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Black Pepper Chicken Curry in Yoghurt

Pepper chicken curry marinated in Yoghurt-spice.

A popular south Indian pepper chicken curry.

The pepper chicken recipe is full of deep satisfying flavours with gravy so thick, that a second serve is a must.

You’ve probably had a pepper chicken curry at a restaurant and if you’ve wondered how they’ve made such a rich chicken curry then you are in luck.

This yoghurt marinated chicken curry recipe in a thick pepper chicken gravy made with Indian spices is your guide on how to make yoghurt chicken curry at home.

If you have a party and want to impress your guests with an Indian-themed meal, cook the yoghurt marinated pepper chicken because this recipe has never failed anyone who has tried it.

Black pepper chicken marinated in yogurt-spice. a fragrant chicken curry dish with a deeply satisfying gravy so thick, a second serve is a must.#chicken #curry #glutenfree #lowcarb #indian #dinner #lunch

Tips to cook pepper chicken curry recipe

When you are making an Indian black pepper chicken masala curry, you’ll notice it’s all about adding layers and building a pepper curry flavour profile.

And the key to this pepper chicken curry comes together in three steps.

  • Marinating the chicken in a rich yoghurt masala. 
  •  Make a pepper masala and lightly fry the marinated chicken in it. 
  •  Finally, let the pepper fry chicken slow-cook in the thick masala gravy.   

Now that you know the foundation of a slow-cooked, delicious Pepper chicken masala recipe, why not cook the dish for the family?

Black pepper chicken marinated in yogurt-spice. a fragrant chicken curry dish with a deeply satisfying gravy so thick, a second serve is a must.#chicken #curry #glutenfree #lowcarb #indian #dinner #lunch

What to serve with the pepper chicken.

How to cook the pepper chicken curry for a crowd.

If you decide to cook up a whole chicken(more than 1 kg)

Try to cut it into 10-12 pieces.
And increase the ingredients as mentioned below while keeping all the other ingredient quantities the same.

Increase,

Black peppercorns by 2 and 1/2 teaspoon
8 garlic cloves crushed(for marinade and cooking)
4 tablespoons of ginger(for marinade and cooking)
6 cardamom pods
2 pieces of cinnamon
3 medium-sized onions
1 and 1/2 teaspoon of tamarind paste(add as you need)
The amount of coconut milk depends on how much thick gravy you need, use 1/2 for less or 1 cup or little less than that for more gravy.

Reader’s reviews and suggestions for the pepper chicken recipe.

Find the originals in the comment section.

*This is such a great recipe. I’m Lovin’ It!

*Absolutely loved the black pepper n yoghurt chicken curry… I tried it out yesterday.

The family loved it. Creamy n intelligently spiced. Thank you.

*I just want to say thanks for posting your lovely recipes online. I found your web page and cooked the chicken curry above.

“The only changes I made was the addition of a small amount of garam masala and jaggery just before taking it off the stove. Served with rice and papadams”.

“Without a doubt, the nicest chicken curry I have made yet! I used a whole chicken so I followed your instructions accordingly.

I just felt the need to thank you. I love making curries ( that smell the house out for days! ), and will be making some more of your recipes in the future”. 

Utensils and appliances needed.

A large pan like a wok or wide-mouthed pan to cook the chicken.

More chicken curry recipes! 

Sri Lankan chicken curry

How to cook a chicken curry without coconut milk

Chicken Chettinad curry.

Spicy chicken 65

Indian chicken chukka curry.

Classic butter chicken.   

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE IS NEEDED

How to cook Pepper chicken curry

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

1/2 a cup of plain yoghurt

2 teaspoons of black peppercorns crushed

Salt to season

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder

5-6 cloves of garlic crushed into a paste(used for marinade and cooking)

3 tablespoons of ginger paste(used for marinade and cooking)

6 cardamom pods crushed(used for marinade and cooking)

3 green chillies

A piece of Cinnamon(1-2 inches)

700g to 1 kg of your favourite chicken parts(this can be a mix of drumsticks, breast, or thighs)

1/4 cup of oil(you might need less so use as needed)

1 teaspoon of mustard seed

2 medium-sized onions finely sliced

A sprig of curry leaves

1 teaspoon of tamarind paste(if using pulp with seeds, soak 1 tablespoon of tamarind with seed in 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes, remove seed and use the juice)

1/2 a cup of coconut milk

Method

While you are making the pepper chicken curry, why not learn how to cut a whole chicken for grilling, baking, and for curries as well.

An hour or two before you begin cooking, start with the yoghurt chicken marinade.

Have all the ingredients ready, this would help you save time.

A word of advice, if you are using frozen chicken, make sure that the chicken is completely defrosted before marinating it.

The marinade will not be absorbed if the chicken parts are frozen or still cold.

Marinade for the chicken pepper masala.

Choose a pan that can hold all the chicken parts without crowding.

This bowl should also be able to fit into the refrigerator.

Into this bowl, add Yoghurt(1/2cup), crushed peppercorns(1 tsp), salt, turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), 1 teaspoon of garlic and ginger paste, and 3 cardamoms.

Mix all the ingredients with a spoon.

Season with salt as needed but use it sparingly as you will be adding Tamarind, later in the cooking process.

chicken marinated in yoghurt and pepper.

Place chicken parts in the marinade, rub it over the chicken thoroughly.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, you can also keep the marinated chicken overnight.

mix and combine the yoghurt spice marinade in the chicken.

How to cook the pepper chicken masala curry.

Once the chicken parts have marinated for 1-2 hours, leave it out for 20 minutes or until they reach room temperature.

While the chicken reaches room temperature, place a large pan over medium heat, pour in the oil, and leave it to heat for a minute or 2.

Once the oil heats, add curry leaves, Onions, ginger-garlic(2 tablespoons), green chillies, cinnamon, the leftover cardamom pods and sauté for 2-3 minutes until all the ingredients turn soft. 5-7 minutes.

Add the mustard seed(1 tsp), cook, until they splutter, and immediately add the chicken parts WITHOUT the marinade and let the chicken sear until they turn light brown on both sides.

onions temper for the chicken pepper masala.

leave the pepper chicken until they are slightly brown over medium heat, 10-15 minutes.

add marinated chicken to the onions temper to make pepper chicken.

While the chicken browns pour tamarind juice(1 tsp) over the remaining marinade in the bowl and mix.

tamarind and curd juice for the pepper chicken.

Once the chicken parts are slightly brown, pour in the tamarind with the remaining marinade onto the wok with the browned chicken parts.

Stir constantly and let the gravy reduce by half.

This should take 15-20 minutes over medium heat. check for seasoning.

fried chicken cooked in tamarind and curd.

As the chicken absorbs the tamarind and yoghurt marinade, pour in the coconut milk and cook over medium heat until gravy is very thick. 

Serve with warm rice or your favourite type of roti.

yogurt marinated chicken ready to be served.

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Black pepper chicken marinated in yogurt-spice. a fragrant chicken curry dish with a deeply satisfying gravy so thick, a second serve is a must.#chicken #curry #glutenfree #lowcarb #indian #dinner #lunch

Black Pepper chicken marinated in Yoghurt-spice.

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Black Pepper chicken marinated in Yoghurt-spice.

A popular south Indian pepper chicken masala curry with a deep satisfying gravy so thick, a second serve is a must.

Ingredients

Instructions

While you are making the pepper chicken curry, why not learn how to cut a whole chicken for grilling, baking and for curries as well.

An hour or two before you begin cooking, start with the yogurt chicken marinade.

Have all the ingredients ready, this would help you save time.

A word of advice, if you are using frozen chicken, make sure that the chicken is completely defrosted before marinating it.

The marinade will not be absorbed if the chicken parts are frozen or still cold.

MARINADE FOR THE

CHICKEN PEPPER

MASALA.

Choose a pan that can hold all the chicken parts without crowding.

This bowl should also be able to fit into the refrigerator.

Into this bowl, add Yoghurt(1/2cup), crushed peppercorns(1 tsp), salt, turmeric powder(1/2 tsp), 1 teaspoon of garlic and ginger paste, 3 cardamoms.

Mix all the ingredients with a spoon.

Season with salt as needed but use it sparingly as you will be adding Tamarind, later in the cooking process.

Place chicken parts in the marinade, rub it over the chicken thoroughly.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, you can also keep the marinated chicken overnight.

HOW TO PREPARE/COOK

THE PEPPER CHICKEN

MASALA CURRY.

Once the chicken parts have marinated for 1-2 hours, leave it out for 20 minutes or until they reach room temperature.

While the chicken reaches room temperature, place a large pan over medium heat, pour in the oil and leave it to heat for a minute or 2.

Once the oil heats, add curry leaves, Onions, ginger-garlic(2 tablespoons), green chillies, cinnamon, the leftover cardamom pods and sauté for 2-3 minutes until all the ingredients turn soft. 5-7 minutes.

Add the mustard seed(1 tsp), cook, until they splutter and immediately add the chicken parts WITHOUT the marinade and let the chicken sear until they turn light brown on both sides.

leave the pepper chicken until they are slightly brown over medium heat, 10-15 minutes.


leave the pepper chicken until they are slightly brown over medium heat, 10-15 minutes.

While the chicken browns pour tamarind juice(1 tsp) over the remaining marinade in the bowl and mix.

Once the chicken parts are slightly brown, pour in the tamarind with the remaining marinade on to the wok with the browned chicken parts.

Stir constantly and let the gravy reduce by half.

This should take 15-20 minutes over medium heat. check for seasoning.

As the chicken absorbs the tamarind and yogurt marinade, pour in the coconut milk and cook over medium heat until gravy is very thick. 

Serve with warm rice or your favorite type of roti.

    Made this recipe?

    Please don’t forget to rate the recipe on the recipe card so other readers find it helpful and show me your recipe by tagging me #islandsmile178 on Instagram.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 474Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 337mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 6gSugar: 20gProtein: 16g

Nutritional information on islandsmile is provided as a courtesy. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on the site. these figures should only be considered as estimates.

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Maria

Wednesday 5th of October 2022

Tried this today.Easy and very tasty .Thank you for sharing this.

jehan

Wednesday 5th of October 2022

Thank you Maria for trying out the recipe. your feedback is much appreciated. please do leave a rating on the recipe card so other readers may find it helpful. Regards, J

Keith

Wednesday 24th of August 2022

Layers of flavour is such a fantastic term for this dish! So very delicious, I urge you to try it YOU WILL ENJOY IT. Thank you for sharing with us.

Rik Van den Bergh

Friday 27th of May 2022

Hi, I tried this recipe twice or so, but adapting a bit by omitting chili, increasing black pepper slightly, and replacing the tamarind with lemon or lime, as I am allergic to these original ingredients. I got the idea from another black pepper curry (without chili) recipe that I also really loved. What do you think of this version? Is it common? I heard and read about Indian recipes without chili (I only use little bit of dried chili sometimes), but information is scarse...

Greetings, Rik Van den Bergh

jehan

Friday 27th of May 2022

Greetings to you as well, Yes, you can remove the green chillies, the flavours will not change much. Increase the pepper to just 1/2 teaspoon not more, too much pepper can affect the balance of the taste as well as make you very thirsty if taken too much in a curry. I don't see any harm in replacing tamarind with lime. you can also just leave out this ingredient and increase the amount of salt while you marinate the chicken. For your information, Sri Lankans and Indians tend to like their curries really spicy hence the use of green chillies with the seeds, you can totally omit it in any dish to remove the heat. instead, add just 1/2 teaspoon or less of red chilli powder or sweet paprika to give some heat. Hope this information helps, regards, J

Prak#

Saturday 20th of February 2021

I am on diet, can I replace the coconut milk?

jehan

Sunday 21st of February 2021

yes, you can simply add water to make a healthier version. avoid adding too much water just enough to simmer down to thicken. regards, j

Maria

Saturday 24th of October 2020

If I can't find curry leaves is there a substitute that could be used?

jehan

Saturday 24th of October 2020

Hi Maria, if you can't find curry leaves, substitute with 2 bay leaves. Regards J

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