Andhra Chicken Curry Recipe

Andhra Chicken Curry is a traditional dish of curried chicken made in Telugu speaking homes. It is spicy, hot and simply delicious with bursting flavors. Garelu (Medu vada) and this chicken curry is a match-made in the heaven and is made for special occasions or weekend meal. It is usually eaten with plain steamed short grain rice, Pulao, Bagara Rice or with Chapati. A side dish made with yogurt and onions, known as Perugu Pachadi is served on the side.

Indian cuisine is diverse and you will find Chicken curry made in numerous ways across the country. Every state has a popular regional version. While Tamil Nadu has the Chettinad Chicken, Kerala has Nadan Kozhi Curry with coconut milk, Punjabi cuisine has Bhuna Chicken and the Bengali cuisine has Murgir Laal Jhol.

About Andhra Chicken Curry

This Andhra Chicken Curry known as Kodi Kura is the most standard and staple way of cooking spicy curried chicken in Andhra Cuisine. The Telugu word “kodi” means chicken and “kura” means “curry”. You will often find kodi kura on the Andhra restaurant menus but most restaurants don’t serve you the traditional version.

With the rapid growth of food industry, innovative recipes are born and have killed the traditional versions. You will also wonder how every dish tastes the same due to this.
But the recipe I have shared here is truly authentic and traditional, the way it is made in the Telugu speaking households. It is normal to see few changes based on the regions of Andhra Pradesh like Coastal, Telangana, Rayalaseema etc.

This is my Mom’s recipe and our families from various regions of Andhra – Vijayawada, Guntur and coastal regions make it in a much similar way.

Introduction to the process & ingredients

The process starts with marination of chicken with lemon juice, ginger garlic, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. This step not only tenderizes the chicken but also removes the meat smell & improves the flavor. During this time you will prep up the rest of the ingredients.

Onions form the base of this curry/gravy and ground spices like chili powder, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and black pepper are used for flavor. You can use a store bought garam masala or make your own from my recipe below.

Tomatoes are usually not used but I have given them in the recipe as an optional ingredient if you want to use. White poppy seeds and fresh coconut are the key ingredients that sets this dish apart from others. They add volume to the dish and tones down the heat.

White poppy seeds are said to be cooling to the body so they are going to neutralize the heat from all those hot spices. But if you are living outside India these may not be available, if so use cashews and/or thick coconut milk.

Skinless whole cut up, bone-in chicken is used for flavor but feel free to use boneless if you prefer.

How to make Andhra Chicken Curry (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl and marinate the chicken.

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) chicken (skinless bone-in or boneless as per your choice)
• ⅓ teaspoon sea salt (or use as needed)
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (adjust as needed, or curd)
• ¾ tablespoon red chili powder (I used byadgi you may use any pure chili powder. Use Kashmiri for low heat)

Cover and rest in the fridge until you prep up the other ingredients.

2. If you do not have a good grinder please avoid using poppy seeds, sub them with cashews and coconut.

Option 1 with cashews – Soak 10 whole cashew nuts in little hot water for 10 minutes and grind them to a smooth puree with 3 to 4 tablespoons soaked water. If you want you can also use 2 tablespoons raw coconut (or shredded unsweetened coconut), grind it together with cashews adding little more water.

Option 2 with Poppy seeds: Dry roast or sundry 3 tablespoons white poppy seeds till crunchy. Powder them first finely.

3. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons water and add coconut (optional). Grind to a smooth fine paste, adding more water as needed. Adding coconut helps to make this poppy paste smooth.

Make the Curry

4. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a deep pan. Add the following whole spices (be careful as they can splutter)

• 1 bay leaf or 1 sprig curry leaves or both (pat dry the leaves to remove water)
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1 inch cinnamon piece
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon shahi jeera (leave out if you don’t have)

5. Add 1 to 2 chopped green chilies, 1½ cups (3 medium) onions fine chopped and ⅓ teaspoon sea salt. Saute till onions turn golden brown evenly.

6. Add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears, for a minute. If using tomato, add 1 small deseeded and chopped now. Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy and the oil begins to separate. I don’t use tomatoes.

7. Add the marinated chicken and fry on a high flame for 3 to 4 mins.

8. Add handful of chopped mint leaves and ¾ tablespoon chili powder and 1 to 1½ teaspoon garam masala (make your own from the recipe card below). Mix well and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

9. Pour ½ to ¾ cup hot water just enough to immerse the chicken. Mix well. (I used 200 ml, but this depends on the kind of chicken you are using).

10. Close the lid and cook on a low flame till the chicken is fully cooked, soft and tender. Add the poppy seeds/ cashew paste, mine became thick milk like instead of paste. Stir well and cook till you get the required consistency. Keep stirring else the poppy seeds paste will stick to the bottom. Taste test and add more salt or garam masala to your preference. I adjust only salt and no more garam masala.

If you want you may garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with Garelu, steamed rice or chapathi along side this onion raita.

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Recipe Card

This post is from the archives, first published in July 2012 and has been updated in April 2024.