Chicken Chettinad

It was a Saturday. We were planning to try out a different chicken curry. We had the requirements as a spicy thick gravy chicken curry. After a long search, came up with the recipe of Chettinad chicken. We found multiple recipes under this title. I just chose one which I felt like is good. So I am not very sure, if this is the same as the authentic Chettinad cuisine. But this came out really grand. Usually 8 – 10 piece chicken curry, serves both of us for two meals. But this was finished on that day itself.

Ingredients: 

Chicken                                   --    ½ kg

Finely Chopped Onions         --    1 big

Green chillies                          --    2 -3

Tomato                                   --    1 medium sized

Red Chillies                            --    7 - 8

Coriander seeds                    --    1 tsp

Whole Pepper                         --    1 tsp

Cardamom                             --   2 or 3

Cinnamon                              --   1 inch stick

Cloves                                     --   2 or 3

Cumin Seeds                          --   1 tsp

Fennel Seeds                          --   1 tsp

Star Anise                               --   a small piece

Black Cardamom                  --   1

Mace                                       --   a small piece

Cashew nuts/Poppy Seeds   --   3 / 1 tsp

Shredded Coconut                 --   ¼ cup

Curry Leaves                         --   few

Coriander Leaves                  --   a small bunch

Oil                                           --    2 tbsp

Salt                                          --    to taste

Preparation of Chettinad Chicken:

Add oil into a pan and fry the red chillies, coriander seeds, whole pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, black cardamom, mace, cashew nuts/poppy seeds and shredded coconut until the coconut turns golden brown. Let it cool and grind the masala into fine powder.

Add oil into the pan and fry onions, green chillies and curry leaves until the onions become translucent. Add the tomatoes and let it cook well.

Once the tomatoes are well cooked and smashed, add the ground masala and chicken. Stir in the chicken into the masala, cover with a lid and let it cook on a low flame.

Water comes out of chicken and this should be enough to let the chicken cook. But check frequently and add more water if required. Take care not to burn the dish. Once the chicken is well cooked, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.