Chettinad Chicken
Chettinad chicken is a heavily spiced curry that can be eaten in multiple ways. Typically, cut up bone in skinless chicken thighs are marinated in a strong spice powder of fennel, cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, and Kashmiri chili powder. They are then cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, and curry leaves and simmered until fall off the bone tender. The chicken is served with steamed rice.In this preparation, I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs. The chicken will be served in paratha with red onions marinated in a mint chutney with a dollop of plain yogurt. It’s more or less a Chettinad Indian version of a gyro.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp fennel seeds crushed
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 12 curry leaves
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp ginger grated
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup water
Spice Powder
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
Instructions
- Grind the cumin, coriander, fennel, and black peppercorns in a spice grinder. Mix in the Kashmiri chili powder.
- Marinate the chicken thighs with the spice powder for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Fry the fennel seeds and cinnamon stick for 30 seconds.
- Add in the onions. Fry for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring so they brown evenly.
- Once the onions have cooked down, add in the garlic, ginger, and curry leaves. Fry for 1 minute.
- Turn up the heat to high. Sear the marinated chicken pieces for 4 minutes.
- Season with salt. Pour in a 1/4 cup of water to produce a light gravy. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
