Chettinad Pepper Chicken
semi-dry milagu kozhi varuval, hot with coarsely cracked black pepper
Allergens in Chettinad Pepper Chicken: sesame.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 700g boneless thigh, cut into 3cm pieces Chicken
- 2 tbsp, coarsely cracked Black Peppercrack it in a mortar, not a fine grinder
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 12 small, thinly sliced Shallot
- 8 cloves, crushed Garlic
- 1 inch piece, finely chopped Ginger
- 3 sprigs Curry Leavestwo in the oil, one fried crisp for the top
- 3, broken Dried Red Chilli
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 3 tbsp Sesame Oilgingelly oil
- 1/2, juiced Lemonoptional
- to taste Salt
- 100ml Water
- 2 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesto finishoptional
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Marinate the chicken with the turmeric, 1 tbsp of the cracked pepper and 1 tsp salt for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Crack the peppercorns coarsely by hand. Fine pepper powder goes acrid in the pan and you lose the pop of whole pieces.
- This dish moves fast once the pan is hot, so slice the shallots and pick the curry leaves before you start.
Method
- Heat the gingelly oil in a kadhai until it shimmers, then add the fennel, cumin and broken red chillies.
- Add two sprigs of curry leaves and stand back. They will crackle hard for 10 seconds.
- Tip in the shallots and fry 6 minutes over medium-high heat until browned at the edges.Brown, not soft. The sweetness of caramelised shallot is what balances all that pepper.
- Add the garlic and ginger and fry 90 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the coriander powder and cook 30 seconds, just until it darkens.
- Add the marinated chicken and fry on high for 5 minutes, turning, until the pieces are opaque and catching colour.
- Pour in 100ml water, cover and cook 10 minutes on medium until the chicken is done through.
- Uncover, add the remaining 1 tbsp cracked pepper and stir-fry 5-6 minutes on high until the liquid has gone and the masala is a dark clinging coat.Adding half the pepper at the end keeps its heat sharp and aromatic rather than muddy.
- Fry the last sprig of curry leaves in the residual oil at the side of the pan for 20 seconds until crisp.
- Squeeze over the lemon, scatter the crisp curry leaves and coriander, and serve hot with rice or parotta.
Safe temperatures: Chicken and duck are done at 74°C / 165°F, taken at the thickest part and clear of the bone. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Best eaten the day it is made. Keeps 2 days refrigerated; revive in a hot dry pan for 3 minutes rather than adding water.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Chettinad Pepper Chicken (232 g) is about 349 calories, or 151 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 39 g a serving, 45% of the calories
| Per serving232 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 349 kcal | 151 kcal |
| Protein | 39.3 g | 17 g |
| Carbohydrate | 9.1 g | 4 g |
| of which sugars | 0.2 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 3.5 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 17.5 g | 8 g |
| of which saturated | 3.1 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 12.7 g | 6 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for curry leaves. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Tamil Nadu recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.