Spicy Chettinad Chicken curry

I have been trying various chettinad chicken , and finally I got the perfect recipe , courtesy :Kothiyavunnu.com . I tried only with a little variation and it came out reallly nice !!!

Ingredients:

Chicken : 1 kg 

Pearl onions : 1 cup (If using Onion finely chop it )
Kashmiri Chilli Powder : 1 tbs
Tomatoes : 2  (small, finely chopped)
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves : 1

Chicken masala : 1 tsp
Curry leaves : 2 sprig
Coconut milk : 1 cup 

Salt to taste
Oil : 1 tbsp

For Marination :

Ginger Garlic paste : 1 tsp 

Turmeric Powder :1 tsp 

Pepper Powder :1 tsp 

Lime juice - as reqd

For grinding :
Cumin seeds : 3/4 tsp
Fennel seeds : 3/4 tsp
Coriander seeds : 11/2 tbsps
Dried red chillies : 7-8 or to your spice level
Pepper corns : 1 tsp
Cardamoms : 3 pods
Cloves :  2 nos
Cinnamon : 1" stick
Curry leaves : 1 sprig
Oil : 1/2 tsp
Green chillis : 3-4
Garlic : 5-8 cloves
Ginger : 2" piece
Poppy seeds : 1 tsp

Method of Preparation :

1. Wash and cut chicken into medium sized pieces ,marinate with above ingredients and keep it aside 

2. Soak poppy seeds in warm water for 10 mts.(You can replace it with cashew , I used cashew around 2     tsp )
3. Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, green chillies and poppy seeds. Keep aside.
4. Heat a frying pan to medium-high, add 1 tsp oil. When hot, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves dried red chillis,curry leaves, stirring constantly until lightly roasted. Cool and grind to a powder.
5. Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the bay leave.shallots/small onions and curry leaves and saute till transparent.
6. Add the kashmiri chilli powder , turmeric powder , chicken masala, coriander powder  and just stir for few seconds.

7. Add the grounded ginger,garlic,green chilli and poppy paste. Continue to stir and fry for about 4 minutes, drizzling little water to prevent sticking.
8. Add chicken and cook on high heat,stir until they are well coated with the masala for about 4-5 minutes.
9. Reduce to medium heat, add salt,tomatoes and combine well.
Cook the chicken for 4-5 mts, uncovered, Now add the coconut milk and 1/2cup of water(if needed) allow to boil.
10. Turn the heat to medium low, cover and simmer until the chicken is almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes. Open lid and combine well.
11. Finally add the ground masala powder and cook for 3 mts. Turn off heat.
12. Garnish with curry leaves/coriander leaves .Yummy chettinad chicken curry is ready.

Note : This Chettinad chicken curry is spicy , you can reduce the no of red chillies used in the grinded masala if needed . 

Tandoori chicken (Conventional Oven method )

Ingredients:

Chicken – 5 pieces 

Potato  - 2

Carrot  - 1 

Onion - 1

For Marination :

Yogurt - 1 1/2 cups, well beaten

Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp

Paprika – 1/2 tsp (Red Food Color also can be used)  

Tandoori Masala - 1 tbsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp

Green Chili - to taste, ground

For Basting:

Lemon Juice – 1/2 cup

Tandoori Masala- 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste, optional

Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash the Chicken well and with a knife, make 1-inch slits in it.
2. Put the chicken in a gallon size zip lock bag and add in the Lemon Juice, half of the salt and chilly powder.
3. Give it a good mix and let it sit while getting the marinade ready.
4. Pour all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
5. Do a taste test for the marinade and adjust the salt and other spices as needed.
6. Add the marinade to the chicken (in the zip lock bag) and give another good mix. Make sure all the pieces get well coated with the yogurt mixture.
7. Store in the refrigerator to marinate overnight or minimum of 4 hours for best results.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400-450 deg F . Cut the potato , carrot , onion into big chunks .In a oven safe dish spread the cut vegetables , and make a bed for chicken . these veggies will absorb the juice which ooze out from chicken  .
2. Get the baste ready by mixing all the ingredients together.
3. With tongs, place the chicken on the bed of veggies .
4. After 10 mints Flip the chicken, coat it with the baste and allow it to cook for a few minutes.  Flip again.  Baste again. Repeat a couple of times until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. The Chicken needs to cook for approximately 30 minutes total.
6. Remove Chicken into a platter.  Always let it sit for a few minutes before serving to allow the juices to settle in..

Note : You can use drumsticks also for the recipe . Drumsticks need lesser time for cooking as compared to thighs . Also you can use a wire rack used for grilling instead of veggies .