Kerala Chicken Curryനാടൻ കോഴി കറി
Video: HomeCookingShow (YouTube)
Nadan kozhi curry is Kerala's everyday chicken curry — fiery with Malabar black pepper and dried red chillies, perfumed with fresh curry leaves, and finished with a drizzle of raw coconut oil that sets it apart from every other regional curry in India. Unlike North Indian gravies enriched with dairy or ground nuts, this is a thinner, rust-red gravy that clings to matta rice and soaks into Kerala parotta. The technique is patient — slow-caramelised onions, a long masala cook, and time for the chicken to draw flavour into the bone — and the result is deeply satisfying and unmistakably Keralite.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- ▪Chicken — bone-in curry pieces1 kg
- ▪Velichenna (coconut oil)3 tbsp
- ▪Onion3 large, thinly sliced
- ▪Ginger1.5-inch piece, grated
- ▪Garlic6 cloves, minced
- ▪Tomatoes2 medium, roughly chopped
- ▪Kashmiri red chilli powder2 tsp (split: 1/2 for marinade, 1.5 for masala)
- ▪Malli podi (coriander powder)2 tsp
- ▪Kurumulaku (black pepper powder)1.5 tsp (split: 1/2 for marinade, 1 for masala)
- ▪Turmeric powder1/2 tsp
- ▪Garam masala1/2 tsp
- ▪Karivepaku (curry leaves)2 sprigs
- ▪Saltto taste
- For the whole spice tempering
- ▪Karuvapatta (cinnamon)2 cm stick
- ▪Grambu (cloves)4 whole
- ▪Elakka (green cardamom)3 pods, lightly crushed
- Coconut oil is difficult to replace for authentic flavour — look for a small tin of refined or virgin coconut oil at any Indian or Asian grocery; it keeps for months. Vegetable oil works structurally but removes the characteristic Keralite quality from the finished dish.
- Fresh curry leaves are stocked at most Indian grocery stores and some Asian supermarkets in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia — buy extra and freeze on the sprig; they thaw well. Dried curry leaves are a pale substitute (use 1 tbsp); skipping them entirely leaves a noticeable gap in the aroma.
- Matta rice (Kerala rose matta / Kerala red rice) is available at Indian groceries labelled 'Kerala matta rice' or 'red rice parboiled.' For a weeknight substitute, jasmine rice absorbs the curry similarly; basmati is too dry and elongated for this dish.
Method
- 1Marinate the chicken: toss the pieces with 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 2Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a wide kadai or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom; fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 3Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 18–20 minutes until deeply golden and beginning to caramelise — this step builds the foundation of the curry's sweetness.
- 4Add the ginger and garlic; stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook over medium heat, mashing them occasionally, until the oil separates from the masala (about 8–10 minutes).
- 5Add the remaining Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, and garam masala. Cook the masala over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the spices don't burn.
- 6Add the marinated chicken and stir well to coat every piece in the masala. Pour in 3/4 cup water, mix, and bring to a boil.
- 7Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 30–35 minutes until the chicken is tender and the gravy has thickened to a pouring consistency. Check and add a splash of water if it looks too dry.
- 8Tear in the curry leaves, drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp of raw coconut oil over the top, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
- 9Serve hot with Kerala matta (red) rice, appam, or parotta.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.