Snacks & street food · Tamil Nadu

Pepper Chicken Fry

A South Indian dry fry where chicken, shallots and curry leaves are roasted in a heap of freshly crushed black pepper until dark, glossy and warmly fiery.

Pepper Chicken Fry

Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min · Total 55 min + 30 min marinade · Serves 4

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 750 g Chicken on the bone, small curry cut
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice

Pepper masala

  • 1 ½ tbsp Black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
  • 3 Dried red chillies

Fry

  • 4 tbsp Gingelly (sesame) oil
  • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
  • 3 Cloves
  • 3 sprigs Curry leaves
  • 15 Shallots (small onions), sliced
  • 2 Green chillies, slit
  • 1 Tomato, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

  1. Marinate. Mix the chicken with the turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, salt and lemon juice and leave for 30 minutes.
  2. Roast and crush the pepper masala. Dry-roast the peppercorns, fennel, cumin, coriander and red chillies in a small pan over low heat until fragrant and a shade darker. Cool and grind to a coarse powder; you want some texture, not dust.
  3. Fry the shallots. Heat the oil in a heavy kadai. Add the cinnamon and cloves, then the curry leaves, shallots and green chillies. Fry until the shallots are soft and golden.
  4. Cook the chicken. Add the tomato and cook until mushy. Add the chicken and fry on high for 5 minutes, then cover and cook on low until tender, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then. It will cook in its own juices.
  5. Roast with the pepper. Uncover, add two thirds of the pepper masala and the salt and fry on medium-high, stirring often, until the juices dry up and the masala coats the chicken in a dark, glossy layer. Toss in the rest of the pepper masala for the last minute for a fresh kick.
  6. Serve. Scatter with coriander and a few fried curry leaves. Serve as a starter, or with rasam rice or parotta.

Tips

Grind the pepper fresh and coarse, and add some at the end. Pre-ground pepper is flat and dusty; freshly crushed pepper gives the heat and the floral smell this dish is known for.