Chicken Chettinadu

An authentic classic South Indian dish with flavours of Tamil Nadu, Chicken Chettinadu.

Ingredients for Chicken Chettinadu:

Chicken – 1 Kg

Fresh coconut pieces – ¼ of a coconut

Cinnamon sticks – 3

Cloves – 5-6

Jeera – 1 Tsp

Dhaniya seeds – 1 Tsp

Dry chilly – 4-5

Black Pepper corns – 1 Tsp

Turmeric – 1 Tsp

Chilly powder – 1 Tsp

Bay leaf (biryani leaf/tej patta) – 2

Star Anise (biryani flower/chakri phool) – 2-3

Capers (biryani stick/shalmali) – 2-3

Onion – 1 Big (finely chopped)

Tomato – 1 Big (finely chopped)

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 Tbsp

Coriander – 1 Tbsp

Oil – 2-3 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Procedure - Chicken Chettinadu:

Clean chicken and marinate it with little turmeric & chilly powder and leave it to rest in the fridge for at-least 30 minutes.

Chettinadu Paste Prep:

All the spices we are using are the whole ones and not powders. Dry roast the following – biryani leaf, biryani flower, biryani stick, pepper cons, dry chilly, jeera, cloves & cinnamon. Then mix all of them with coconut pieces and grind them into a thick paste.

Chicken Chettinadu Prep:

Heat oil in a pan and put in the finely chopped onions. Once golden brown, put in the ginger garlic paste and let it fry well. Now drop in the Chettinadu paste and give it a good stir. Let them all fry well till you do not get the raw smell of either pastes. Put in the chicken and let it fry for 5-6 min along with the paste. Now the tomato pieces go in. Give it all a good stir and pour ½ cup water and then cover and let it cook for around 10-15 min. Once you feel the chicken is tender and cooked, put in the coriander, stir and serve hot.