Chicken chettinad step-by-step recipe with video and photos.
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About Chettinad cuisine
Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of a community called the Chettiars from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Chettinad cuisine is perhaps the most renowned fare in the Tamil Nadu repertoire and one of the most popular Indian cuisine. It uses a variety of spices and the dishes are made with fresh ground masalas.
Chettiars also use a variety of sun-dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice-based accompaniments such as dosas, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis. The cuisine is well known for its complexity of flavours. It is said that the cuisine has the influence of food from Burma, Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, and Vietnam.
About this recipe
Chicken Chettinad is one of the most renowned dishes from this region. This unique chicken dish gets its rich flavour from freshly roasted whole spices. The mouth-watering taste is elevated by the use of poppy seeds and coconut. Though this dish looks pretty similar to a North Indian chicken curry, the taste and flavour are quite different.
This is possibly due to the usage of fennel seeds, curry leaves, coconut and lemon which gives this dish a unique flavour profile. This dish is a perfect marriage of South Indian and North Indian flavours. Serve this with rice or roti for a mouth-watering meal. Here is the recipe for authentic Chettinad chicken.
Ingredients
Chicken: I use chicken thigh and leg pieces for this dish.
Coconut oil: I use coconut oil to make this dish but you may replace it with any cooking oil of your choice.
Onion, ginger and garlic: Use red/pink onions where possible and not white or brown onions.
Tomatoes: I use fresh tomatoes but you may replace them with tomato puree.
Spices: I use coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, dried red chilli, turmeric powder, and chilli powder.
Other ingredients: Grated coconut, curry leaves, coriander leaves, and lemon juice goes into making this dish.
Click here for more chicken recipes.
Step by step instructions
Dry roast whole spices, then mix ginger and garlic. Add water and grind into a smooth paste (steps 1,2).
Fry onions until golden (step 3).
Add curry leaves and ground paste. Saute for a few minutes (step 4).
Add tomatoes, red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Mix well and saute until the tomatoes and spices are cooked (steps 5,6).
Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes (step 7).
Cover and simmer until the chicken is completely cooked (step 8).
Turn off the flame, and add lemon juice and coriander leaves
Bonus
This dish is:
- unique and authentic
- delicious, flavourful, and spicy
- a good change from regular chicken curry
Serve with steamed rice
Recipe card
Chicken Chettinad
Ingredients
- 750 grams chicken
- ¼ cup coconut oil can be replaced with any cooking oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 large tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon ginger paste
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 3 cardamom
- 2 cloves
- 4-5 dry red chilli
- ½ cup coconut (dried or dessicated)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 10-12 curry leaves
- Salt to taste
- 1 lemon
- Coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Clean the chicken and cut them into small pieces
- In a kadhai dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves, poppy seeds, dry red chilli and coconut
- Let it cool down, then mix ginger and garlic. Grind into a smooth paste by adding some water
- Heat oil in a kadhai or frying pan. Add onions and fry until they are golden
- Add curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
- Add the ground paste and saute for a few minutes
- Add tomatoes, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix well and saute until the tomatoes and spices are cooked
- Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes
- Add 2 cups of water, mix well and bring it to boil. Cover and simmer until the chicken is completely cooked
- Turn off the flame, and add lemon juice and coriander leaves
- Serve hot with steamed rice
Video
Click here to watch Chicken Chettinad web story.
YtheWait
My mouth is watering! ???? Great recipe!!
Shilpa
Thank you so much! 🙂
doorstep
Extremely nice! I really liked your article.