Chettinad Chicken

A very popular dish from the Chettinad region, this  Chettinad Chicken has a finger licking delicious thick gravy. Read more about this dish on the intro, or scroll down for the recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken, medium pieces (rinsed and drained thoroughly)		1 kg
Oil, divided		2 Tbsp and 1/4 cup
Onions, sliced		2
Ripe, firm tomatoes, chopped		2 large
Kashmiri chilli powder		3 - 4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste		1 Tbsp
Bay leaves		3-4
Dried red chilli, cut in two		1
Black peppercorns		1/4 tsp
Curry leaves		2 Tbsp
Coriander powder		2 tsp
salt		1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely - to add at the end.		2 Tbsp

For Marinating the Chicken:

Ginger-garlic paste		2 tsp
Turmeric powder		1/2 tsp
Salt		1/2 tsp

For the Freshly Ground Spice Mix:

Fennel seeds		2 tsp
Cumin seeds		2 1/4 tsp
Cloves		8
Cardamom pods		5
Black peppercorns		5-6
Cashew-nuts		4
Cinnamon		2 sticks
Dessicated coconut		2 Tbsp

Method:

1. Add the Ingredients ‘for Marinating the Chicken’ and rub well into all the pieces. Set this aside for 20 minutes.
2. Heat a small pan ( cast iron or heavy based is best).  Add all the spices for the ground spice mix and dry-roast while stirring, till you start to get the aroma of the spices.  There should be no darkening of the spices.
3. Add this to a small spice grinder and grind to a fine spice powder. Set aside.
4. Now heat 2 Tbsp oil in a wide non-stick pan. Add the sliced onions and saute briefly. When the colour just begins to change, we add the chopped tomatoes. Saute well till the tomatos are softened to a pulp. Allow to cool off and then grind the mixture into a paste.
5. Add the ground spices to the grinder containing ground tomato-onion paste along with the chilli powder. Grind/Blend once again toget your spice-masala paste.
6. Wipe down the pan used earlier and add the reamining 1/4 cup of oil. Just as the oil is heating up add the ginger garlic paste. We add this before the oil gets too hot, to void a crazy splatter. As the oil is heated, stir the ginger-garlic till aromatic. Don’t let it go brown.
7. Add the bay leaves and broken dried chilli, black peppercorns and curry leaves.
8. Once the spices are added and the ingredients are sizzling, add the marinated chicken. Turn up the heat and toss the pieces well, till the pieces turn opaque ( no longer pink) all over.
9. Now, add the prepared masala-spice paste. Toss again, to coat the pieces thoroughly with the paste.
10. Add the coriander powder now.
11. Also add more chilli powder now to get a richer colour if needed. Do this after checking for the spice level and only if needed.
12. Stir well till the raw smell of coriander spice has dissipated and the oil separates.
13. Wash out the mixer/blender, that was used earlier with 250ml of water and add to the pan, once the oil has separated.
14. Do a taste test and add salt to taste. The chicken was already marinated with salt, so I usually add just about 1/2 tsp more now.
15. Once the liquids have come to a boil. Cover, the pan with a tightly fitted lid. Lower heat to minimum and cook for 15-20 minutes. Open and stir occasionally.
16. You should get a nice rich, thick gravy, that just coats the chicken pieces, keeping them deliciously moist and succulent.
17. Add the freshly chopped coriander/ cilantro. Serve  Chettinad Chicken with Rice, Chapati or Naan with a Boiled egg on the side.

 Chettinad Chicken

Notes:

Key Ingredients: Chicken, Spices, Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Tomato, Curry Leaves, Cilantro (Coriander), Desiccated Coconut, Oil, Salt

EAT AND TELL!!!

Let us know if you tried –   Chettinad Chicken