Chicken Chettinad
Peppery South Indian chicken with roasted spices and coconut.
Ingredients
- 700 g Chicken thighs
- 2 Onion
- 2 Tomato
- 100 ml Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Black peppercorns (whole)
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 12 Curry leaves
- 1 Ginger
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 g Basmati rice
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then cook it in twice its volume of water, covered, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Dry-roast the peppercorns, coriander, and fennel, then grind to a masala.
- Slice the onion and tomato; grate the ginger and garlic.
- Fry the curry leaves and onion in oil, then the ginger-garlic, tomato, and ground masala.
- Add the chicken and water and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk off heat.
- Serve with rice.
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About Chicken Chettinad
Chicken Chettinad comes from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, home to one of South India's most assertive and spice-driven cuisines, and it is defined by its heavy hand with freshly roasted whole spices and black pepper. Chicken thighs simmer in a base of onion and tomato built around a house-ground masala of dry-roasted peppercorns, coriander, and fennel, finished with the mellowing richness of coconut milk. The result is peppery and deeply aromatic, with the warm anise note of fennel and the fragrance of fresh curry leaves running through it. It is a high-protein main with real backbone.
The step that makes this dish is dry-roasting the whole spices before grinding them: toasting the peppercorns, coriander, and fennel until fragrant unlocks oils that a pre-ground blend simply cannot match, giving the curry its roasted, layered depth. Coconut milk stirred in off the heat softens the pepper's edge and lends body without dulling the spice, so the gravy stays punchy but rounded. Chettinad chicken is traditionally served with steamed rice, though it is equally good mopped up with dosa, appam, or a soft flatbread. It suits a weekend cook who wants to build flavour from whole spices rather than reach for a jar.
Chicken Chettinad: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Chicken Chettinad?
A serving has about 839 calories — 37g protein, 67.1g carbs, 47.1g fat, 7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 37g of protein, roughly 18% of its calories.
Is Chicken Chettinad gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Chicken Chettinad has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Chicken Chettinad take to make?
About 55 minutes start to finish, but only around 26 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Chicken Chettinad make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.