Chettinad Chicken Curry Recipe Step by Step

Chettinad chicken curry is the bomb dot com. Enough said. Learn how to make a ridiculously delicious Chettinad chicken curry – or maybe I should say Chettinad-inspired chicken curry – since I am not sure how authentic this recipe truly is but if you love your chicken curry, make this NOW.

It’s not a secret that I love Chettinad chicken recipes and had great success trying out a few, especially this Chettinad chicken masala and a Chettinad pepper chicken recipe. But those two recipes are more on the “dry” side and if you like Chettinad food, a chicken curry recipe has to be part of your cooking arsenal.

Chettinad recipes are usually:

• Spicy
• Fiery
• Fragrant
• Flavourful
• Meat-based
• Delicious!

This chicken curry definitely checks all of the above. Get chicken pieces with bones for best results. We used some leftover chicken wings to cook it up and weren’t disappointed.

Serve this with cumin rice or rotis.

Chettinad Chicken Curry Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: nags
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Chicken
• Cuisine: Indian

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Description

A spicy and delicious chicken curry recipe made Chettinad-style. Chettinad chicken curry tastes best with a simple pulao or roti.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 300 grams chicken pieces with bone
• 2 tbsp curd / plain yogurt
• A few curry leaves
• 1–2 tbgp ghee or oil
• 1 cup sliced onions
• 1 green chilli, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup tomato, cubed
• 2 tsp crushed kasuri methi / dried methi leaves (optional)
• 1 tbsp cream

For masala paste

• 1–2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 flakes of garlic
• 2 dry red chillies
• A few cashew nuts
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• A small piece of cinammon
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• Seeds from 2 cardamom pods

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Instructions

1. Wash and clean the chicken pieces and set aside
2. In a wide pan, dry roast the ingredients for masala paste until the chilli powder gets roasted and the mixture turns aromatic
3. Cool and grind to a smooth paste with enough water and salt
4. Add the ground spice paste along with the yogurt and curry leaves to the chicken pieces
5. Mix thoroughly and set aside
6. In the same pan, heat ghee or oil and add the sliced onions and green chillies (if using)
7. Fry the onions until golden brown and add the tomatoes
8. Give it a good mix and add the marinated chicken pieces
9. Mix well and add 1 cup water
10. Cook covered for 7-10 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through
11. Add crushed kasuri methi on top (if using). You can also use fresh chopped coriander leaves instead
12. Drizzle cream on top. This is also optional but really enhances the taste of the curry. Adjust salt as needed
13. Serve hot with cumin rice or roti

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Notes

• Adjust the spice levels to your taste. This recipe makes a fairly spicy Chettinad chicken curry
• You can grind the onions and tomatoes once roasted and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. This gives a creamier gravy
• You can also omit tomatoes and add 1 tsp tamarind paste or 1/4 cup tamarind water to the chicken when cooking
• The kasuri methi is optional and not typically used in Chettinad recipes. Omit or use as you wish

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 150
• Fat: 35 grams
• Protein: 110 grams

Step by Step Chettinad Chicken Curry Recipe

Wash and clean the chicken pieces and set aside

In a wide pan, dry roast the ingredients for masala paste on low heat until the chilli powder gets roasted and the mixture turns aromatic

Cool and grind to a smooth paste with enough water and salt

Add the ground spice paste along with the yogurt and curry leaves to the chicken pieces

Mix thoroughly and set aside

In the same pan you used for roasting chilli and spices, heat ghee or oil 

Add the sliced onions and green chillies (if using)

Fry the onions until golden brown and add the tomatoes

Give it a good mix and add the marinated chicken pieces

Mix well and add 1 cup water

Cook covered for 7-10 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Add crushed kasuri methi, on top if using

You can also use fresh chopped coriander leaves instead. Drizzle cream on top. This is also optional but really enhances the taste of the curry.

Adjust salt as needed. Serve hot with cumin rice or roti

For Chettinad chicken curry recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.