This Spicy Chettinad Pepper Chicken Fry/Roast is a succulent Tamil style recipe. Its ready under 45 minutes and though it is a dry roast, its got enough masala coating the chicken to be had with rotis! Its spicy but the kinds that will make you reach out for another bite!
After an overload of Bengali food, I was craving something super spicy yesterday. Denver left for Pune and I was itching to try something new. Some Pinterest browsing led me to Nags blog where I saw this spicy chettinad pepper chicken masala. It looked like just the thing for a sleep deprived Monday, and trust me, it took exactly 45 minutes to make this from start to finish. Which is perfect when you have a mountain of work to catch up to, and can't be wasting time pottering around in the kitchen!
I haven't eaten too much Chettinad food before because of the spice levels but it looked so good that I had to give it a go. Denver stays away from too much spice in general, but I'm the queen of trying everything out. This pepper chicken fry is spicy, but not over the top. It's fiery but not in a brow sweating, nose sniffling sort of a way. It's a dry roast, but with enough masala coating the chicken that you can dig in with your rotis.
This recipe is probably a minority on the blog, because it's not been taste tested by Denver yet. But I know it'll get his nod when he bites into it. The chicken is juicy and succulent and the masala sticks to it nicely enough that you don't need more.
When I started cooking from this recipe, I knew this was going to be a hit when I started roasting the dry spices. It's a blend which tempts you into wishing that it would cook faster. And it's all in those spices, so don't skimp on them when you try this out!
If you are trying this out, I insist that you use curry leaves and whole spices. Don't get lazy and substitute coriander powder for coriander seeds because that just won't cut it. Make a trip to the store if you have to or order them online, but take my word, it's worth the effort.
And if you are a vegetarian, please don't be disappointed. Make this recipe with mushrooms or potatoes and it should work just as well.
If you try this out, tag your photos @my_foodstory on Instagram or use #myfoodstories and tell me if you love curry as much as I do!
Love Curries? Try These Out:
- Creamy Matar Paneer Curry
- Goan Prawn Curry with Coconut
- Chicken Kori Rotti | Mangalorean Chicken Curry
- Indian Mutton Curry (Lamb Curry in a Pressure Cooker)
Recipe adapted from the Edible Garden
Spicy Chettinad Pepper Chicken Fry/Roast
Ingredients
- 500 grams Chicken bone-in , curry cut
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 3 - 4 sprigs Curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds or Saunf
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
- 3 Onions sliced
- ¼ cup Tomato Puree
- Salt to taste
Spice Mix:
- 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds or Jeera
- 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds or Dhaniya
- 5 Kashmiri Red Chillies dry Note 2
- 1 tablespoon Black Pepper whole or Kali mirch
- ½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds or Saunf
- 3 Cinnamon sticks
- 4 pods Cardamom Green
- ¼ cup Coconut Grated
Instructions
- Dry roast all the ingredients under spice mix on a low flame for 3-4 minutes till they start smelling nutty and the coconut is a light golden. Be careful not to burn the spices. Grind with 2 tablespoons water into a coarse paste.
- While the spices are roasting, rub turmeric powder on the chicken and keep aside.
- In a pan, heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Once they start crackling add the spice paste and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Next add the onions and ginger garlic pastes. Cook till the onions are a light pink, and add tomato puree.
- Wash the chicken and add it to the pan along with ¼ cup water, curry leaves and salt.
- Cover and cook on a medium flame for 15 minutes. Keep checking every few minutes to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid and increase the flame to let the liquid start evaporating. Once the chicken is cooked and most of the liquid is gone, cook it for 2-3 minutes while stirring it continuously in the pan to roast it before switching off the flame.
- Serve Chettinad Chicken Pepper Roast with hot rotis and ghee rice.
Notes
- I prefer coconut oil for this recipe, but you use an oil of your choice or even ghee
- Feel free to increase or reduce the number on chillies based on your preference
- It is best to use chicken with bone for this recipe. You can look for something called curry cut which works best.Â
Nisha Jassal says
When you want to cook something different but don't know what you head to Richas blog. Such an aromatic and flavourful dish....relished this one.
Richa says
This is the best comment ever!! Thank you so much Nisha!!
R SURESHBABU says
looks great recipe.
Talha says
Awesome Recipe!
Richa says
Thanks for leaving a comment! Soooo glad you liked it Talha
Rajini Kushalappa says
We just loved it !!! I was looking for the perfect Chettinad chicken from long long time . But ur recipe nailed it . Thank you
Richa Gupta says
Aww, thank you so much, Rajini! We're thrilled you liked our Chettinad pepper chicken recipe!
Katie says
Wonderful recipe! Really tasty and authentic. Thank you for sharing!
Richa says
So glad you liked it Katie!
Jeslin says
Hey Richa,
Can we substitute prawns for chicken?
My mother doesnt like chicken.
Richa says
Sure, that'll work great. Please reduce the cooking time because prawns cook way faster than chicken.
Leena says
We loved it!! We were looking for a new recipe to replace our usual hum drum "curry" recipe and this hit the spot!!
Richa says
So glad it was a hit Leena!
priya says
Well.. cooking is not my strong suit. But your recipes really motivate me. Tried this one and the paneer matar curry. Both were finger licking good. I intend to try all of your recipes.. Thanks a ton.
richagupta says
Hey Priya I'm so glad my recipes inspired you to cook. Both the chettinad chicken roast and matar paneer are my favourites too. I hope you like the other recipes too. Keep writing in 🙂
Richa Gupta says
Thanks Tejas. I try and keep it simple as far as possible so that beginner level cooks can also attempt my recipes.
Tejas Pendurkar says
I appreciate subtle details which take the recipe to the next level - e.g. Insistence on using whole spices, mentioning the rationale behind increasing the flame (so that the liquid evaporates). etc. Helps connect with the recipe more too! Thanks.
Rishabh Singh says
Thanks for the recipe.
Came out really well. Very authentic flavors..
indugetscooking says
It looks so spicy and good....!!!
Richa Gupta says
Haha Partho, I hope they like it!
Richa Gupta says
Hey Tejas, sorry there was a mistake in the recipe. I've updated it now. The spice mix should be added after the mustard and fennel seeds.
Partho Mitra says
It looks so yummy! Going home this weekend - this goes into my repertoire of dishes to impress my parents.
Tejas Pendurkar says
At what stage do you add the spice mix paste to the chicken?