Chettinad Style Chicken Curry
I first had this fiery, deeply flavorful chicken dish as a friend’s home along with dosas and ever since hooked to it. I was told it’s a traditional Chettinad chicken curry and that there are quite a few variations to this recipe. In today’s version, chicken is simmered in coconut milk and gets its unique flavor from a blend of quite a few spices like fennel seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, pepper corns, cardamoms and cumin to name a few.
Quite a bit of preparation goes into the making of this curry and there is no short cut method and if you have the time and the ingredients on hand, only then venture to prepare and please don’t compromise with the ingredients if you want that authentic chicken curry flavor.
Chettinad Style Chicken Curry Recipe
Recipe source: Revathi Aunty
Prep: 20 mts, Cooking Time: 25 mts
Serves 5-6 persons
Cuisine: South Indian
.
1 kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces
1 cup small onions, shallots (sambar onions)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
10-12 curry leaves
1 cup coconut milk (extract from 1/2 coconut)
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
Make a paste:
2 green chillis
8 garlic flakes
1″ ginger
1 tsp poppy seeds (soak in warm water for 10 mts)
Roast and make a powder:
1/2 tsp pepper corns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 1/2 tbsps coriander seeds
6-8 dry red chillies
2 cardamoms
1″ cinnamon
6-7 curry leaves
1/2 tsp oil
1 Drizzle a vessel with oil and roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, red chillis, cardamoms, cinnamon and curry leaves on medium heat stirring constantly for 2 mts. Remove from fire, cool and grind to a powder.
2 Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, green chillies and poppy seeds. Keep aside.
3 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the small onions and curry leaves and saute till transparent.
4 Add the ground paste and cook for a minute before adding the chicken and cook on high heat for approx 4 mts and do stir the chicken once in a while.
5 Reduce to medium heat, add salt, turmeric pwd and tomatoes and combine well. Let the chicken cook in this for 4-5 mts, uncovered.
6 Now add the coconut milk and transfer the contents to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 4 mts or until one whistle. Open lid and combine well.
7 Finally add the ground masala pwd and cook for 3 mts. Turn off heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
8 Serve hot with white steamed rice, biryani, chapatis or dosas.
Note:
Adjust the green chillis, red chillis and pepper corns according to your spice level. Ensure that the chicken doesn’t pressure cook for more than one whistle, as it could get mushy if pressure cooked beyond the required time. In fact, mutton is usually used for this recipe but it tastes equally good with chicken.
My entry to the food event RCI - Tamil Cuisine hosted by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine
By sailu • Apr 16th, 2007 • Category: All Recipes, Indian Chicken Recipes, Non-Vegetarian Recipes, South Indian Recipes
Looks fiery and yummy!!A perfect entry for RCI.
Sailu, Good entry for RCI, the dish looks mouthwatering, must try for me. Thx
Sailaja, thanks a lot..always wanted to try this chettinad style chikcen at home…now i have two chicken recipes to share from ur place…i almost decided to cook the firxt one last week but was short of time , so i had to resort to my regular prep. Will tell u the feedback once i try it out..like all ur other dishes, this one is also a beauty
Shn
My Mom makes chicken curry somewhat similar to this Sailu. looks yummmmmmmmmm . thanks for sharing.
Most authentic I have seen. Good detailed description, will try it and let you know the feedback.
Cheers!!
that is some thick, juicy gravy. looks authentic. love how you give minor details in your posts.
Hi,
I have cooked few recipes listed in your site like gutti dondakaya, bhagara egg curry and dahi bhendi which were a hit in my home. I was in search of chicken chettinad and found yours really tempting and delicious. I never left a comment on ur site, but this time, i took some time to write down…and I am really inspired by ur site and feel like starting a food blogspot. Thanks for the inspiration! Will surely try this and let you know.
Padma
Hi Sailu, lovely looking chicken chettinad. pics are so nice. If you tempt me this way with your pics I will have to start having non-veg. hugs
sharmi
Lovely dish. I am sure this is going to be hit at my home too like your Pepper Chicken
Terrific recipe. thanks a lot for sharing this. quick question though why do we to transfer to a pressure cooker? can’t we just leave on the stove and let it cook? would this create a difference in the texture or taste?
thanks
goutham
You can leave it on the stove to cook too. But by pressure cooking, you get a thicker texture and gravy.:)
Hey Sailaja, I tried this dish last week and was quite pleased with the taste and authenticity. Thanks for sharing it, I have one more chicken curry to be tried from your collection in my must try list
Shn
Wow Sailu, I’ve been looking for an authentic Chettinadu Chicken Curry recipe for a while… I’ll surely be trying this one out. It looks awesome! Thanks.
We cooked today, that tastes delicious and reminded me of the ‘Chicken Penang Curry’ from the neighbour thail dish. Mostly it depicts how the cultures are mixed with this dish.
Thanks for a nice post.
-Srilu
Hi Sailu
You have an awesome site. I visit it almost daily, but this is the first time that I am leaving a comment. The pictures on your site are a treat to the eyes. Tried the Chettinad Style Chicken Curry and it turned out great. I have a request for you. Could you please, please, please post the recipe for Andhra biryani, not the muslim hyderabadi biryani (I already have that recipe and prepare it regularly). I have been searching high and low for the Andhra biryani recipe, but could not find a decent one. Please help. Keep up the good work.
Regards
Mamta
Having tried your other two recipes, I can’t wait to try this one out!
hi, i am new to this site. i love cooking so i keep surfing net for new recipes. i love andhra food, mexican, thai food because its yummy and spicy. ur recipe chicken chettinad was wonderfully yummy and every one liked it. its great!! you can try by grinding coconut with all the roasted masala to get a typical hotel style chettinad chicken curry. I am in search of typical andhra biryani recipe pls send me if you have one to laxmi.maheshwari@rediffmail.com
I’ve just made this dish, and it’s lovely.
However, I didn’t do mine in a pressure cooker, and it’s a bit lighter than yours and the texture is slightly different (creamier). Could that be because I didn’t do it in the pressure cooker?
Also, what do you mean by flakes of garlic? Cloves of garlic?
Thanks!
Yes, the texture differs when cooked in a pressure cooker. I meant garlic cloves.:)
Thanks.
I served this dish at the dinner party tonight (together with your pepper chicken which is a real hit!), and my guests enjoyed it a lot! Many thanks!
Your most welcome, Maninas.:)
Hey Sailu,
Thanks for the lovely recipe. I tried it and its come out just wooooooooow!
Wish I had a camera and could take a picture to send you?
Hi Sailu,
!
Thanks a million for makin this blog available. I had visitors over the weekend and was left with a daunting task of cookin for these people. This was my first time and thanks to you, every item in the menu was from your kitchen. Best part is, I am being weighed down by their praises. I can’t contain my happiness, I have never cooked for any one else except for my husband until then. N the day I began the cookin, ur site went down, n I panicked like crazy because your blog was my only saviour :-). My stars were in favor of me n it was up n runnin by afternoon. Every item from breakfast to the desserts after the meals were from your blog and they tasted divine. My guests over ate and scarped the bottoms
My guests joked that I could open a eating joint with the kind of food I cooked. I owe it all to you Sailu. U must keep all those recipes coming for learners like me.
Thanks again
We tried this recipe yesterday and came out really good. Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe.
SK
Hi Sailu,
i tried this recipe and i have to tell u that it turned out excellant….can’t wait to cook this for my friends.:)
in kerala we have a similar tasting chicken curry made out of ground coconut and this tasted just like that one….so i was delighted, this is less effort and same taste….
my family including my 7 year old son, just loved it, even though it turned out a bit too spicy for my cooking, he did not complain at all…Thanks and keep posting ur wonderful recipes…
You are the best !!!
Hi Sailu
The recipe for Chettinad Chicken was fabulous. I just made and it and it was a hit. I just love the colour of the gravy. Thanks a lot for a such a great recipe.
PS: I have been visiting your blog for a long time, but never left any comment before. You have a great blog and the pictures are mindblowing.
Regards
Mamta
Hi Sailu,
I love your blog. Thanks for the good resipes that you put up. I made the Chettinad Chicken 2 days back and it came out really delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed it. thanks a bunch. I also tried the Chicken Masala Balls some time back. It was very very tasty. I think I can bravely try all your recipes without having any hesitation.
Thanks so much and keep up the great work.
Pani Thuly
Hi Sailu,
You are doing a great job… I tried the above posted “chettinad chicken” recipe and it turned out really well. I really love your blog. I have tried most of your recipes. I am a telugite, basically from Bangalore, currently residing in US. I love authentic andhra food and I always wanted to cook Andhra style, but I didn’t get proper Andhra recipes, until I found your website. Your blog has good descriptions, amazing pics of each and every recipes I have ever seen.
Keep your good work.
Thank you.
Hi Sailu,
I was browsing through some food sites and found your recipe on one of the site. I donno whether you posted it there jus wanted to let u know about this, may be it might be plagiarism
http://www.vahrehvah.com/recipedetails.php?postedby=Admin&recipe_id=238
padma
Cool recipe!!! I luv chettinad chicken, the authentic dish of Tamil nadu.
Hi! I was looking for the recipe of Andhra chicken biriyani when i found the recipe of chettinad chicken. It was easy to make and was so tasty. My family n’joys spicy food and they loved the preparation. Thanks
Too bad, i found this recipe when my chicken already half cookin. Wanted something really spicy for diwali. Anyway, will try soon.
Hi,
I tried this one today…My husband liked it very much….Its so yuuuummmmmmy…Thnx for the recipe…I woud also want the recipe of Andhra Style Biriyani…
Hi
I love desi non veg but have rarely made it and am going to try making the chettinad chicken step by step. Do you mean the onions (sambar onions)should be kept whole? Will they turn transparent after frying in 1 tbsp oil? Thanks, M.
Saute the sambar onions for approx 4-5 mts on medium heat.
Hi Sailu,
This is the best recipe ever. I would have done this atleast 20 times and still people when they come home ask me to do this. Keep up the good work and thanks !!!!
subu
Sailu I tried this a couple of times and it was just delicious. Thanks so much for sharing such an authentic recipe with us.
Sailu.. Just wondered if you knew about this plagiarism.
http://www.foodmall.org/entry/chicken-chettinad-a-fiery-treat-for-your-taste-buds/
BTW your dish looks so good. Am going to try it out this weekend!
hi sailu,
I am going to have 15 guests this weekend and i am not sure about the quantity.. would it be ok if i use 4 LB chicken, doubling the ingredients? can i substitute with big red onions? Also can i use canned coconut milk? Any hints are fine and am fairly new to cooking.
have tried many of your recipes and each single one of them came out great! i made your fruit cake too, but it was little brittle and dry though, not really moist, am not sure what did i did wrong? any thoughts? Please let me know. Thank you, dear Sailu.
Yes, Shruti, you could double the ingredients, use big red onions and also canned coconut milk. Follow the recipe and double the quantities.
Regarding the cake, its not supposed to be too moist. You didn’t do any thing wrong if you followed the recipe.
[…] a little tired of all the diffrent types of chicken curry i knew..that’s when i came across Sailu’s food blog which caters to mostly Andhra recipes !! The Chettinad Chicken Curry on her blog looked exciting […]
Dear Sailu garu,
I always go through your site. the pictures itself make us feel hungry. I am glad that you are from Andhra. I am from Vijayawada. I tried many of your dishes. Today I saw your Sabhudhan kichidi. I will try it tommorrow. Thank you for sharing your recepies with us.
Hi Sailu,
Being a first time visitor , I found this recipe very interesting and immediately cooked. It tasted very good. I have used all ingredients as per the given measurements but the curry came out very dry with very less gravy. Any suggestions? I used a little less coconut milk than mentioned in recipe. (3/4 of the quantity). Will that make a difference? I see the curry in the picture to have more gravy. Any suggestions? Can I add water?
Overall trust me It came out excellent. Thanks for this site. Will try others too.
You could add more water, Deepti. Maybe you cooked the chicken for a while longer than required that the water evaporated and you might ended up with a less gravy (almost like a fry).
Sailu garu…
Your recipes are really good..
Just wondering if you know anything about dekka (crab claw meat) pidupu?
If you could publish that info, that would be awesome!!
Appreciate your work!
Thanks,
Subbu.
Hi Sailu,
I saw your blog for the first time and I tried this recipe.It came out very well… I regret that I dint get a chance to see your blog earlier. Anyway, better late than never. Your recipes are simply amazing and the photos just make them more yummy!!! Today, I will be trying the chicken masala balls…Hope it comes out well.
Great work,Sailu…
Thanks for all your recipes..
Hi Sailu,
My name is Tanuja and i live in London. I tried this recipe of yours and it came our very well. My husband simply loved it. i did use the pressure cooker though. But was satisfied with the color and it was yummy.
Thankyou for the recipe.
Looking forward to try some more this weekend.
Regards
Tanuja
hi,
I tried your recipie 2day. taste is really good. but its not your consistency and colour. I am planning to have it with dosai.
thank you for ur recipie.
jaanu
Hi,
I tried all the chicken dishes posted by u..
tastes awesome….specially the chettinad and pepper chicken curry…infact took prints of that and gave it out to mom and aunt….they liked the pepper and chettinad chicken too!!
but the issue that i face..when i make a dry powder…it doesnt get fine in the blender..it is course….I assume the taste would be much better with the fine powder!!
Hi,
This is the first time that i’m leaving a comment.I just love all ur recipes..& the pics r just awesome!!Yesterday,i tried out chicken chettinad & it turned out so delicious.My guests loved it:).Thanks a lot for the recipe.
I tried this today.It is really awesome ..
wow!!!!
The photo looks very very yummy!!!!
I always wanted to try chettinad chicken as i had eaten it when i had been on a tour to kerala now is the time to try it out…
I have tried your recipe .. it was simply delicious.. i didn’t pressure cook also i used cashew instead of poppy seeds which are not available here in the middle east.. . This recipe is a great one.. I recommend all to give this a try..
Do you serve any chutney with this scrumptious curry?
Thanks!
This is a chicken curry that can be served with rice or rotis or bread.
Hey this was the first time i tried ur recipe from this webite… It was simply DELICIOUS…
i recommend everyone to give it a try.
This is the perfect chicken recipe…
Hi,
Thanks for your recipe.. My gravy didnt have the same colour?? Why would it be?
The variety of red chillis used for the recipe could make a huge difference.
[…] years since I actually had an opportunity to enjoy this dish. Until I came across this recipe at http://www.sailusfood.com/2007/04/16/chettinad-style-chicken-curry/, I had not hoped to enjoy it ever again! Chettinad chicken curry goes best with Dosa, […]
Like the rest of your readers, I often come to your site for the simplicity of the directions even for complex recipes. Your pictures are very motivating as well!
My question has to do with the roasted spice powder being added at the very end… as a novice cook i was just wondering why. Would the spices completely take over if - for instance - the powder was sauteed along with the onions/curry lvs?
The recipe was very tasty.
this is going to be my 1st chicken dish i’ll be cooking.. hehe.. have cooked jst 1ce before
… thx for the simple directions!!