South Indian Style Pepper Chicken Curry Gravy

I have made this exact curry about a zillion times at home..Fine..I exaggerate…But I have made it at least 200 times in the last 10 years. It’s so delicious that I keep coming back to it! The chicken is simmered in a curry base made of onions, tomatoes and spices. You don’t need any special equipment or skill of this. Yes you could potentially not have all the spices with you but that’s okay. Start with what you have. If you have powdered versions of the spices like cinnamon, then use that. Though I have to say that if you follow this recipe exactly as it is, then you will be rewarded with a rich, comforting chicken curry that you will be making for the years to come. It’s typically dark brown in color with thick gravy which comes from roasting the spices along with the onions till they release their delicious magic!

Why we love this Pepper Chicken Curry

Ah so many reasons

It goes with Rice, Dosas, Khichdi and parathas. It’s so easy to serve this with ready made parathas that you just have to heat and serve. It’s rich and the gravy is thick. It keep well in the refrigerator and the freezer I can make the spice mix in bulk and make this exact curry again and again.

Yes. I usually make the spice blend in bulk.And i won’t lie..Some times I don’t measure the spices and go with what I have. At times when I was in a hurry, I used already ground spices - pepper, red chili powder, cinnamon, coriander and honest to god, skipped the rest. Though full disclosure, nothing can come close to the curry when cooked as per the recipe. If you love south indian curries, do give a try to Egg Roast Masala & Nadan Kozhi Curry- Kerala Chicken Curry and Gongura Chicken curry too!

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this chicken curry.

Chicken Onions Tomatoes Ginger & Garlic Curry Leaves Oil Spices

Chicken

You can use chicken that’s been cut into small pieces along with the skin and bones. In India, it’s called “curry cut” chicken with skin. If you don’t like the extra fat from the chicken skin, you can use boneless chicken too. Outside India, you can use chicken drumsticks. Bone in thighs will work too.

Onions & Tomatoes

In india , regular red colored onions will work well. Outside India, you can use White or yellow onions. I have used fresh tomatoes here but if you can’t get fresh ripe tomatoes, you can use canned versions in the same quantity.

Curry Leaves

This herb is quintessential south indian herb. You can use fresh or dried with almost not a big change in flavor. In a lot of dishes, the presence of curry leaves distinguishes the food from north and south india. You get it easily in indian groceries. Keep it in an airy bag or a vegetable bag in the refrigerator. It dries up in the refrigerator very easily. You can keep it in that form for months. You also get dried packaged form of curry leaves which have a long shelf life. If you can’t get it, you can easily omit it. It’s more a cherry on the top than the main part of the dish.

Whole Spices

These are the whole spices you need to make the pepper Chicken spice mix.

Coriander Seeds Peppercorns Cumin Seeds Red Chilies Cinnamon Fennel seeds 3 Cloves 1 tsp white poppy seeds; Khas Khas

Except for White poppy seeds & fennel seeds, most indian pantries have the rest of the spices. The coriander and poppy seeds will give the gravy thickness and heft.Make sure you do not skip on it. Fennel seeds are spice used in a lot of tamil preparations. It is the secret spice that makes this dish just irresistible!

Spices used in making Pepper Chicken Curry

There are a lot of ready made spice mixes available in the market and I have tried my share of it but I have realized , I prefer keeping the basic whole spices in my pantry and playing around with them instead of using readymade mixes for two reasons

You can’t replicate it For the life of me I cant keep track of them in my kitchen!

How to make Pepper Chicken Gravy

Step 1: Making the Spice Blend

Add everything listed under the spice section. Blend it into a coarse powder.You can use your coffee beans grinder for this too. You could dry roast the spices for 5-10 minutes on very low flame. This will make the spices sing more. But it’s completely optional .I only do this when I am serving guests.

Step 2: Marinade the Chicken

Mix the chicken with salt, turmeric and ginger Garlic paste while you prep rest of the ingredients and make the curry base. You could also do this in advance and marinate the chicken for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Making the Curry Base

This is the most essential part of making the curry- Making the base sauce. Start with some oil in the pan. Add curry leaves, onions, green chili(if using). Sauté it till the edges of onions are brown. To this add the spice blend and saute the mixture for about 30 seconds. This will not only give a better color to the curry but also give it a great aroma. Now add the tomatoes with the juice and all. If the pot is getting too dry and starting to burn, add a splash of water. Let this cook for 10-15 minutes till its all mushy and bubbly. HOT TIP- Pierce the chili instead of cutting it so that you get all the flavor and none of the heat from it!

Step 3: Simmering with Chicken

Now add the chicken and give it a mix. Add about ¼ cup water and cover the pot. Let this simmer for about 30 minutes so that the spices can do their magic. The chicken is cooked if the meat near the leg starts to tear up.

Step 4: Garnish

Garnish the curry with chopped coriander leaves and serve. HOT Tip- For extra special occasions, I fry up a few curry leaves, thinly sliced shallots, green chili and some cashews to add over the curry.

Serving

Usually South Indian Chicken curries work best with dosas or the white lachhe parathas also called parotta in South india. We are obsessed with this chicken curry.I always make a giant batch of this and eat it over 2-3 days with all sorts of things. First day I usually serve this over steaming hot rice with some vegetable side like ladies finger fry. The second day, I serve it with dosas. And the last day, if I have any left, i serve it as a side along with rice and dal.

Chicken Curry in Pressure Cooker

The Pepper Chicken can be cooked in pressure cooker too though the gravy tends to be thinner and less intense. Follow the same steps till the step number 10 in the cooking method and pressure cook on high for 3 whistles. If the gravy is thin-Let the chicken cook without the lid on high.

Storing & Freezing

During the pandemic when I was cooking all the time, I used to make this in bulk and freeze it. All you have to do is freeze it in an air tight freezer friendly container or in a zip lock bag. The curry should be good for 2-3 months easily! To heat it, microwave it with a little water till it’s hot. The curry can also stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.

Tips & Tricks

I make curries all the time. Some weeks, I make it twice a day.Being Indian and all… So I have gathered some tips and tricks along the way to make my curries flavorsome and almost better than what you get in resturants.

Favorite chicken curries

We make Indian chicken curries all the time.Here are our top favourites! Nadan Kozhi Curry- Kerala Chicken Curry - with coconut milk and shallotsIndian Chicken Keema Curry - Minced Chicken curryMughlai Chicken Korma Recipe - Rich Curry with cashewsMangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast - Famous spicy chicken roast from Mangalore.Butter Chicken - Stove Top & Instant Pot - Super Easy & better than ANY resturant! If you make this delicious chicken curry, do leave me a comment and a rating.I would love to hear from you!