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Chicken Chettinad
Serves 4 Prep 55 min Cook 50 min Total 1 hr 45 min Type Meal Origin Indian

Chicken Chettinad

Tamil Nadu's peppery chicken: chicken simmered in a freshly ground paste of dry-roasted whole spices with grated coconut, curry leaves and shallots.

Serves 4 Prep 25 minutes (plus 30 minutes marinating) Cook 50 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Whole spices dry-toast in a pan until aromatic; grind with grated coconut, dried red chillies and a splash of water into a thick paste (the Chettinad masala). Chicken thighs marinate briefly in turmeric, salt and yogurt. Shallots fry to soft gold; the masala paste cooks until the oil splits out; chicken cooks in the masala with curry leaves and water. Finishes thick, dark and intensely peppery.

Ingredients

Chettinad masala

  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 6 dried Kashmiri chillies (de-stemmed)
  • 3 dried bird's-eye chillies (optional, for heat)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1 stick cinnamon (broken)
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 4 tablespoons grated fresh coconut (or 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut, soaked 5 min in 60 ml warm water)

Chicken marinade

  • 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons natural yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

To cook

  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 8 shallots (small, sliced) or 1 large onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
  • 3 fresh green chillies (slit)
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger (sliced)
  • 1 tomato (medium, chopped)
  • 300 ml hot water
  • 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • Fresh coriander (chopped, to finish)

Method

Stage 1 - Marinate chicken

  1. Mix chicken with turmeric, salt, yogurt and ginger-garlic paste; rest 30 minutes.

Stage 2 - Masala

  1. Toast peppercorns, dried chillies, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and cumin in a dry pan over medium heat 2 minutes until aromatic.
  2. Cool.
  3. Grind in a spice grinder to a coarse powder.
  4. Add to a blender with the grated coconut and 60 ml water; blitz to a thick paste.

Stage 3 - Cook

  1. Heat the coconut oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Add curry leaves; sizzle 10 seconds.
  3. Add shallots; fry 8 minutes until deep gold.
  4. Add ginger and green chillies; cook 1 minute.
  5. Stir in the masala paste and ¼ teaspoon turmeric; fry 5-6 minutes, stirring, until the oil splits out (this is the key step - don't rush).
  6. Add tomato; cook 4 minutes until soft.

Stage 4 - Add chicken

  1. Add the marinated chicken; toss to coat in the masala.
  2. Cook 5 minutes, stirring.
  3. Pour in the hot water; bring to a simmer.
  4. Cover; cook on low 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender.
  5. Uncover; reduce 10 more minutes if the gravy is loose.

Stage 5 - Finish

  1. Taste; adjust salt.
  2. Scatter coriander.

Stage 6 - Serve

  1. Eat with steamed rice, dosa, or appam.

Notes

  • Pepper is the signature: Chettinad is famously pepper-forward. The black peppercorns are toasted whole and ground; they give the curry its heat and dark colour, not just chilli.
  • Fresh-grind masala: Pre-ground masala goes flat fast. Grind right before cooking.
  • Coconut oil: The right fat for Tamil Nadu cooking. Vegetable oil is fine; lacks the regional signature.

Storage

  • Refrigerate 3 days. Reheats well.
  • Freezes 3 months.

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Chicken thighs are marinated briefly with turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt and a pinch of red chilli. A dry-roast of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coconut, fennel, coriander and dried red chillies is ground with a splash of water into a coarse paste. The base is built with shallots, curry leaves and tomato; the chicken is browned in stages; and the masala paste is folded in for the long, gentle simmer. Tamarind and a curry-leaf temper finish.

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