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    Whisk Affair » Recipes » Dal & Curries » Chicken Curries » Kerala Style Chicken Stew

    Published: Dec 11, 2018 | Last Updated On: Jan 14, 2022 by Neha Mathur

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew

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    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices. Here is a traditional recipe to make it. #Indian #Chicken #Curry #Kerala #Recipe

    Try 30 minutes Kerala Style Chicken Stew, a traditional curry from Kerala prepared with chicken, veggies, spices and coconut milk. It is best served with rice, hoppers or appam. Here is how to make it.

    Here are a few more recipes from Kerala that you will absolutely love – Kerala Prawn Curry, Kerala Style Mango Pickle, Kerala Parotta, Kerala Egg Curry, Moru Curry, Kerala Fish Curry, Ulli Theeyal and Kerala Style Fish Moilee.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    About This Recipe

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew, traditionally known as Nadan Kozhi Ishtu is a popular chicken curry from the southern part of India. It is unique, mildly spiced and can be prepared in just 30 minutes.

    Chicken pieces are cooked in a mild coconut milk curry along with veggies and a few spices. It is best served for weekday meals with steamed rice, puttu, hopper or appam.

    This recipe shows the pan method, but you can even pressure cook this curry to fasten up the process.

    Ingredients

    Chicken – Use bone in chicken pieces, as it soaks up the flavours nicely. You can even go for boneless chicken pieces for this curry.

    Chicken can be substituted with mutton, fish or prawns.

    Vegetables – I have added veggies such as potato and carrot, but you can add in more such as beans, green peas, cauliflower etc.

    Coconut milk – Coconut milk is the ingredient that forms the base of this curry. Thick and thin coconut milk, both are used.

    You can either prepare coconut milk at home or use a sore bought one.

    Cashew nut paste – Adds more creaminess and richness in the curry.

    Whole spices – As this curry has no spice powders, it is mildly spiced with whole spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and bay leaf.

    Oil – Use only coconut oil for the traditional authentic taste.

    Others – Onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and salt are few other ingredients for this curry.

    Tempering – Tempering is optional, but adds so much taste so its highly recommended. For tempering, you will need coconut oil, pearl onions and curry leaves.

    Serving Suggestions

    This Ishtu is traditionally served with steamed rice, appam or hoppers. You can also serve it with Kerala parotta, tawa paratha or lachha paratha.

    Storing Suggestions

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew will last for a day or two, as it has coconut milk as one of its main ingredients. It is also not freezer friendly, as the coconut milk will split while thawing.

    Step by Step Recipe

    Heat coconut oil in a pan.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorn and bay leaf. Fry for a few seconds.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Add onion, ginger, and garlic and fry until they turn translucent.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Add green chilli and curry leaves and fry for a minute.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Now add chicken, thin coconut milk and salt.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Add potato and carrot and cook until chicken and vegetables are done.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Add cashew nut paste and thick coconut milk and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    For tempering, heat coconut oil in a pan.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Once the oil is hot, add onion and curry leaves and fry until golden brown.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Pour the tempering over the chicken.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Loved this recipe?Click here to leave a review and give us a five star rating ★★★★★
    Kerala Style Chicken Stew is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.

    Kerala Style Chicken Stew Recipe

    It is a very mild yet full of flavours Chicken curry which is cooked in coconut milk and with minimum spices.
    4.48 from 23 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 366kcal
    Author: Neha Mathur

    Ingredients 

    • 3 tablespoon Coconut oil
    • 2 Green cardamom
    • 2-3 Clove
    • 1 inch Cinnamon
    • 3-4 Black peppercorn
    • 1 Bay leaf
    • 2 cups Onion (Thinly sliced)
    • 1 teaspoon Ginger (Finely chopped)
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic (Finely chopped)
    • 2 Green chilli (Slit into half)
    • 10-12 Curry leaves
    • 750 g Chicken
    • 1 cup Thin coconut milk
    • Salt to taste
    • ¼ cup Potato (Peeled and cubed)
    • ¼ cup Carrot (Peeled and cubed)
    • 2 tablespoon Cashew nut paste – 2 tbsp
    • 1 cup Thick Coconut milk – 1 cup

    For tempering

    • 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
    • 4-5 Small pearl onions (Sliced)
    • 10-12 Curry leaves
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    Instructions

    • Heat coconut oil in a pan.
    • Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorn and bay leaf.
    • Fry for a few seconds.
    • Add onion, ginger and garlic and fry until they turn translucent.
    • Add green chilli and curry leaves and fry for a minute.
    • Now add chicken, thin coconut milk and salt.
    • Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
    • Add potato and carrot and cook until chicken and vegetables are done.
    • Add cashew nut paste and thick coconut milk and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
    • For tempering, heat coconut oil in a pan.
    • Once the oil is hot, add onion and curry leaves and fry until golden brown.
    • Pour the tempering over the chicken.
    • Serve hot with Appam.

    Notes

    Make this curry in coconut oil for authentic taste.
    Making coconut milk fresh at home gives the best taste. But if not possible, you can use canned coconut milk well.
    Thin it down with water to make thin coconut milk.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 366mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1650IU | Vitamin C: 112.3mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1.5mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Thalia @ butter and brioche

      July 12, 2016 at 12:58 am

      5 stars
      wow this chicken stew looks amazing!! totally bet it was so aromatic too and your kitchen smelt amazing. perfect winter fare for the cold weather in australia right now!

      Reply
    2. msnehamathur

      July 12, 2016 at 1:28 am

      Thnx a lot Thlia. It was indeed very good 🙂

      Reply
    3. Shivani

      July 13, 2016 at 3:18 pm

      This recipe looks very yummy. Just want to know one thing here. You mentioned adding thin coconut milk. Where can I get that? Can we just add water to make it thin?

      Reply
      • msnehamathur

        July 15, 2016 at 2:50 am

        Hi Shivani. When you make coconut milk at home fresh coconut, the first milk that you get is thick milk and the second one is the thin milk. But if you are using store bought one, please add water and use. Thnx

        Reply
        • Shivani

          July 23, 2016 at 7:32 am

          Thanks so much Neha…Trying it today 😀 Lets see how it comes out

          Reply
          • msnehamathur

            July 25, 2016 at 2:36 am

            I hope it came out good 🙂

            Reply
    4. Aditi Shukla

      July 18, 2016 at 4:23 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for the run thru. The finished product looks yummilicious! 🙂

      Reply
      • msnehamathur

        July 19, 2016 at 11:49 am

        Thnx Aditi

        Reply
    5. Carley

      September 21, 2016 at 11:49 am

      5 stars
      Hi,
      I am curious if this recipe could be converted to a crock pot version? I would really like to make this but unfortunately do not own a pressure cooker. Thank you for your time and recipe!

      Reply
      • msnehamathur

        September 23, 2016 at 3:28 am

        Hi Carley, You can definitely make it in a crock pot 🙂

        Reply
      • Hannah

        January 11, 2022 at 7:36 am

        5 stars
        This is my go to recipe for stew! The family loves it!!!

        Reply
    6. Robin

      September 15, 2017 at 8:51 pm

      Hi Neha, How much is one cup?

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        September 16, 2017 at 1:05 am

        I use standard cup measures for all my recipes.

        Reply
        • Emile Woodford

          March 05, 2018 at 9:24 am

          4 stars
          Good to know

          Reply
          • Neha Mathur

            March 05, 2018 at 11:37 am

            Thnx

            Reply
    7. Sonia

      September 17, 2017 at 9:45 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this for Dinner today!! It’s exactly how my grandma would make it =) Totally delicious!! i had some Appam mix and made some quick appams as well .. My husband is American so this will be his first time eating this meal .. Im so excited because it truly is delicious!
      I just added a bit of sugar to the gravy right at the end … and it gave it that push over the edge into total blissful oblivion =)

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        September 18, 2017 at 2:06 am

        Thnx for trying the recipe Sonia 🙂

        Reply
    8. Indishre

      January 01, 2018 at 5:00 am

      Thank you Dr Neha for sharing this wonderful recipe. It’s amazing compliment to appams. Thank you so much

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        January 04, 2018 at 11:01 am

        Glad you liked it.

        Reply
    9. Emile Woodford

      March 05, 2018 at 9:19 am

      Thank you

      Reply
    10. Emile Woodford

      March 05, 2018 at 9:23 am

      4 stars
      Love cooking, what you post. Thank You

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        March 05, 2018 at 11:37 am

        Thnx

        Reply
    11. Brototi Das Gupta

      May 06, 2019 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      I tried this recipe today. It tasted so wonderful that it has gone into my recipe diary for repeat rounds. Thank you and regards!

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        May 06, 2019 at 10:48 am

        I am glad 🙂

        Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        May 06, 2019 at 10:52 am

        I am glad you liked the recipe.

        Reply
    12. Sarbani Bhattacharya Sander

      July 26, 2019 at 6:39 pm

      I can’t believe how delicious this stew was!! I used regular oil instead of coconut oil. For tempering, heated a tbsp of unsalted butter, roasted some cashews and curry leaves and added it to the stew. Fingerlicious good! Thanks Neha!

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        July 29, 2019 at 5:40 pm

        Thanks for trying 🙂

        Reply
    13. Ranjit Singh Kohli

      April 19, 2020 at 6:51 am

      Awesome…. very good change from regular recipes. Has become our favourite.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        April 19, 2020 at 12:22 pm

        Glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    14. Sheebz

      April 25, 2020 at 11:56 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this recipe… it was delicious ????

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        April 26, 2020 at 2:38 am

        Happy to hear.

        Reply
    15. Stuti

      April 26, 2020 at 6:39 am

      Delicious! Wanted to ask, is the coconut milk splitting normal? It still tastes amazing tho!

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        April 26, 2020 at 10:03 am

        Hi Stuti, yes it’s normal. Add only thin coconut milk for cooking. Once the chicken is cooked, then finally add the thick coconut milk.

        Reply
    16. Roopa

      July 03, 2020 at 5:05 am

      Wonderful taste

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        July 04, 2020 at 2:10 am

        Thanks

        Reply
      • Madhulika

        September 14, 2020 at 9:34 am

        5 stars
        Hi
        I have made this recipe often and it is always a hit! Great taste and simple to execute…so extra star for that.

        Reply
        • Neha Mathur

          September 19, 2020 at 3:24 pm

          Happy to hear!

          Reply
    17. Zareen Kotwal

      July 21, 2020 at 5:15 am

      Excellent! Made it for my daughters South Indian bday lunch.
      Didn’t have coconut oil so used sunflower oil in the chicken and ghee for the tempering. Used 750 gms boneless chicken breast and a 400 ml tin of coconut milk. Ground 1/4 cup cashew nuts in about 2 tablespoons of water. Cooked in less than 20 minutes in the pan. Full of flavour and wholesome. Thanks a million

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        July 24, 2020 at 2:31 am

        Happy to hear 🙂

        Reply
    18. Vaishakh

      September 19, 2020 at 2:27 am

      Amazing Receipe, was so easy to make and it was so aromatic and tasty just loved it, will start following you………Thank you awaiting more dishes……..

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        September 19, 2020 at 3:20 pm

        Happy to hear!

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Neha, Blogger & Recipe Expert behind Whisk Affair. I've nurtured Whisk Affair since 2012 by trying & testing every recipe published. Be sure that it will turn out good each time! Read More about me…

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