Chicken Chettinad Gravy Recipe

Chicken Chettinad is one of the most aromatic and popular dishes from Chettinad cuisine, South India. To make this traditional dish, chicken is simmered with curry leaves, coconut and freshly ground spice paste. My authentic recipe helps you make moderately hot, delicious and full-flavored Chicken Chettinad gravy. It tastes great with rice, Chapati, Appam, Dosa or Idli.

About Chicken Chettinad

Chettinad curry originated in the Chettinad region/ Chettiar community of Tamil Nadu. The cuisine is popular for the liberal use of aromatic spices, coconut & gingelly oil, which makes it unique from the other regional cuisines of South India.

In the past, the popularity of Chettinad curry was limited to Tamil Nadu. But with the passage of time, it is immensely popular & the most ordered dish in South Indian restaurants, all over the world. Dishes like Chettinad goat curry, Chettinad vegetables and Chettinad Eggs are some of them.

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The unique combination of spices, roasting & grinding is what makes this dish Chettinad Chicken. If you want to replicate the same traditional super aromatic flavors, you need to follow the recipe without any deviations.

Kalpaasi (stone flower), fennel seeds (sombu), star anise (annasi poo) & black pepper are some of the unique spices that go into this. Deep roasting the whole spices and grinding them with water to make a paste known as Chettinad masala, is the key process which brings in the magical flavors to the dish. There are no short-cuts to this process.

I always love to provide substitutions that are going to help you, especially if you live outside India. I know if you use pre-ground spices, the dish won’t be the same but it will still taste delicious. However it won’t be Chicken Chettinad if you don’t make it from scratch.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Stone Flower more commonly known as kalpaasi in Tamil and dagad phool in Hindi, is the super star of the Chettinad masala. It is a lichen grown on the rocks & is highly aromatic. It is a common ingredient used in Hyderabadi Biryani, Pulao and Biryani Masala. There is no substitute to this spice but you may use the ground version if you have.

Star Anise is yet another spice that takes your Chettinad chicken to the next level. Be extra cautious while using this as too much can break your dish. There is no substitute but you may use the ground version.

Hot/pungent spices – Dried red chilies, cloves and black pepper corn provide the necessary heat and pungent flavors. For a long time, I used Kashmiri red chili powder to make this because they are milder in heat. If you have young kids at home, I highly recommend using the powder as the whole chilies can get extra hot a lot of times.

Sweet/floral spices – Other spices like fennel Seeds, green cardamoms and cinnamon not only impart sweeter and floral tones but also balance & tone down the hot spices. Cumin and coriander seeds round out the flavors.

Coconut & curry leaves – Fresh coconut imparts subtle sweet flavors and adds a nutty & rich texture. You may use unsweetened shredded coconut but you may end up with a coconut aroma. Fresh curry leaves are highly recommended for this recipe. Sometimes I use refrigerated pre-fried curry leaves that I shared in this Ghee recipe.

White poppy seeds/ Cashews – Traditionally poppy seeds were used and a lot of restaurants use roasted chana dal/ chutney dal/ pottukadalai as a cheap substitute. I love to use cashews because poppy seeds are not available in the country I live.
You may omit if you want but I find using cashews produces a thicker consistency.

Photo Guide

How to make Chicken Chettinad (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Marinate ½ kg (1.1) lbs bone-in chicken with ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste and 1 tablespoon lemon juice or plain yogurt. Cover and rest aside until needed.

2. Heat a heavy bottom pan and add the following whole spices. (You will find double the amount of spices in the pictures because I was making a double batch of the spice paste)

• 1½ tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon black pepper corn
• 5 green cardamoms
• 1 inch cinnamon piece
• 5 cloves
• 1 small star anise
• 1 piece stone flower (kalpasi/ dagad phool)
• 4 to 5 dried red chilies (may substitute – 1 tsp red chili powder, use later while grinding or when you add tomatoes)

3. Heat them on a medium flame for 2 mins and reduce to low. Roast them until crunchy and golden, for 7 to 8 mins. Keep stirring constantly to avoid burning. Remove to a plate to cool down.

4. To the same pan add ¼ cup grated coconut (or unsweetened shredded), 1 sprig curry leaves and half tablespoon oil.

5. Toast them until light golden but not burnt. It takes me 7 to 8 mins on a medium low heat. Turn off the stove.

6. Transfer all the roasted whole spices and make a fine powder.

7. Dry Chettinad masala is ready.

8. To make the paste, add toasted coconut, curry leaves and 7 whole cashews if using to the grinder jar. Pour half cup cold water and make a super smooth paste.

9. You have your Chettinad masala paste ready.

Make Chicken Chettinad Curry

10. Heat 2 tablespoons oil (gingelly or any other) in a pan. Optionally add an Indian bay leaf and 1 cup fine chopped onions. Saute until the onions turn light golden. It takes me 7 to 8 mins.

11. Add the marinated chicken and fry on a medium high heat for at least 4 to 5 mins.

12. Add 1½ cups chopped tomato (or 1 cup tomato puree from 2 medium). Saute until the raw smell of tomatoes is gone and the oil begins to ooze out of the tomatoes. (If you omitted red chilies add 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder. Even if you used red chilies, optionally you may add 1/4 tsp chili powder to give your curry a bright color)

13. Next stir in 1 sprig curry leaves and transfer the ground Chettinad masala paste and pour half cup hot water.

14. Mix well and cook covered until the chicken is fully cooked through. Add more hot water if the curry turns too thick. If you are a beginner you may check using a meat thermometer. When inserted in the thickest part it should read 165 F or 75 C. Taste test and adjust salt to your preference. If the curry is runny to your liking, evaporate some of the liquid by cooking on a medium high heat.

Remove to a serving bowl. If you love the flavor of crisp fried curry leaves, heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry a sprig of curry leaves (pat dry) until crisp. Pour that over the finished dish.

Serve chicken chettinad gravy with rice, chapatti, idli, dosa and appam.

Expert Tips

• Bone-in chicken is favored for the extra flavor the bones produce. Traditionally, whole chicken that’s cut-up to smaller portions (curry-cut) is used. But if you don’t prefer that, you may use boneless chicken breast or thighs that are cut up to 1½ inch portions. Cut down the cook time else they can dry out & overcook.
• You can make the dry spice blend without coconut to store for 3 months in the refrigerator or for 1 month at room temperature.
• You can make the Chettinad masala paste ahead and refrigerate for a week. Beyond the mentioned time, the spice blend begins to lose the flavors.
• Traditionally chicken is not marinated, but I prefer to do that as it removes the poultry smell. Yogurt or lemon juice helps do that and the spices in the marinade season the chicken well at this stage.
• Chettinad curry is not a tomato based curry, so you may cut down the amount of tomatoes if you want.
• It is essential to grind the spices super smooth else you will find the gravy gritty. Chicken cooks faster than mutton, so the gravy won’t get a lot of time to cook down & soften the grits.

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