Southern Indian Recipes
Chicken Chettinad
A dark, peppery South Indian chicken curry from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu: a freshly roasted and ground masala of black pepper, fennel, cumin, coriander and dried chilli, cooked with shallots, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and tomato until thick and clinging.
- Serves 4
- Hands-on 30 min
- Simmer 25 min
- Hot and peppery
- Grind the spices fresh
- South Indian (Tamil Nadu)
Method
For the masala, put the peppercorns (1 tbsp), fennel (2 tsp), cumin (2 tsp), coriander seeds (1 tbsp), cinnamon (1) and cloves (3) in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat. Toast for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan, until fragrant and a shade darker. Cool, then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar and stir in the chilli powder (1 tsp).
Heat the oil (3 tbsp) in a heavy pan or karahi over a medium heat. Add the fennel seeds (½ tsp) and curry leaves (a little) and let them crackle for a few seconds; stand back, as the leaves spit.
Add the shallots (200 g) and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic (4 cloves) and ginger (20 g) for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken (700 g) and turmeric (½ tsp) and stir for 3–4 minutes until the chicken is sealed. Stir in the ground masala, tomatoes (2 tomatoes), salt (1 tsp) and sugar (½ tsp) and fry for 2 minutes.
Pour in the water (150 ml), cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked through. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often, until the sauce is thick, dark and clings to the chicken. Add splashes of water if it sticks.
Add the lemon juice (½ lemon), check the salt and scatter with coriander (a little). Serve with boiled basmati rice, parathas or dosa.
Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.
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See also
Chef’s notes
- Rick Stein, who watched a home cook make it in Madurai, adds a pinch of kalpasi (stone flower, a lichen with a cinnamon-like flavour); if you cannot find it, use the extra cinnamon given here.
- For a milder curry, use 2 tsp peppercorns and Kashmiri chilli powder instead of the dried chillies.
- Bone-in chicken pieces give a richer sauce: allow 1 kg and 10 minutes more.
- Some versions add grated or desiccated coconut to the masala; toast 2 tbsp with the spices for a rounder sauce.
How this recipe was developed
We compared Rick Stein’s Chettinad chicken (from Rick Stein’s India) with Swasthi Shreekanth’s top-rated Chicken Chettinad and the Chettinad chicken on Allrecipes.
- Fresh pepper masala. Rick Stein grinds black pepper, fennel, cumin and coriander seeds with Kashmiri chilli; we toast them first, as Swasthi does, for a deeper flavour.
- Shallots and curry leaves. Stein fries fennel, cinnamon, shallots and curry leaves before adding boneless thighs, garlic and ginger; we follow that order.
- Tomato for body. Swasthi’s Chicken Chettinad (4.97/5 from 230 ratings) adds tomatoes; we use two for a thicker sauce.
- A dry, clinging finish. Stein cooks it down until the sauce clings to the chicken; we finish uncovered for the same result.
Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 1 November 2026):
- Rick Stein: Chettinad chicken (Rick Stein’s India)
- Indian Healthy Recipes (Swasthi Shreekanth): Chicken Chettinad (4.97/5, 230 ratings)
- Allrecipes (Kavin Fatehchand): Indian-Style “Chettinad” Chicken (5/5, 1 ratings)
This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.