South Indian Curry Leaf Chicken Recipe
This South Indian Curry Leaf Chicken is a quick, healthy Indian dry chicken recipe made with fresh curry leaves, spices, and no ultra-processed ingredients. Low in calories, full of flavor. Perfect for busy weeknights.
Author: Sheeba
Ingredients
To marinate
- 500 grams boneless chicken breasts or thighs (1.1 pounds)
- ¾ teaspoon chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For curry leaves powder
- ½ cup curry leaves
- 10 cashews
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Others
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 green chili
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
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Instructions
Tenderize the chicken (optional, if using chicken breasts)
- If you’re using chicken thighs, skip this step.
- Clean and chop 500 grams boneless chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Mix chicken with 1 teaspoon baking soda and let it soak. Rinse after 15 minutes.
Marinate the chicken
- Blot the chicken dry with kitchen towels. Add ¾ teaspoon chilli powder, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and toss until combined.
- Pierce the chunks of chicken with a fork for better absorption of the marinade.
- Cover and let the chicken marinate for about 10 minutes.
Make curry leaves powder
- While the chicken marinates, make the curry leaf powder.
- Heat a kadai or pan. Dry-roast ½ cup curry leaves for a couple of minutes.
- Add 10 roughly chopped cashews and roast.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Roast on low flame for 5 to 10 minutes until the curry leaves turn crisp and you get a nice aroma of the spices.
- Let the mixture cool down. Grind it into an almost-smooth powder.
Cook chicken with curry leaves
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wok or deep pan. Add 2 finely chopped onions and sauté on medium heat until the onions start to brown.
- Stir in 1 chopped green chili and 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until the raw pungency of the ginger and garlic mellows.
- Add the marinated chicken and stir for a few minutes until they turn opaque.
- Cover the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground curry leaf powder.
- Stir on medium-high heat until well combined and the chicken is browned. Enjoy your delicious curry leaf chicken with rice/paratha or on its own with a side salad to complete the meal.
Video
Notes
- Marinating the chicken: You can marinate longer if time permits, even overnight for the best results. (In that case, refrigerate the chicken and take it out 20 minutes before cooking.)
- Curry leaves: Clean and dry the curry leaves before roasting. If there is moisture, the curry leaves will not crisp up well and the powder might turn out clumpy.
- Curry leaves powder: You can make it smooth or slightly coarse depending on your preference.
- Sauté the onions well until soft. This step is important, since it brings all the flavors together when you add chicken and spices and makes it very aromatic.
- Before you add curry leaves powder, check if most of the water has evaporated. If not, crank up the flame and stir on high heat for a couple of minutes.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. It tastes better if reheated in a pan or wok (rather than microwave).
- Meal planning: Curry leaf chicken can be frozen for a month. Store it in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat in a pan.