    • Leaving the chicken to slow-simmer in the wet masala gravy. 

• Questions.
• Can I add coconut milk instead of water to make the thick gravy?
  • Yes, instead of water, add 1 cup of thick coconut milk and slow-simmer till you have a thick gravy or the consistency you prefer. This would also reduce the spiciness of the chicken curry.

• How can I reduce the spiciness of the chicken Chettinad curry?
  • The spices that add heat are red chillies, red chilli powder and peppercorns, reducing them in half.
  • Reduce the number of cloves as well. If the chicken curry recipe is still hot, then pour in some coconut milk as well.

More Indian chicken curries.

Chicken vindaloo
Butter chicken
Mughlai chicken
Chicken pasanda(almond chicken curry

What you will need in the kitchen.

• You will need a coffee or spice grinder.
• A non-stick pan to roast the spices
• A large pan or wok to make the curry
• lid to cover the pan and spoons.
• Serving bowl and spoon.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY: LITTLE CARE IS NEEDED

Ingredients to make Chettinad curry

• To make the Chettinad masala spice.
  • Oil
  • Coriander seeds
  • Poppy seeds
  • Cumin seeds
  • Black peppercorns
  • Fennel seeds
  • Green cardamom
  • Cloves
  • Cinnamon
  • Star anise
  • Whole dried red chillies

• To make the Chettinad chicken gravy.
  • Scraped coconut(substitute with dessicated coconut).
  • Ginger
  • Garlic cloves
  • Oil
  • Curry leaves
  • Large onion sliced
  • Tomatoes
  • Red chilli powder
  • Turmeric powder
  • Salt to season
  • Boneless chicken
  • Lime juice
  • Water(see notes above if using coconut milk).
  • Fresh coriander leaves to garnish.

Step-by-step photo tutorial.

How to cook the Chettinad chicken curry.

Gather all the spices needed to make the Chettinad chicken curry before you begin making the curry.
Slice and chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic.
Clean, wash, drain, and pat dry the chicken once you’ve cut them into the required size.

Roasting the spices for chettinad curry.

Place a pan over low heat, and pour a tablespoon of oil.
Add the coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon,
star anise, fennel seeds, and whole dried red chillies.
Roast the following ingredients for 3-5 minutes over low to medium fire until they release their aroma.
Set aside to cool.
Important: When you add the ingredients to the dry roast(above instruction). Add one spice at a time to the pan, leaving a few seconds in between adding the next spice.
Add the dry red chillies at the end, so the chillies won’t burn.
Once all the spices are roasted, transfer them to a bowl.

Wipe the same pan and place the pan over a low fire.
Add the scraped coconut(1/2 a cup, substitute with dessicated coconut).

Do not add oil, but gently roast until the coconut changes slightly golden and looks dry.
This should be done over low-medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Making Chettinad masala paste.

Once the roasted spices and coconut are cool, add them to the coffee grinder.
Add the chopped ginger and garlic cloves.

Grind all the spices till you have a thick masala powder to make the Chettinad chicken gravy.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Cooking the chettinad chicken curry.

Place your preferred cooking pan or wok over medium heat and pour in oil, leaving it to warm for a few seconds.
Once the oil is warm, add curry leaves, sliced onions, and chopped tomatoes.

Add red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
Sauté the following ingredients until the onions and tomatoes turn soft.

Maintain medium heat, and add the ground masala(spice mix)to the tempered ingredients in the pan.

Combine and cook all the ingredients in the pan until the oil separates, which should take 5 minutes.

Add the chicken to the masala mix, season with salt and combine all ingredients.

Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Pour in two cups of water and the lime juice, cover with a lid and let it slow-cook until the gravy thickens and reduces to the consistency you prefer.

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chicken chettinad curry with spicy gravy

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Chicken Chettinad curry needs no introduction as most Indian restaurants serve the chicken curry as part of their menu.

This south Indian chicken curry with its distinctive flavors is made up of quite a few aromatic spices.

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Ingredients

• The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
• To make the Chettinad masala spice
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds(there are times that I run out of this ingredient and cook without, so you can make this an optional ingredient but if you want to stick to the authentic recipe then poppy seeds is a must)
• 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
• 1/2 a teaspoon peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
• 4 green cardamom
• 3 cloves
• 1 piece of cinnamon(1-2 inches)
• 1 Star anise
• 5 whole dry red chilies
• To make the Chettinad chicken gravy
• 1/2 a cup of scraped coconut(substitute with dessicated coconut)
• 2-inch piece of ginger chopped fine(2 tbsp)
• 6 cloves of garlic chopped fine(3 tbsp
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• A sprig of curry leaves
• 1 large onion
• 3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• Salt to season
• 1 kg of chicken parts(you can use a mix of parts or boneless chicken as I have done)
• 2 tablespoons of lime
• 1 and 1/2 cup of water(see notes above if using coconut milk)
• Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish

Instructions

• Gather all the spices needed to make the Chettinad chicken curry before you begin making the curry.
• Cut the onions(1 large sliced fine), tomatoes(3 medium chopped), ginger(2 “inch piece about 2 tbsp), and garlic(6 cloves, about 3 tbsp).
• Clean, wash and drain, and pat dry the chicken once you’ve cut them into the required size.

Roasting the spices for chicken Chettinad.

• Place a pan over low heat, and pour a tablespoon of oil.
• Add the coriander seeds(2tbs), poppy seeds(1tsp), cumin seeds(1 tbs), peppercorns(1/2tsp), cardamom(4), cloves(3), cinnamon(1 inch piece), star anise(1), fennel seeds(1tbs), red chillies(5 whole dry chillies).
• Roast the following ingredients for 3-5 minutes over low to medium fire until they release their aroma. Set aside to cool.
• Important: When you add the ingredients to the dry roast(above instruction), add one spice at a time to the pan, leaving a few seconds in between adding the next spice.
• Add the dry red chillies at the end, so the chillies won’t burn.
Once all the spices are roasted, transfer them to a bowl.
Wipe the same pan and place the pan over a low fire.
Add the scraped coconut(1/2 a cup, substitute with dessicated coconut).
Do not add oil, but gently roast until the coconut changes slightly golden and looks dry.
This should be done over low-medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Making the chicken Chettinad masala paste.
• Once the roasted spices and coconut are cool, add them to the coffee grinder.
• Add the chopped ginger(2-inch piece) and garlic(6 cloves) as well.
• Grind all the spices till you have a thick masala powder to make the Chettinad chicken gravy.
• Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
How to cook the Chettinad chicken curry.
Place your preferred cooking pan or wok over medium heat and pour in oil(4 tbsp), leave it to warm for a few seconds.
Once the oil is warm, add curry leaves, onions(1 large sliced finely), and tomatoes(3 medium chopped).
Red chilli powder(1 tsp) and turmeric(1 tsp). Sauté the following ingredients until the onions and tomatoes turn soft.
Maintain medium heat, and add the ground masala(spice mix)to the tempered ingredients in the pan.
Combine and cook all the ingredients in the pan until the oil separates, which should take 5 minutes.
Add the chicken to the masala mix, season with salt, and combine all ingredients.
Cook for a further 5 minutes
Pour in two cups of water and the lime juice, cover with a lid, and let it slow-cook until the gravy thickens and reduces to the consistency you prefer.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 651Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 364mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 51g

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

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