Today I’m sharing the recipe of the Kerala-style Chicken curry that I like to cook quite often and tastes great with any flatbread like the Indian Rotis, South Indian Appams, Sri Lankan Hoppers, or Rice and is super easy to make. Succulent chicken pieces on the bone in a creamy Coconut Milk gravy flavored with Cilantro and Curry leaves is what makes this dish a HIT!
In my hometown Kerala we cook a lot of chicken and hence, this is the easiest version of the chicken curry that I love. Kerala is a gorgeous little coastal state in the southernmost part of India. Also known as ‘God’s own Country’ it is famous for its sprawling beaches, pristine backwaters, and bountiful coconut trees.
In Kerala, we cook several chicken curry varieties with coconut milk in it, like the Chicken stew, which uses fewer spices as compared to this recipe. We also cook Chicken Chettinad which uses roasted ground coconut and spices. What I share today is easy with fewer steps and will turn into an everyday chicken recipe for your home.
Another star ingredient in this dish is Curry Leaves or ‘Kadi patha’. These fragrant leaves is a staple in tempering oil in mostly all South Indian Curry dishes. If you get the chance to get your hands on the fresh variety, you can wash, drain and leave it in a zip-lock bag in the freezer and it will stay fresh and fragrant for as long as a year! Alternatively you can buy the dried variety in Asian stores.
Here is a time-lapse video of this recipe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in comments.
Easy Kerala-style Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken on the bone cut, cleaned and marinated in 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp salt. I used 500gm Chicken breast and 500gm drumsticks.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 medium-sized Onions finely sliced
- 6 cloves Garlic chopped or pressed
- 1" Ginger chopped or pressed
- 2 tbsp curry leaves
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp Red chili powder for milder taste use Red Paprika powder
- 2 tsp Coriander powder
- ½ tsp Cumin/Jeera powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Fenugreek Powder
- 1 Tomato roughly chopped
- 1 can Coconut Milk
- 2-3 tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2-3 Dried Red Chilli
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Once oil is hot add mustard seeds and half the curry leaves. Let it splutter.
- Add Onions. Once it starts to change color add the green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute until the raw smell leaves
- Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder and jeera powder. Saute on low-medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Now turn the heat to high and add the marinated chicken. Saute on high heat for 3-4 minutes to seal the chicken with all the spices and the chicken gets a light brown color.
- Now add half cup of water to the chicken, scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, cover with lid and let the chicken cook for 5-8 minutes. Stir ocassionally making sure there is enough water.
- When the chicken is cooked half way through add the chopped tomato. Combine everything well, cover and cook until chicken is completely cooked and tomatoes are completely dissolved.
- Now add the Garam Masala and Fenugreek Powder. Combine well and add salt to taste.
- Add coconut milk and cilantro. Bring to boil and immediately switch off flame.
- To temper: In a small pan heat the coconut oil. Once hot add the mustard seeds, remaining curry leaves and dried red chilies. Let it splutter.
- Pour over the chicken curry, cover the lid and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
I highly recommend a cook-and-serve dish to cook this recipe because the tempering is the BOMB and when you open the lid of this dish at the table it truly smells divine, like coconut trees, laid-back beaches, and Kerala. Enjoy this Kerala-style Chicken curry on a rainy Summer day with your loved ones.
Tried it already? Let me know what you think of it in comments!
