Chettinad Chicken (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Chicken Chettinad in a white bowl garnished with cilantro

4.91 from 50 votes

Chettinad Chicken (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Chicken Chettinad is a fiery and flavorful South Indian curry known for its bold spices and aromatic roasted masala. This easy recipe shows you how to make it in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop for a quicker take on the traditional dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South Indian

Keyword: chettinad curry, chicken chettinad

Diet: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Low Carb, Paleo

Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Stovetop

Servings:

Author: Meeta Arora

Equipment

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken thighs boneless, cut into pieces
2 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
10 Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta)
1" inch Ginger grated
5 cloves Garlic minced
1/4 cup Grated Coconut fresh or dry
1 cup Onion or shallots, thinly sliced or diced
2 Tomato small, diced
1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
1 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder) adjust to taste, I used Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 cup Water for cooking
2 teaspoon Tamarind paste
Cilantro leaves chopped, to garnish

Whole Spices

3 Dried Red Chili I used Guntur chili
3 Dried Kashmiri Red Chili
1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
5 Green Cardamom (Elaichi)
1 stick Cinnamon (Dalchini) about 1 inch
4 Cloves (Laung)
1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds (Khus khus)
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
1 Star anaise
1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing Chettinad Masala Paste

Heat a pan on medium heat. Add all the whole spices for the Chettinad masala and dry roast them for about 30 seconds until they impart their aroma. Transfer to a grinder and grind into a powder. (Note: If you want a less spicy curry, you can remove half of the ground spice mix and store it for later use)
Add grated coconut to the same pan and toast till lightly golden.
Transfer the toasted coconut to the grinder. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and grind well to make a smooth paste.

Instant Pot Chettinad Chicken

Start the Instant Pot in SAUTE mode and heat ghee/oil in it. Add the curry leaves and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the onions and saute for about 5-6 minutes until they are golden. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute.
Then add the diced tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the salt, turmeric, and red chili powder. Mix it all well.
Add chicken pieces and the ground paste. Saute for 4 minutes until the outside of the chicken turns white. This is an important step that infuses the spices into the chicken.
Add water for cooking. Press CANCEL and close the pressure cooker lid with the vent in the sealing position.
Change the setting to pressure cook mode on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the pressure cooker beeps, do a quick pressure release and open the lid.
Add the tamarind paste and stir it into the curry. Garnish with chopped cilantro, and Chicken Chettinad is ready to be served.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker

You can follow the same steps as the Instant Pot method to make this curry in a stovetop pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles, and let the pressure release naturally.

Stovetop Pan Method

Heat a heavy-bottom pan on medium-high heat. Add ghee or oil to it, and let it heat. Add the curry leaves and sauté for about 30 seconds so they release thier aroma.
Add chopped onions and sauté for about 6-8 minutes until the onions are golden. Add ginger and garlic, and sauté for another minute..
Then add the diced tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, and red chili powder. Mix it all well.
Add chicken pieces and the ground paste. Saute for 4 minutes until the outside of the chicken turns white. This is an important step that infuses the spices into the chicken.
Add water for cooking. Cover and cook the chicken on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Stir a few times in between. Then, remove the lid and check that the chicken is cooked through.
Add the tamarind paste and stir it into the curry. Garnish with chopped cilantro, and Chicken Chettinad is ready to be served.

Notes

Don't skip: Curry leaves, coconut, freshly ground chettinad masala, and tamarind, all add lots of flavor complexity to this dish. Hence, I suggest taking the time to build that flavor for this curry.

Saute the onions: Take the time to saute them and let them turn golden brown. That is what adds the real flavor to this curry.

Smooth paste: When grinding the coconut and Chettinad masala together, make sure that you get a smooth paste. Otherwise, the curry can be lumpy, which is less enjoyable.

Adjust the spice level: You can increase or reduce the amount of red chili used in the recipe. You can also add some coconut milk or cream at the end to make the curry milder.

Chicken: I made this curry using boneless chicken thighs, but you can also use bone-in chicken. For the Instant Pot method, increase the cooking time by 3 minutes.

Nutrition