Chettinad chicken curry.

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

With its distinct Chettinad masala gravy, it’s not hard to see why the Indian curry has gained popularity.

What is Chettinad chicken curry?

Well, the dish takes the name from the regions and the community it’s named after.
The Chettinad.

There’s a vast array of popular dishes that’s hit the world and once you’ve tasted this Chettinad curry, you’ll understand why this particular cuisine is gaining popularity.

The spices, the thick almost dry gravy in this dish make it one of the popular Indian chicken curry dishes out there.

Most Indian curry dishes are a little complicated for a cook who’s just starting with the basics.

Not because of the difficulty in making them but they usually have a few steps or shall we say building blocks to complete the dish.

How to prepare Chettinad chicken(The first steps).

As mentioned earlier, most Indian curries like chicken Chettinad have layers of flavors.

These can take the form of a spice blend that needs to be made fresh, leaving the meat in a marinade for a few hours or most often the method of cooking which helps to build up the flavor profile layers.

Taste is everything…

Taste is one thing all these popular dishes and curries have in common.

They stand out because of their taste and today’s dish, the classic Chettinad chicken is one such curry.

Beginners tips for making an authentic chicken Chettinad curry.

1/Before you even give this recipe a try, have all the ingredients to this Indian chicken curry ready.

2/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 flavors.
Take your time and don’t increase the fire of the stove to cook the curry quicker.

3/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.

4/The combination of dry red chillies and chillie powder can be too spicy so reduce the number of chillies you use to suit your level of heat.

5/There are three essential steps to make this Chettinad chicken curry.

• Heating and grinding some of the spices and scraped coconut.

• Making a wet spice mix to add additional flavor to the gravy.

• Leaving the chicken to slow-simmer in the wet masala gravy. 

CHICKEN THEMED DISHES.

Keeping with my once a week theme, I try a different kind of dish with chicken as the main ingredient every week.

if you are a new visitor to the blog, welcome! and please use the search button to find recipes based on chicken.

I would highly recommend starting with baked one pot lemongrass chicken curry and Tandoori chicken.

SAVE THE RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

Kitchen appliances and utensils needed to make chicken Chettinad curry.

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, a lid to cover the pan.

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.

More popular Indian chicken curry dishes.

Butter chicken

Chinese Manchurian chicken

tandoori chicken

Chettinad chicken curry with a spicy gravy

To make the Chettinad masala spice

Oil as needed(3-5 tablespoons)

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 cardamoms

3 cloves

1 piece of Cinnamon(1-2 inches)

1 Star anise

5 whole dry red chillies

To make the Chettinad masala paste

1/2 a cup of scraped coconut

1-inch piece of ginger chopped fine

6 cloves of garlic chopped fine

A sprig of curry leaves

1 large onion

3 medium-sized tomatoes

1 teaspoon of chillie powder

1 teaspoon of turmeric

Salt to season

700g chicken(you can use a mix of parts or boneless chicken as I have done)

2 tablespoon of lime

1 and 1/2 cup of water(see notes above if using coconut milk)

Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method

Gather all ingredients before you begin making the curry.

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, pour a tablespoon of oil and gently roast 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) until they release their aroma.

Roast the following ingredient for 3-5 minutes or until they release their aroma. set aside to cool.

Important: When you add the ingredients to 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, use the same pan to dry roast the scraped coconut(1/2 a cup), do not add oil but gently roast until the coconut changes slightly golden and look 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(1/2 inch piece) and garlic(6 cloves) as well.

Grind all the spices till you have a thick masala paste. set aside.

How to cook the Chettinad chicken curry.

Place your preferred cooking pan or wok over medium heat and pour in oil, leave it to warm for a few seconds.

Once the oil is warm, add curry leaves, onions, tomato, red chilli powder and turmeric. sauté the following ingredients until the onions and tomatoes turn soft.

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

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

Add the chicken to the masala mix, season with salt and combine all ingredients together and cook for further 5 minutes.

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

Made this recipe?

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Yield: 5

chicken chettinad curry with spicy gravy

Print

CLASSIC CHICKEN CHETTINAD- MAKE A
POT OF THIS CURRY AND TASTE A
LITTLE BIT OF INDIA AND CHETTINAD
CUISINE RIGHT AT YOUR HOME.
ELEGANT, SPICY YET SUBLIME IN
ITS FLAVORS.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
• Oil as needed(3-5 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
• 1/2 a teaspoon peppercorns
• 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).
• 4 green cardamoms
• 3 cloves
• 1 piece of Cinnamon(1-2 inches)
• 1 Star anise
• 5 whole dry red chillies
• 1/2 a cup of scraped coconut
• 1-inch piece of ginger chopped fine
• 6 cloves of garlic chopped fine
• A sprig of curry leaves
• 1 large onion
• 3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of chillie powder
• 1 a teaspoon of turmeric
• Salt to season
• 700g chicken(you can use a mix of parts or boneless chicken as I have done)
• 2 tablespoon of lime
• 1 and 1/2 cup of water(see notes above if using coconut milk)
• Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish.

Instructions

Method

1. Gather all ingredients before you begin making the curry.
2. Clean, wash and drain the chicken once you’ve cut them into required-size.

Roasting the spices

1. Place a pan over low heat, pour a tablespoon of oil and gently roast the coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, red chillies until they release their aroma.
2. Roast the following ingredient for 3-5 minutes or until they release their aroma. set aside to cool.
3. When you add the ingredients to 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.
4. Once all the spices are roasted, use the same pan to dry roast the scraped coconut, do not add oil but gently roast until the coconut changes slightly golden and look dry. this should be done over low-medium heat for at least 5 minutes. set aside to cool.

Making the masala paste.

1. Once the roasted spices and coconut are cool, add them to the coffee grinder, add the chopped ginger and garlic as well.
2. Grind all the spices till you have a thick masala paste. set aside.

Cooking the Chettinad chicken curry.

1. Place your preferred cooking pan or wok over medium heat and pour in oil, leave it to warm for a few seconds.
2. Once the oil is warm, add curry leaves, onions, tomato, red chilli powder and turmeric. sauté the following ingredients until the onions and tomatoes turn soft.
3. Maintain medium heat, add the ground masala(spice mix)to the tempered ingredients in the pan.
4. Combine and cook all the ingredients in the pan until oil separates, this should take 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken to the masala mix, season with salt and combine all ingredients together and cook for further 5 minutes.

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

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