Madurai-Style Chicken Sukka

Ingredients

• 500 g Chicken, curry cut
• 15 ml Gingelly oil (Sesame oil)
• 4.5 cloves Garlic (Chopped)
• Ginger (One small piece, chopped)
• Small onions (shallots) (10–12, sliced)
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• Salt (To taste; used for marinating and seasoning)
• 0.5 tsp Turmeric powder (Used for marinating and seasoning)
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 4 pods Cardamom (For the roasted sukka powder)
• 4 cloves Cloves (For the roasted sukka powder)
• Cinnamon stick (2–3 small pieces; for the roasted sukka powder)
• 1 tbsp Black peppercorns (For the roasted sukka powder)
• 1 tbsp Fennel seeds (For the roasted sukka powder)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds (For the roasted sukka powder)
• 1 piece Kalpasi (stone flower) (One small piece; for the roasted sukka powder)

Steps

1. 1

   Marinate the curry-cut chicken with salt and turmeric powder. Set it aside while preparing the spice powder.

2. 2

   Place the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and kalpasi in a dry pan. Dry-roast them over slow to medium heat until roasted and aromatic, taking care not to burn them.

3. 3

   Allow the roasted spices to cool completely, then grind them in a blender to make a fine sukka powder.

4. 4

   Heat the gingelly oil in a kadai over medium-high heat.

5. 5

   Add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, and curry leaves to the hot oil. Sauté them briefly.

6. 6

   Add the sliced shallots and sauté until they turn nicely brown or golden brown.

7. 7

   Add the remaining salt, turmeric powder, and chilli powder. Sauté until the raw smell of the powders disappears.

8. 8

   Add the marinated chicken to the kadai. Increase the heat and sauté the chicken for 1 minute.

9. 9

   Cover the kadai and cook until the chicken is about 50% done, approximately 7–8 minutes.

10. 10

    Add the ground sukka spice powder and mix thoroughly so the masala coats the chicken.

11. 11

    Reduce the heat, cover the kadai, and cook until the chicken is completely well-done.

12. 12

    Uncover and continue cooking over medium heat to dry the masala, stirring as needed, until the masala is dry and well coated over the chicken. Check the seasoning and add salt if required.

13. 13

    Serve the chicken sukka with hot steamed rice and rasam.

Notes

The source does not specify an exact total cooking time beyond approximately 7–8 minutes for the first covered cooking stage; continue the final covered cooking until the chicken is well-done. Serve with steamed rice and hot rasam.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• South Indian
• chicken
• dry curry
• stovetop
• spicy
• gluten-free
• dairy-free