Chettinad Spicy Chicken

Need a spicy chicken recipe that goes excellent with rice & all tiffin varieties.......Stop here.... Read below............Proceed to the kitchen.

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut into small bite - sized pieces)

Ginger - 2 inch piece

Garlic - 6 pods

Green chilli - 2

Gingelly oil (Nallenai) - 3 sp

Cinnamon (Pattai) - 1 inch piece - 4 Nos.

Cardamom (Elachi / Elakkai) - 3 Nos.

Cloves (Kirambhu) - 5 Nos.

Bayleaf - 1 (medium sized)
Whole Pepper (slightly crushed) - 1/2 sp

Big onion (very finely chopped) - 1 large

Tomato - 3 (very finely chopped)

Coriander powder - 1 sp

Red chilli powder - 3/4 sp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 sp

Chicken masala powder -3/4 sp (optional)

Salt - To taste

Method

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces (so that the masala gets incorporated into it), wash throughly and keep aside.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste adding necessary water.
3. In a pressure cooker under medium heat, add oil.
4. When oil is bubbling hot, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and crushed pepper.
5. When these start to splutter, add onions (very finely chopped so that it gets nicely fried).
6. When the onions are deep fried but not brown, add the tomatoes.
7. Fry well till the tomatoes turn mushy. (make sure the onion & tomatoes got mixed with eachother and oil starts oozing out)
8. To this add the grind paste and fry for another 3 min till the raw flavor goes off.
9. To this, add the the masala powders and salt. Fry for another 2 min in a low - med heat. Don't burn.
10. Add the chicken pieces and mix them together with the whole masala.
11. Add sufficient water (this quantity of water determines the final gravy consistency. So care needs to be taken).
12. Check for salt & chilli powder.
13. Close the cooker & cook in a medium heat for  5 - 8 whistles.
14. Serve with white rice / Idli / Dosa / Chappati / Parotta.

Note

1. The taste of this recipe lies in ' how patiently the ingredients are fried in a medium heat'.
2. Never burn the ingredients while frying.
3. Pepper can be added as whole (20 Nos.) instead of crushed.
4. Chicken oozes out lots of oil. So better check on the oil added.
5. Tastes excellent when the gravy thickens. So if found too watery, simmer (don't boil) in a low - medium heat till the required consistency is reached.

Chicken 65

Ingredients

Chicken pieces - 10 (big size w/ bones)
Red chilli powder - 2 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp (optional)
Chilli chicken 65 powder - 1 sp (optional)
Salt - To taste

Method

1. Wash the chicken pieces and place them in a bowl.
2. Add the other ingredients and mix well so that the masala spreads all over the chicken pieces.
3. Keep the bowl closed, in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hrs (marination).
4. Deep fry in oil over medium heat until crisp and brown.
5. Serve hot with chicken curry / variety rice / sambhar or simply as an appetizer.

Note

1. Chicken w/ bones suits this recipe well. But chicken w/o bones can also be used.
2. The marinated chicken can be kept in the freezer (stays good for 2 -3 days) and can be fried whenever required.

Chicken Varuval

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut to bite - size pieces)
Gingelly oil - 3 sp
Big onion - 1 (medium)
Tomato - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 sp (if preferred)
Cinnamon - 1 (1 inch piece)
Cardomom - 2
Cloves - 5
Red chilli - 2
Ginger - 2 (1 inch piece)
Garlic - 6 pods (large)
Coriander powder - 3/4 sp
Cumin - 1/2 sp
Fennel (perunjeeragam) - 1/4 sp
Coconut - 1/8 of a whole coconut

Method

1. Wash chicken well and keep aside.
2. In a blender / mixie, grind the ingredients 'from cinnamon to coconut ' in the ingredients list, to a fine paste.
3. In a pressure cooker, add gingelly oil.
4. Add onion, curry leaves and deep fry at a medium heat.
5. Add tomatoes and fry them till mushy and oil starts separating out.
6. Add the blend mixture and fry for another 2 min.
7. Add the chicken pieces along with little water.
8. Cook for about 4 whistles in a low - med heat.
9. After releasing the steam, place cooker in a low heat.
10. Allow the contents to simmer to get a dry consistency.
11. Serve as appetizer or as a side.

 Note

1. Chicken pieces w/ bones suits this recipe well.

Pepper Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut to small pieces)
Cinnamon (1 inch piece) - 1
Cardomom - 2
Cloves - 5
Big onion (chopped) - 1 (large)
Tomato (chopped) - 2 to 3
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Mint leaves - 10 Nos.
Coriander leaves - 1/4 of a handful
Pepper powder - 3 tbsp
Cumin powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/4 tbsp
Crushed pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Gingelly oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - To taste
water - As required

Procedure

1.Cut the chicken to bite size pieces, wash 3-4 times and keep aside.

 2.In a pressure cooker, add oil and when it is hot, add whole garam masala. Fry them well in oil.

 3.Add onions. Fry till the onions become light brown.

 4.Add chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes become mushy.

 5.Add ginger garlic paste, mint leaves and coriander leaves and fry  in medium heat, till oil separates from the mixture.

 6.Add pepper powder, cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala and salt. Fry for 2 - 3 min w/o burning them.

 7.Add the chicken pieces and mix with all the masalas. Let this cook for 2 - 3 min.

 8.Add required water as per the required final consistency.

 9.Add the crushed pepper at this stage.

 10.Check for salt and pepper.

11.Close the pressure cooker and let it cook for 15 min in a low - med heat for 3 whistles.

 12.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

 13.Serve with white rice, idly, dosa, chappati, naan and parotta.

Note

1.Always use gingelly oil while preparing non- veg dishes. This will add an additional taste & aroma to the dish.

 2.Whole garam masala can be avoided and instead an additional 1/4 tbsp garam masala powder can be added.

 3.If the dish is required to be more spicy - hot, add additional pepper powder.

 4.The more the onion, tomatoes are fried, the more tastier will be the dish.

 5.Lesser the water for a thick gravy and more the water for a watery dish.