Chettinad Chicken Curry Recipe

Servings: 6 people
Total Time: 45 minutes
Calories: 250 kcal

If you like spicy chicken curries then this fiery, aromatic Chicken Chettinad curry is right up your alley. Delicious to the core, you’ll want to lick your plate off.

If you have never had it before, Chicken Chettinad is a spicy and aromatic chicken curry from central Tamil Nadu (a state in the Southern part of India). This region is famed for its rich culinary heritage and repertoire of excellent dishes that are perhaps unparalleled anywhere else in the region.

Chettinad cuisine comes from the Nattukotai Chettiar or Nagaratha community. They were traditionally vegetarian seafaring traders who traveled all over South East Asia, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East to trade in spices, grains, gems, etc. They brought back food influences from all these areas to create their own distinctive cuisine which we now know as the Chettinad Cuisine.

It is funny that the cuisine of traditionally vegetarian people is best known for a non-vegetarian chicken dish!

Ingredients

Marinade

• 2 lb. Chicken thighs cut into the desired size
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 black cardamom
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 green cardamom / elaichi
• 2 star anise seed
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ inch mace

Chettinad masala

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 7-8 Kashmiri chilies or Byadagi chilies
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• a pinch of fenugreek seeds methi seeds
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds khus khus
• 2 stone flower dagad pool, optional
• ¼ cup grated coconut fresh or frozen
• 2 tomatoes chopped

Gravy

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 sprig of curry leaves kadipatta
• 1 tablespoon channa dal (split Bengal gram) soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped ~ 2 cups
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2- inch piece ginger grated
• salt to taste

Garnishing

• finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves for garnishing

Instructions

1. Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C.

2. Trim chicken of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin and salt , place in the Dutch oven.

3. You may season chicken with garlic, ginger, thyme, paprika, green onions , chicken bouillon and onions. At at least 2 hours or preferably overnight in the fridge for optimal flavor.

4. Slice tomatoes, onion, green onions and green pepper.

5. Combine all the ingredients in a Dutch oven or any oven safe pot and stir until everything is fully combine.

6. Cover it with its lid.

7. Place in the often and shake the pot once or twice during cooking without opening the pot.

8. Bake for about 1 hour until chicken is tender depending on which chicken you use and how you like your chicken.

9. Serve with atieke or white rice