Make Chicken Fry in 2 ways. The first one is the delicious Andhra restaurant style Kodi Vepudu and the second one is the crispy chicken fry (recipe in the post with stepwise photos)

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Andhra, Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 1 to 2 sprig curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 green chilies (slit or chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder ((adjust to taste))
  • 12 cashew nuts (powdered finely (or 2 to 3 tbsps. almond flour))
  • 1 tablespoons Coriander leaves (chopped finely)
  • ½ kg (1.1 lbs.) chicken ((bone-in or boneless thighs or breasts))
  • 1½ tablespoons Lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoons red chili powder ((reduce for low heat))
  • 1 large onion ((or 2 medium, coarsely pulsed in grinder/mixer))
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon ghee (solid (or use 2 tbsp if melted))
  • ½ teaspoon salt ((more to adjust later))
  • 2 tablespoons Coriander seeds
  • 2 inch cinnamon piece ((Ceylon cinnamon, reduce to use cassia))
  • 6 cloves
  • 4 green cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds ((optional))

Method

Preparation

  1. Optional - To make garam masala, dry roast all the whole spices on a medium heat until aromatic and crunchy. Make a fine powder.
  2. Add chicken to a large pot along with 2 tablespoons water. Add crushed onions, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, chili powder, salt, turmeric, ghee and lemon juice.
  3. On a medium flame, cook the chicken till it is soft cooked and tender. Little water can be added while cooking if the chicken turns dry. Once done, turn off the heat. Excess moisture in the pot at this stage is alright.
  4. If you want you may cool this and refrigerate immediately. Fry the chicken only when required, for up to 2 days.

How to make Chicken Fry

  1. Heat oil or ghee in a pan, add curry leaves and green chilies.
  2. Fry till the leaves turn crisp and aromatic.
  3. Add the cooked chicken along with the stock/ masala. Add the cashew powder and pepper powder.
  4. Fry on a medium high flame till all the excess moisture is evaporated.
  5. Keep stirring well and fry for 3 to 4 mins or till you get a nice aroma of cashews. The masala should coat the chicken well. If you want add little ghee at this stage.
  6. Garnish chicken fry with fresh chopped coriander leaves. Sprinkle some lemon juice and serve hot with rice, rasam or any vegetable curry.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.