Kerala Style Chicken Fry | Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu

Chicken recipes are always our family favorite and this one is one of the most preferred one esp to tickle the tastes from Kerala.I don't make chicken fry often and usually land up making thattukada chicken fry(don't forget to try this out),easy chicken curry,chicken roast or any other form.However,I do make this once in a while and this last time when I made it,my kiddo enquired if I had posted this in my blog.And its then,I realized this is missing from this space.But I ran out of curry leaves when I finally decided to make this fry and curry leaves does add a unique nadan flavor to the chicken when fried and added at the end.The restaurants do add color to give that appeal but here I have used kashmiri chilli powder which gives the natural color.And so,you might wonder if the kashmiri chilli powder is high in the recipe but that's apt for this quantity of chicken.If the quantity of chicken is more,then you can deep fry the chicken but here I have shallow fried.Shallow frying requires time and frequent flipping.Do give this a try if you love kerala chicken fry,am sure you will love it !!

Preparation time~ 15 minutes
Marination time~2hours -overnight
Cooking time ~40-50  minutes(less if deep frying)
Serves ~8 pieces

Ingredients
chicken  1kg/2lb (I used 8 drumsticks)
kashmiri chilly powder 1.5tbsp
pepper coarsely powdered 1tsp
ginger garlic coarse paste 2tbsp
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
coriander powder 1tsp
garam masala 1tsp
fennel powder 1/2tsp(if not in masala)
corn starch /rice flour 1tbsp
salt as required
oil to fry

Method

• Wash and clean the chicken,de skin and rinse under running water 4-5 times.Drain water and leave in a colander.Cut gashes on the pieces if using chicken thighs or drumsticks.If using boneless chicken skip this step,you can cut in bite size pieces(NB: chicken breast doesn't work good for this recipe). 
• Make a paste of the marination ingredients or add directly to the chicken and marinate.If marinating,overnight then skip adding corn starch or rice flour then and add just before frying.

• Heat a wok or pan depending on how you are frying.I preferred shallow frying,in that case heat oil in  a pan and add chicken pieces wiuthout over crowding.
• Cover and leave on low medium flame for 5 minutes until the water spluttering gets over and then fry uncovered by flipping all sides.It takes 15-20 mins to get one batch fried on medium flame until its crisp and browned.
• Repeat the same step,add oil if required.Drain the chicken pieces on paper towel and then finally add curry leaves,fry until crisp and add to the chicken pieces.Serve with steamed rice or parotta !!'

NOTES
* Rice flour or corn starch adds crispiness to the chicken.I prefer corn starch.
* Squeeze a slice of lime on top at the end just before serving to give a tangy flavor too if you prefer.
* Always add salt slightly more than usually required as frying reduces salt.
* I marinated for 2 hours but usually prefer overnight marination as the chicken becomes nicely coated with masala.
* Try to use kashmiri chilli powder for the color.If using other hot chilli powder,reduce the amount used.

Don't forget to check these out and try on-
*Thattukada Chicken Fry
*Spicy Chicken fry with Roasted coconut
*Nadan Kozhi Curry
*Kurumulakitta Kozhi
*Chicken Roast
*Easy Chicken Curry
*Popcorn Chicken
*Tandoori Chicken