Chicken Chettinad curry recipe without having to soak cashews or tamarind! A finger-licking delicious spicy gravy from my home state, Tamil Nadu, that pairs well with rice, dosa, idli, porotta, etc. And guess what, if you follow this recipe, you can stop buying that packaged Chettinad masala.
I fell in love with Chettinad food at an Anjappar restaurant in Bangalore on a team lunch many years ago. It had become my go-to place for a self-induced food coma. So, if you love spicy South Indian food, then make sure to try this chicken Chettinad curry recipe.
Chettinad masala uses my favourite fennel seeds and kalpasi (black stone flower). You can find fennel seeds as the star in my pepper chicken gravy and savoury French toast, and kalpasi in my Tamil-style Mutton biryani. Both are a must to get the true flavours of Chettinad.
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Ladle this thick, luscious Chettinad gravy over a bowl of aromatic ghee rice for a weekend lunch, then take the best siesta. Leftovers? It only gets better! Serve with warm idli or dosa for breakfast or dinner, and you will not miss the sambar! Trust me!
Ingredients
Chicken Chettinad masala ingredients
- coconut oil or gingelly oil
- fennel seeds
- cumin seeds
- black peppercorns
- cardamom
- cloves
- cinnamon
- bay leaf
- dried red chillies
- coriander seeds
- black stone flower
- curry leaves
- grated coconut
chicken chettinad main ingredients
- coconut oil
- whole spices: fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon
- veggies: onion, ginger-garlic, tomatoes and fresh coriander leaves
- ground spices: turmeric, coriander and red chilli
- whole chicken curry cut pieces
- water
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make it?
In this section, I have explained how to make the Chettinad masala paste and then how to use that in the chicken curry.
Chettinad chicken curry masala paste
For the curry masala paste, you will start by frying the spices. This step needs full attention as the spices may get burnt. The best way to prevent it from happening is to make sure the oil is not too hot. If it gets smoky, then switch it off, remove it from the hob and let it cool. Start again.
So, let me share how I make the masala paste for Chettinad chicken curry.
Heat coconut oil or gingelly (sesame) oil in a thick-bottomed kadai on low to medium heat. Add all the masala paste ingredients. Keep the heat on a low to medium flame throughout the process.
Fry the spices until the grated coconut turns golden. You should watch carefully to prevent burning them. This can take about 5 to 8 minutes.
Switch off, and if using a cast-iron kadai like mine, remove the contents immediately. Transfer to a chutney maker, mixer grinder jar or food processor.
Grind to a fine paste with a little water. You may have to stop and scrape the sides of the jar a few times. Make sure the paste is really fine and add water a little at a time.
Chicken chettinad curry
Heat coconut oil or gingelly oil on a low to medium flame in a wide and thick-bottomed saucepot. Add the whole spices - cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and fennel seeds. (Missing in the picture).
Next, add the sliced onions and curry leaves. Now, sauté the onions on medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Some varieties of onions take longer to get there.
After about 10 minutes, the onions will start browning. It is now time to add ginger-garlic paste. Most of the time, I prefer to crush fresh ginger root and garlic cloves. You may add what you have and sauté until the raw smell is gone.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes. I cut them chunky so that it becomes easy to pick out the skin. Usually to discard when served - for the tomato-skin-picker, aka my husband.
Reduce the heat to low and add the ground spices and a little salt. Next, you need to stir until the tomatoes start to break down. The salt will help break down the tomatoes faster.
Increase the flame to medium-high and cook the tomatoes until the oil separates. You can see oil on the sides of the pan or over the tomato mixture. This will take 5 to 8 minutes.
It is best to use a whole chicken cut into 12 to 16 pieces for this recipe. Add the chicken pieces and turn the heat up.
Cook until all the chicken pieces turn white. Stir in some fresh coriander leaves. We will be adding some for garnish too.
Chicken chettinad gravy
Once all the chicken pieces are white, add the prepared masala paste. Next, add water to the jar and give it a shake to clean out all the masala. Pour it into the curry and stir it. This way, there is no wastage.
At this stage, I don't recommend adding more water. The curry may look like there is not enough gravy, but as the chicken boils, it releases water. Bring this to a full boil on high heat. Taste and adjust the salt.
Hint: Don't add too much water. The chicken will release moisture while boiling, so if you add too much water in the beginning, the curry will be too thin.
When the curry comes to a boil again, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Let it cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Make sure to open and stir the curry every 10 minutes.
Open, taste and adjust the salt; add more water if required. Simmer for 2 minutes and switch off. Before serving, stir in some torn curry leaves and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
I served Chicken Chettinad curry with neychoru (ghee rice) and store-bought chilled Malabar porotta because we wanted the best of both. I served the leftovers with ari dosha for the next day's brunch.
Substitutions
- Oil: you can use coconut oil or sesame oil for an authentic taste. If you don't have it or don't prefer it, then any neutral cooking oil will do.
- Black stone flower: It's a dried lichen with an earthy, musky flavour. Look for it at Indian grocery stores under kalpasi, dagad phool or patthar ke phool. Skip it if you cannot source it.
- Tomatoes: If you don't have enough ripe tomatoes, then try adding a knob of tamarind paste as per taste.
Variations
It is always great to have options, as some days we may not have enough chicken or want to have a meatless meal.
- Skip chicken and add only potatoes or a mix of vegetables
- Skip the chicken and use boiled eggs or mutton pieces
- Too fiery? Cut the chillies to 8-10 long ones, or go milder with chicken korma.
What to serve with chicken Chettinad curry
This gravy is thick, peppery and coconut-rich, so it needs something plain and soft to soak it up, or something cool to balance the heat. Here is how we eat it at home:
Ghee rice (neychoru): my weekend favourite. Ladle the gravy generously over it.
Plain steamed rice: the everyday option, and it never fails. Add a spoon of ghee on top if you like.
Malabar porotta: I used store-bought chilled ones when we wanted both rice and bread on the table.
Vellayappam: the soft, spongy centre soaks up the gravy beautifully. Try my vellayappam recipe with yeast for a weekend brunch.
Idli or dosa: Leftovers only get better overnight, and this curry is the reason I stopped missing sambar with idli. My ari dosha was the next day's brunch, and it was worth the wait.
This curry is properly hot, so a cooling side helps. Try my beetroot raita, or keep it simple with sliced raw onion and a squeeze of lime.
Storage
Any leftover curry needs to be refrigerated in a closed container and consumed within 2 to 3 days for the best flavour.
Top tip
If making for the first time, use a light-coloured frying pan to roast the Chettinad masala ingredients. Sometimes it is easy to go from perfectly roasted to burnt.
FAQs
What is Chettinad chicken?
A classic South Indian recipe originated from a region called Chettinad, the land of Chettiyars in the state of Tamil Nadu. The selected spices used in Chettinad dishes make this a popular and most sought-after dish across the globe.
How is chicken Chettinad different from butter chicken, korma or tikka masala?
Chicken Chettinad gets its heat and body from a freshly roasted paste of whole spices and coconut, with no cream or nuts, so it tastes bold, peppery and tangy. Butter chicken is a smooth, creamy tomato gravy, and chicken korma is mild and yoghurt-based. Tikka masala starts with grilled, marinated chicken, like my chicken tikka skewers, simmered in a creamy tomato sauce.
Can I use boneless chicken?
Yes, boneless thighs work well. They stay juicy and are easier to eat. Bone-in pieces give the gravy a bit more flavour, so that's the trade-off. Boneless usually cooks faster, so you might shorten the covered simmer.
How does chicken Chettinad taste?
The gravy of chicken Chettinad is aromatic, spicy and tangy. The curry is as fiery as the variety and number of chillies added. As the spices and coconut are roasted, the curry gets its colour from the type of dried red chillies used and the level of roasting.
More Chicken Recipes
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📖 Recipe Card
Chicken Chettinad Curry with Homemade Masala
Ingredients
For masala paste
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or gingelly oil
- 5 to 6 pieces black stone flower
- 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 green cardamom
- 2 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 a small piece of mace, optional
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 15 to 20 dried red chillies, round
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- ½ cup grated coconut
For gravy
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil, or gingelly oil
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 green cardamom
- 2 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 3 large red onions, 275g, sliced thinly
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 3 garlic pods and ½ inch ginger
- 3 to 4 large tomato, 400g, chopped roughly
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 kg skinless whole chicken, 12 to 16 pieces
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Prepare the masala paste
- Heat coconut oil or gingelly (sesame) oil in a thick-bottomed kadai on low to medium heat. Add all the masala paste ingredients.1 tbsp coconut oil or gingelly oil2 tsp fennel seeds¼ tsp cumin seeds¼ tsp black peppercorns1 green cardamom2 cloves½ inch cinnamon stick1 bay leaf1 a small piece of mace optional15 to 20 dried red chillies round1 tbsp coriander seeds5 to 6 pieces black stone flower1 sprig of curry leaves½ cup grated coconut
- Fry the spices until the grated coconut turns golden and the oil surfaces or separates. You should watch carefully to prevent burning them. This can take about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Switch off, and if using cast iron, remove the contents immediately. Let it cool, and then grind it to a fine paste with a little water.
Prepare the gravy
- Heat oil in a wide, thick-bottomed saucepot. Add the whole spices and let them swell and sizzle for a few seconds.2 tbsp coconut oil or gingelly oil¼ tsp fennel seeds1 green cardamom2 cloves½ inch cinnamon stick
- Next, add the sliced onions and curry leaves. Sauté the onions until they turn golden brown. Takes about 8 to 10 minutes.3 large red onions 275g, sliced thinly1 sprig of curry leaves
- Add the crushed ginger and garlic and sauté until it stops smelling raw.1 ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste 3 garlic pods and ½ inch ginger
- Add the chopped tomatoes, reduce the heat to low and add the ground spices and a little salt. The salt will help break down the tomatoes faster.3 to 4 large tomato 400g, chopped roughly¼ tsp turmeric powder1 tbsp coriander powder1 tbsp red chilli powderSalt to taste
- Cook on medium-high heat until the tomatoes are cooked down and the oil surfaces. 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces, turn the heat to high and cook until all the pieces turn white.1 kg skinless whole chicken 12 to 16 pieces
- Stir in some of the freshly chopped coriander leaves.Fresh coriander leaves chopped
- Pour the prepared masala paste. Add the water to the jar, and give it a shake to get all the masala paste out, and pour it into the curry.½ cup water
- Bring the curry to a boil, reduce the flame to the lowest, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through.
- Switch off and stir in a few curry leaves and garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve with ghee rice, rice, porotta, idli or dosa, etc. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container and use within 3 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Info
Nutritional information is an estimate provided for informational purposes only. Values may vary based on ingredient brands, cooking methods, and portion sizes.
Recipe adapted from Chef Deena's Kitchen.
Farsana says
really good 👍
Bini says
Super👍
Peter Foskett says
Can you tell me about the dried chillies ??? I like hot food, but have never added 20 chillies to a dish ??
Famidha Ashraf says
These are tiny button chillies like shown in the image. You may use 8 to 10 the long red ones…the dish is hot and spicy and the quantity mentioned is on the max side… so you can add less.
D Gupta says
Sounds like a great recipie. Tried it today. Struggled without any quantities being mentioned in the recipie.
Famidha Ashraf says
Oh! You missed seeing the recipe card? The recipe card is the detailed recipe with quantity/measurements etc.
Famidha Ashraf says
This recipe for chettinad chicken is a keeper and on repeat in our home.
Clare says
I haven’t made it but I want to! This looks delicious and reminds me of the chicken dishes I had when I lived in TN.
Famidha Ashraf says
You lived in TN too!!! Okay, we got to meet! lol!