It’s been cold, wet and foggy from quite few days and I was craving for spicy food to keep me warm and happy. I wanted to make something spicy, and not too rich or fatty, so chettinad chicken was the obvious choice. And also, I had just bought fresh coconut that I wanted to use.
Chettinad chicken is a popular dish from chettinad region of southern Tamilnadu state in India. It is famous for its spicy, bold and aromatic cuisine. Their food consists of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes that are prepared with an assortment of ingredients. The beauty lies in the spices that are freshly ground on a stone grinder and added freshly to the curry. Chettinad dishes achieve its flavor from an intense combination of dried red chilies and peppercorn. Yes, you need to be in a certain spice zone to enjoy this style of food. Sure this chicken dish is spicy but the heat is manageable. It will not burn your mouth or make you weep or do anything like that. In fact, the combination of spices bring out the most wonderfully complex flavor profile in each bite.
I happen to like dark chicken meat so, given a choice I would only use chicken thighs for this recipe. However you can choose whatever (bone in or boneless) chicken pieces you want. I also like to marinate bone in chicken for most recipes but this is optional and you can leave it out if you are pressed for time or using boneless chicken pieces. The traditional method of preparing this dish involves fresh grated coconut, poppy seeds and spices all ground together into a smooth paste. If you can’t find fresh coconut, you can omit or use coconut cream or milk as a substitute. But of course nothing can beat the chettinad chicken made using fresh coconut.
I like to serve this semi dry dish in a truly south indian way with coconut rice, madras papad and thinly sliced cucumber, it can also go well with chapatti .
So let’s get started.
A peppery chicken curry from south Indian state of Tamilnadu.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken legs (cut into drumstick and thighs)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp red chili powder
- 2 tsp black peppercorn
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
- 10 dried red chillies (chillies vary in heat so adjust to suit your palate)
- 3 green cardamom
- 1" cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 3/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 1.5 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
- water for grinding
- 4 (190g) shallots
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
- 8-10 curry leaves
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry chicken pieces. Make deep slits in the thick part. Rub lemon juice, salt and red chilli powder. Let rest for two hours or overnight.
- Heat a pan on medium heat. Dry roast the chettinad spice blend (except for poppy seeds and coconut) until you smell the aroma. Remove in a bowl. Toast poppy seeds in the same dry pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove in the spice bowl. Next toast coconut until it starts to change color. Grind everything to a smooth paste in a blender or food processor, by adding some water (about 1/2 cup).
- Heat coconut oil in a skillet. Add curry leaves. When they start popping, add shallots. saute until translucent.
- Add ginger and garlic paste. Cook until golden brown.
- Next add the crushed tomatoes and turmeric. Mix in and fry for 4-5 minutes, until oil oozes out. You can add a tbsp of water anytime you find the masala sticking at the bottom.
- Now add the marinated chicken (don't forget to take out from refrigerator prior to cooking) and cook in masala for few minutes.
- Add chettinad spice paste and sufficient water for chicken to cook. Add salt to taste.
- Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook chicken for 20-25 minutes or until done. The dish is done when masala takes on the deep orangish brown color and coat chicken pieces really well. If you want gravy you can add more water.
- Serve hot with rice.
Coffee and Crumpets
I love this kind of chicken with the dry masala! Looks really good Balvinder. There is something so delicious about fresh coconut and poppy seeds in a spicy curry. Hope it warmed you up!
Monica
That looks incredible and it’s the kind of food I could easily eat 3 servings of if I don’t stop myself. It is indeed so cold these days…just craving comforting, satisfying meals like this one.
yummychunklet
Never heard of this. Sounds delicious.
Nami | Just One Cookbook
I guarantee I’d ask for more rice because the seasonings for the chicken sounds so delish! The chicken make my mouth water!
Blackswan
This yummy dish is good enough to go with a plate of fragrant rice. Btw, I’ve emailed you the receipt for the goodie bag with the date ,,,,,,
anne
I want some of this , Bal 😀 It’s a bit cold here as well and some hearty food just like you have there sounds wonderful !
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Wonderful flavours! The gravy sounds so delicious.
Nava Krishnan
I love spicy food to the max, in fact its a must for my every day meal. I think we eat more spicy food than anyone else in this world. I agree that fresh coconut is still the best but sometimes I use the ready made that comes in the packet; so called low fat content.
Its simply so good and I am drooling here. Ohhh!!! haven’t had my dinner and this chicken dish is driving me crazy.
easyfoodsmith
I can imagine how fragrant and delicious this chicken curry must be. The second shot made me drool Balvinder even though I quit eating chicken last year 😉
Sugar et al
How delicious! This is such a favourite dish of ours but we don’t get to eat it frequently because of the kids. I will surely over eat if I had this for a meal. Fresh coconut definitely contributes a lot to the flavour and back home I have never seen my mother use anything else. But I go in for the packaged ones on account of convenience. Your pictures are making my mouth water:-)
Ansh
A plateful of this won’t be enough for me. I will eat many more helpings! Love the color and texture. Beautifully done, Balvinder!
Katerina
A beautiful and hearty meal especially for the cold days you have over there!
Kitchen Belleicious
the dish looks so delicious and comforting. Perfect for all this cold weather we seem to be having more than usual
Juliana
Balvinder, I love this kind of chicken, I would be very content with just this chicken and a bowl of rice…such a comforting dish.
Thanks for the recipe and hope you are enjoying your week 😀
Jennifer Eloff
Hmmm, sounds fabulous…sorry, I’ve been MIA…sooo busy lately, but will try to visit when I post. Thanks for your visits too!
michael
That looks delicious, I have never heard of this dish but I would love to try it! 🙂
If you like Crème Brûlée, check out my recent post;
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/making-creme-brulee/
Sridevi Ravi
This delicious dish takes me back home to the sultry, small dining places filled with the strong aroma of spicy dishes. Looks very attractive.