Kerala Chicken Stew Recipe
Kerala chicken stew, locally known as nadan kozhi ishtu, is a traditional dish from Kerala (India). It is a mild chicken curry made with bone-in chicken, vegetables, spices, and coconut milk. Make it using my easy recipe and serve it with steamed rice, appam, or string hoppers (idiyappam).
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 whole green cardamoms (hari elaichi)
- 2-3 whole clove (laung)
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 3-4 whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 2 bay leaves (tejpatta)
- 2 cups thinly sliced onions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 3-4 green chilies slit into half
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 pounds skinless bone-in chicken 1 kg, cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces, rinsed
- 2 and ½ cups thin coconut milk To make thin coconut milk, mix together ¼ cup thick coconut milk with 2 and ¼ cups of water.
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- ½ cup peeled and cubed potatoes ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup peeled and cubed carrots ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup cashew nut paste
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
For Tempering
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4-5 pearl onions sliced
- 10-12 curry leaves
Instructions
Make The Stew
- Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and bay leaves and saute for 5-6 seconds.
- Add onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook until the onions are light brown in color. Stir frequently.
- Add green chilies and curry leaves and cook until the onions turn golden brown in color, stirring frequently.
- Now add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add thin coconut milk and salt and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Stir a few times in between.
- Add potatoes and carrots and mix well. Cover and cook until chicken and vegetables are cooked well (20-25 minutes). Stir a few times in between.
- Now add cashew nut paste and thick coconut milk and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
For a lighter-colored stew, cook the onions until they are just translucent.
To make this curry using boneless chicken, use 700 grams of skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces. Keep the rest of the recipe the same.
The coconut milk might curdle while cooking. But don’t worry; the curry will be fine once you add thick coconut milk at the end of cooking. But if you don’t want the milk to curdle at all, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. It will also make the curry creamier.
Temper The Stew
- For tempering, heat coconut oil in a small pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add shallots and curry leaves and fry until shallots turn golden brown in color.
- Pour the tempering over the chicken stew and mix well.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Use skinless, bone-in chicken pieces, as they soak up flavors well. Having said that, if you are not a bone-in chicken person, you can use boneless chicken cut into small pieces.
I have added veggies such as potatoes and carrots, but you can also add green beans, green peas, cauliflower, etc.
To make cashew nut paste, soak 20-25 cashews in ½ cup of hot water for 30 minutes. Then blend in a blender until smooth.
Nutrition
Calories: 830kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 54g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 1440mg | Potassium: 1159mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2898IU | Vitamin C: 121mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 9mg
