Chicken Coconut Curry

Chicken in Coconut sauce is a very common recipe that my mom makes. This recipe can be made in different versions by changing the masala and adding just coconut milk by making it kurma or add ground coconut paste to make it thick gravy or dry one. This is just one version I made in a party and my guests enjoyed it.

Ingredients : 
Chicken thighs - 2 pound
Fresh or Frozen Coconut - 1/4  cup
Onions - 2 medium chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Tomatoes - 2 crushed to paste
Green Chillies - 2 (optional)
Curry Leaves - 1 spring
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tbsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Garam Masala :
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2
Star Anise - 1
Bay Leaf - 1 
Whole Black Pepper - 5 nos.
Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp


Method :

1. Heat butter, oil in a thick bottomed pan, add ingredients under garam masala, curry leaves, add onions and little salt and saute it.
2. Once onions turns translucent, add ginger garlic paste saute till the raw smell is gone.
3. Add chicken pieces, all the powders, salt and mix well. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes and covered for 15 minutes. 
4. Add tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Check for salt and add green chillies if you want it more spicy. Take a chicken piece and cut it with a spoon, if it cuts all the way through easily then its cooked perfectly.
5. Grind coconut adding little water at a time (Use about 1/4 cup). Add the ground coconut paste to chicken masala. Keep the heat on medium and cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes and garnish with cilantro.

Note :

• Extract coconut milk and add to chicken masala to make kurma.
• Coconut takes away some spice, adjust spice level accordingly.
• After adding coconut paste, cook for few more minutes to make thicker to dry gravy.
• Add evaporated milk or fresh cream instead of coconut to make the curry even more richer.
• Chicken thighs takes longer time to cook than breasts pieces.

Dry Chicken Roast

Try this roasted chicken with spicy masala that goes well with ghee rice or just plain curd rice. I shallow fried the marinated chicken to give the roasted color and extra flavor. This is just another variation to normal dry chicken but try this recipe you will never go back.

Ingredients :
Boneless Chicken Breast - 1 lb
Onions - 1 big
Tomato - 1 medium
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 spring
Coriander Leaves - handfull for garnish
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Whole Garam Masala :
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves - 3
Peppercorns - 4 to5
Star Anise - 1
Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp
Ingredients for marination :
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder  - 1 tsp
Any Chicken Masala Powder - 1 tbsp (I used Aachi chicken masala)
Curd - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp


Method :

1. Wash and clean the chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Remove extra moisture from chicken and marinate with ingredients under marination for atleast 1 hour.
2. On a medium-high flame, heat a non stick pan with 2 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter and shallow fry the chicken pieces. Don't over crowd them otherwise they start steaming instead of frying.
3. Fry them until it has golden color on both the sides. Remove them and in the same pan, add 1 tbsp of oil, fry the whole garam masala, add curry leaves, onions and little salt.
4. Once the onions turns translucent, add ginger garlic paste, saute until the raw smell is gone. Add tomato and the powders and salt, saute for few minutes and add 3/4 cup of water.
5. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, and add the chicken pieces, cover again and cook for 10 minutes. Check for salt.
6. Uncover and fry till all the water is evaporated. Garnish with lemon juice and coriander leaves.

Note :

• Add little salt at a time as the chicken has salt in marination.
• I grind curry leaves with ginger and garlic so your family eats the good stuff.

Chicken Kofta Curry

My family is in love with this version of chicken curry. I wanted to try this recipe for a long time now, finally i did and it turned out awesome and gonna find its place anytime we have a get together. I used boneless breast meat which i chopped and pulsed it in food processor until minced.

Preparation time - 40 minutes and 30 minutes for marination

Serves - 4 to 5


Ingredients : 
Minced Chicken - 1 pound or 1/2 kg
Roasted Peanut Powder : 1/4 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Green Chillies - 2
Red Chilliy Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cilantro - finely chopped
Curry leaves - finely chopped
Salt - 1/2 tsp

Half an hour before shallow frying add these to marinated mixture
Onions - 1 medium (finely chopped)
Egg - 1

For Curry : 
Onions - 2 medium (chopped in food processor)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Tomatoes - 1 can or 2 medium crushed in food processor
Green Chillies : 2
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Coriander Powder : 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Curd - 1 cup ( well beaten)
Cinnamon - 1
Bay Leaf - 1
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cloves: 3
Salt - to taste

Method :

1. Instead of using store bought minced meat that has lots of fat in them, use white meat. I chopped breast meat into small pieces and pulsed it in the food processor until minced.
2. Mix all the ingredients under marination and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes. Then add chopped onions and a egg.
3. Shallow fry the koftas adding a tbsp of oil. (This step is not necessary if u want to steam the koftas).
4. Heat oil in a medium size heated pan, add cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, pepper, onions.
5. Once onions turns translucent add ginger garlic paste, saute for few miuntes until the raw smell is gone and add a can of tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
6. Add all the powders, salt and cook until the raw smell goes and all the water from tomato is evaporated. Reduce the flame and add curd, whisk continuously while adding curd so it doesn't curdle.
7. Add 2 cups of water. Increase the flame and cook till the mixture comes to a boil about 10 minutes and add the koftas.
8. Cook for another 15 minutes covered and 5 minutes uncovered so the sauce thickens up. Squeeze half a lemon and garnish with cilantro.

Note : 

• Shallow fry the chicken just to get the color on the outside. Koftas will cook in the curry.
• Crush pepper and cloves before adding so you dont bite into them.

Tandoori Chicken

This is a great appetizer for a party or just on a lazy weekend. What can make a perfect lunch with just baked chicken served with rice and rasam. This is our family favorite.

Marination time : overnite or atleast 2-3 hours
Preparation Time : 45 minutes
Serves : 3- 4 people


Ingredients : 
Chicken drumsticks : 10 pieces
Ginger Garlic Paste : 1 tbsp
Kashmiri red chili powder : 1tbsp
Coriander powder : 1tsp
Cumin powder : 1tsp
Pepper powder : 1/2 tsp
Garam masala : 1tsp
Kasuri methi (Fenugeek leaves) : 1 tbsp
Curd : 4 tbsp (strained for 15 minutes to remove all water)
Coriander Leaves : hand full (crushed to paste)
Green Chillies : 2 (crushed to paste)
Lemon : 1
Salt : to taste
Oil : for greasing


Method : 

1. Wash the chicken pieces and make 2-3 cuts where u find the flesh.
2. Mix red chili powder, salt and half a lemon and apply it on the cut area of the chicken. (This helps marination enter the meat part)
3. To any left over marination add rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken pieces to this marination and mix.
4. Allow this it sit for 2-3 hours. Overnight marination is highly preferred.
5. Preheat the oven to 375deg, In a oven safe flat dish covered with foil (eases the cleaning part) apply oil over the foil so the chicken wont stick and place the chicken pieces.
6. Drizzle oil on top of each chicken piece and bake it for 25 minutes.
7. There willl be gravy oozing out of the chicken. Scoop it out and use it to serve the chicken later. This step will happen if you fail to strain the curd.
8. Increase the heat to 400-450deg and turn the chicken pieces every 5-8 minutes just to fry it evenly for another 20 minutes.
9. Last 20 minutes can be varied depending on the oven. Serve it with gravy from baking or raita.