Spicy tangy kadhai chicken is an absolutely lip-smacking chicken recipe cooked in spices, jaggery and tamarind. This dish takes about 1-1 ¼ hours including the preparation time. This is a popular North Indian recipe. The spiceness comes from the whole ground spices while the tanginess comes from the jaggery and tamarind extract. This dry dish can also be served as a starter. This is an all-time favourite with my younger son, Rohit. Well….he loves any dish made with chicken for that matter. Check my other chicken recipes such as chicken tacos, varutharacha chicken curry, chicken cabbage curry etc….
Coming back to the dish….below is the list of the ingredients and the instructions to prepare this delicious and delectable spicy tangy kadhai chicken recipe…..
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken, cut into 10 pieces
For the powder:
- 1 tbsp. Black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp. Fennel seeds
- 1 Cinnamon stick
For the marinade:
- 2 tsps. Oil
- 2 tbsps. Spice paste
- 2 tsps. Red Chilli powder
- 2 tsps. Coriander powder
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tsps. Turmeric powder
- 2 tsps. Pepper-fennel powder
- 3 ½ tbsps. Tamarind extract
- ½ Juice of lemon
- 1 tsp. Jaggery
For the spice paste:
- 1 tsp. Red Chilli powder
- 1 tsp. Coriander powder
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. Cumin powder
- 1 tsp. Ginger-garlic paste
For the stir fry:
- 1 tsp. Oil
- 1 Onion, diced
- ½ Red Bell pepper, diced
- 1 Green chilli
Others:
- 2 tsps. Oil, to sear the chicken
- Spring Onions with greens, for garnish
- Lemon juice, for garnish
- Ginger julienned, for garnish
Method
- To make the powder, dry roast black peppercorns, fennel and cinnamon. Grind it in mortar and pestle.
- For the spice paste, mix all the ingredients.
- To make the marinade, take a pan and add 2 teaspoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the spice paste and sauté. Turn off the heat.
- Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, turmeric powder, pepper-fennel powder, tamarind extract, juice of half lemon and jaggery.
- Marinate the chicken pieces with this marinade for 30 minutes.
- Next, take another pan and add oil.
- Add onions, bell peppers and green chilli. Sauté for 2 minutes and then keep aside.
- After removing the sautéed vegetables, in the same pan add oil and sear the chicken pieces from both sides.
- Add 1 -1 ½ cups of water. Cover the pan and cook the chicken till well done, say 20-25 minutes.
- Add the stir-fried vegetables and stir well.
- Garnish with spring onions, julienne ginger and lemon juice.
- Serve warm with steamed rice or parathas.