Origin of Chicken Chettinad
There is hardly anyone who doesn’t love the spicy, coconutty, and hearty flavours of the famous Chicken Chettinad. But not many of us know that Chicken Chettinad, the most famous dish of the Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu, was created during the late 18th-century by the nomadic Nattukottai Chettinad trader tribes. All their dishes, including this classic South Indian Chicken Chettinad curry, have heavy influences from the culinary styles of countries like Sri Lanka, Laos, and Laos.
There is hardly any other dish that has such an amazing amalgamation of flavours of spices like tamarind, cumin, bay leaf, fennel, clove, etc. The secret ingredient in this dish is the kalpasi (black stone flower), not to mention rich gravy made with tomatoes, yoghurt, coconut, ginger, garlic, etc.
Benefits of Chicken Chettinad?
The dish is not only delicious but has numerous health benefits too. Some of them include:
Chicken Chettinad main ingredient being chicken is a great source of proteins. This helps in keeping your muscles strong and helps in repairing them. This is very beneficial for people who do high-endurance workouts.
The proteins in chicken keep you feeling full. This helps in reducing binge eating and leads to weight loss.
Chicken and its protein content help keep your hair and skin healthy and prevent premature ageing.
Chicken is rich in calcium and phosphorus. This helps in keeping your bones healthy and prevents osteoporosis and arthritis.
The vitamin B in chicken helps in reducing stress and treating disturbed sleep patterns.
The high levels of magnesium in chicken help in reducing PMS, joint pains, and inflammation.
The nutrients in chicken help in boosting your cardiovascular health keeping your heart healthy.
The spices and herbs in chicken Chettinad curry help in reducing inflammation, promoting your immunity, and enhancing your cognitive functioning.
Since chicken is a great source of lean fat, it helps in lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol.
The coconut in chicken Chettinad helps in keeping your digestive system healthy and prevents constipation, gas, etc. It also helps in boosting your immunity and fighting infections.
What are some tips for making the best Chicken Chettinad every time?
Before you learn some of the best chicken Chettinad recipes, here are some tips that will help you in making the best-tasting dish each time you try it at home:
Be it the chicken or the condiments and spices, always use the freshest ingredients in your chicken Chettinad recipe. This will let you have a delicious dish each time to make it.
To balance the heat of the dish, you can add or reduce Kashmiri chillies and red chillies.
One of the best ingredients to use in your chicken Chettinad recipe is the kalpasi (black stone flower). Also known as Dagad phool, this is the spice that adds that earthy and rich flavour to your chicken Chettinad gravy.
Which are some of the best chicken Chettinad recipes that you can try at home?
Here are some of the easiest chicken Chettinad recipes for you to try:
Traditional chicken Chettinad: This traditional chicken Chettinad recipe is quite easy even for beginners to try.
Grind fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, gundu chillies, and garlic with a little water to make a smooth paste.
In a pan, heat a little oil and add cinnamon, curry leaves, onions, and kalpasi. Sauté for around 5-6 minutes.
Add the ground masala and saute for another 5 minutes.
Mix in salt and turmeric powder.
Add chicken and a cup of water.
Cover the pan and let it simmer for around 25-30 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked well, remove the pieces.
Let the gravy cook and thicken.
Add the chicken back and let the whole thing cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve chicken Chettinad with steamed rice.
Chicken Chettinad with coconut: This chicken Chettinad gravy recipe contains coconut that lends it an amazingly nutty and sweet flavour.
In a bowl, add chicken pieces, chilli powder, turmeric, curd, salt, and ginger-garlic paste. marinate the chicken and set aside for at least 40 minutes.
Add a little oil in a pan and dry roast red chillies and coriander seeds. When the coriander seeds start to emanate fragrance, add cardamom, cumin, saunf, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Roast for 5-6 minutes.
Add coconut, cashews, and poppy seeds and fry until you get its fragrance.
Once all these ingredients cool, add the chicken Chettinad masala to a blender with a little water and make a smooth paste.
Heat oil in another pan and add onions and bay leaf. Fry until the onions turn translucent.
Add the marinated chicken and cook the chicken Chettinad gravy for 5-6 minutes.
Add tomato puree, turmeric, salt, and chilli powder. Fry well till the oil begins to separate.
Add the ground paste and curry leaves. Fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add a little hot water and cook the chicken Chettinad curry for 7-8 minutes till the gravy thickens.
Garnish the chicken Chettinad with fried curry leaves and serve with hot rotis.
Chicken Chettinad biryani: This amazing chicken Chettinad recipe lets you make a super delicious one-pot meal.
Whisk together thick yoghurt, salt, and chicken Chettinad masala.
Coat the chicken cubes with thus and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Saute cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, cloves, star anise, black cardamom, and dried plums. When they start to sizzle, add onions and cook for 10-12 minutes.
In the same pan, add the ginger-garlic paste with tomatoes, salt, and chilli powder and cook for 10-12 minutes.
Add chilli powder, coconut milk, garam masala, and marinated chicken cubes.
Add soaked rice to this.
Pressure cook for 8-10 minutes.
Add a little ghee and fluff the rice.
Garnished with fried cashews, coriander leaves, and baked onions.
Serve hot with yoghurt.