Nadan Chicken Curry (Village Style Kerala Chicken Curry)
This Nadan Chicken Curry is a really special chicken curry from Kerala that featuring spicy, rustic flavors. Serve with Malabar parotta, neer dosa or rice for a comforting meal 🫶
Servings: 4 portions
Ingredients
For ground masala:
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- 10 pepper corns
- 8 cloves
- 2 cardamom
- ½ star anise
- 1 inch stick cinnamon
- ¼ cup water
For Curry:
- 500 grams bone-in chicken curry cut, approx 2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup coconut slices
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 green chillies
- 1 large onion sliced (approx 1 cup or 115 gms)
- 10 sambar onions/shallots peeled & sliced
- 1 ½ inch ginger crushed
- 15 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
For Tempering:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons coconut slices
- 1-2 whole dried red chilly
- 10 sambar onions/shallots sliced thin
- 10 curry leaves
Instructions
Making spice paste:
- Heat a pan and dry roast all the spices on low heat for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Add the spices to a mixer grinder with ¼ cup of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.½ tablespoon fennel seeds, 10 pepper corns, 8 cloves, 2 cardamom, ½ star anise, 1 inch stick cinnamon, ¼ cup water
Making nadan curry:
- Heat coconut oil in a kadhai or pan, add bay leaves & coconut slices & fry for a minute until coconut slices turn light brown. Take care not to burn them as they turn bitter if burnt.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 2 bay leaves, ¼ cup coconut slices
- Add curry leaves, green chillies & sliced onions, fry for 2 minutes, add shallots and ½ teaspoon salt and fry for another 2 minutes. Add crushed ginger & garlic and continue cooking until onions turn light golden.10 curry leaves, 2 green chillies, 1 large onion, 10 sambar onions/shallots, 1 ½ inch ginger, 15 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add chicken, mix well and roast on high heat for 3 minutes until chicken turns pink. Add ½ cup of hot water and cook covered for 5 minutes on medium heat.500 grams bone-in chicken, 1 ¼ cup water
- Take all the powders listed under curry with ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl and add ¼ cup of water to it. Mix and make a thick paste and add it to the chicken and cook covered for 10 minutes until chicken is almost cooked.½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ tablespoon red chilli powder, 1 tablespoon kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- Add ground spice paste along with ½ cup of hot water and cook covered on low for 5-8 minutes until chicken is cooked well.
Tempering:
- Heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, once they crackle, add rest of the ingredients for tempering and cook until the shallots turn golden brown.1 tablespoon coconut oil, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, 2 tablespoons coconut slices, 1-2 whole dried red chilly, 10 sambar onions/shallots, 10 curry leaves
- Add tempering to the chicken gravy and serve.
Video
Notes
- Using bone-in chicken keeps the meat tender and juicy. Ideally, if large cuts of chicken are not available to you, use drumsticks and thighs which will work equally well.
- You may replace coconut oil with any other cooking oil of your choice.
- If sambar onions are not available, it may be replaced with ½ cup sliced onions. (instead of 10 sambar onions)
- Crushed ginger and garlic used in the recipe for its authentic taste and texture which may be replaced with ginger garlic paste.
Nutrition
Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 879mg | Potassium: 881mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1181IU | Vitamin C: 119mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 4mg