Chettinad Chicken Curry | Chicken Chettinad Gravy | Chettinad Style Chicken Kuzhambu

Chettinad Chicken /Chicken Chettinad is a popular Indian recipe. It is a medley between spices and the chicken. With the right amount of spices and onion tomatoes base, chettinad chicken curry has a divine taste. It is a perfect accompaniment for rice, dosa, idly, chapati, idiyappams. A single curry which goes well with everything. I personally love this chicken cooked in a open pan than the one cooked on pressure cooker. Hence updated the picture.

Recipe after the picture...

Chicken Chettinad

Recipe Cuisine: Chettinad / Tamil Nadu | Recipe Category: Non Veg
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 30 mins | Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Onion - 20 to 25
Tomato - 2
Garlic - 10
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tblspn
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Curd - 2 tblspn
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Bay leaf - 1
Coriander leaves - 1 tblspn
Oil - 3 tblspn

To roast and grind:

Coconut - 1/4 cup
Small onion - 5, optional (I did not add here)
Coriander seeds - 4 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp or Cashew - 6
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper corn - 2 tsp
Red chilli - 4 to 5
Cardamom - 4
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Star anise - 1
Black stone flower - 1/4 tsp
Marathi Mokku / Kabok buds - 1, optional

Method:

Wash the chicken and marinate it with curd, turmeric and little salt. Keep it aside till it is ready to use.

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under "to roast and grind". Once chillies, coriander seeds are sauteed, add in coconut and stir till all the moisture is gone.

Once cooled down, grind it to a smooth paste.

Heat little oil in a pan, add in bay leaf, garlic and onions. When onion becomes soft, add in tomatoes.

As soon as tomatoes turn soft, add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell is gone.

Add the chicken pieces, curry leaves and saute for a min.

Then goes in the ground masala. Add in enough water and salt to taste. Cover and cook till it becomes tender.

If cooking on pressure cooked once after the pressure is released, remove the lid and bring to boil. Sometimes you will get smell if you add coconut, then closed with a lid and pressure cook for long time. If you do not have this, just skip it. Turn the lid upside down and cook on low flame till oil separates.

Serve with idly, dosa, chapati or rice. Enjoy!

Note:

• You can also skip adding marathi mokku
• For more spiciness, I added little more red chillies. But pepper corns itself have enough spiciness

Pictorial:

Keep all your ingredients ready

Wash the chicken and marinate it with turmeric, little salt

and curd. Mix well and keep it aside till it is ready to use.

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under "to roast and grind".

Once chillies, coriander seeds are sauteed, add in coconut and stir till all the moisture is gone. Once cooled down, grind it to a smooth paste.

Heat little oil in a pan, add in bay leaf, green chillies

Add garlic, onions and saute till for 2 to 3 minutes

Meanwhile, grind the roasted spices.

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell is gone.

When onion becomes soft, add in tomatoes.

Cook till the tomatoes turn mushy

Add the chicken pieces, curry leaves and saute for a min.

Then goes in the ground masala.

Saute for 5 to 10 minutes on medium flame till the raw aroma of the spices are gone

Check for spiciness and salt

Add in enough water and salt if required

Cover with a lid and cook till it becomes tender.

My old picture of pressure cooker method:

Keep all your ingredients ready.

Wash and clean the chicken, add turmeric, litttle salt and curd to it.

Marinate it for few mins till ready to use

In a kadai, add all the ingredients listed under "to roast and grind". Saute under medium to low flame for few mins or till coriander and red chillies changes color

Add in coconut and fry till all the moisture is gone

Cool down a bit and blend it well

to a smooth paste

Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add bay leaf

Add in chopped small onions and garlic. Stir fry till it becomes soft

Add in chopped tomatoes and stir fry. Once it turns mushy, ginger garlic paste goes into this

Now, add in chicken pieces, curry leaves and saute for 2 mins

Add in ground masala

Give it a good mix

Add little water

And add enough salt to this

Pressure cook for 3 whistles or to tender

Once pressure subsides, open the lid

And bring it to boil to remove the closed smell. This is optional because adding coconut and pressure cooking for a longer time will make some differences. That is why we add coconut at the end. If you are OK with the above process just skip these steps

Cover with the lid down, we do not want to put weight again

Cook till oil separates, put off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves

Serve with rice, chapati, idly or dosa!