Spicy Kerala Chicken Fry

Last evening, I was planning my dinner and was thinking of making something new with chicken. I was blank and could not think of any new recipe. I checked my reader to see if anyone had posted any chicken recipes that day and there was Priya’s feed for Chicken Fry Kerala Style. It looked like a quick and easy recipe and moreover, the picture made me salivate. I rushed to the store, picked up some chicken drumsticks and made it for dinner. I absolutely loved it and this morning, U wanted me to make the same chicken for a very  late lunch. Today, I adjusted the spices a little and fried this chicken again for a very late lunch. By the time I finished cooking, there was plenty of sun light to take a quick click as well.

Total Time: 25 - 30 minutes (excludes marination time)
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Serves: 2
Caution: This chicken is spicy and please adjust the seasoning to your taste

Ingredients:

• 5 Chicken Drumsticks (1.2lbs)
• 1 tbsp. or 3 tsp. Chili Powder (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
• 2-3 tsp. Coriander Powder
• ¼ - ½ tsp. Turmeric (I just sprinkled some and did not measure it)
• ¼ Garam Masala
• 2 tsp. Shan Tikka Boti BBQ Mix (Recipe called for 1 tsp. Chicken Masala. I had none and substituted it)
• 1 tbsp. or ½ lime Juice
• 2 - 3 tbsp. Water
• 3 tbsp. Oil
• 10 – 15 Curry Leaves
• 1 tbsp. Ginger Garlic paste
• 2 small to medium sized Onions Sliced or 1 ¾ - 2 cups Sliced Onions

Preparation:

• Skin the chicken, wash and make 3-4 gashes on the each drumstick. If one wishes, they can leave the skin on. The recipe called for pulling down the skin, making the gashes and leaving the skin on.
• In a small bowl, make a marinade with chili powder, salt, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala, tikka boti masala or chicken masala (if using chicken masala try adding 1 tsp. and add more if it is not spicy enough), lime juice and water.
• Rub the chicken with the marinade and let it marinate for at least 1 – 1 ½ hours. The recipe calls for 2 hours but I have marinated it for an hour and it tasted fine. If time permits, do marinate longer.
• Heat oil in a pan throw in the curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. When the leaves begin to change color, add the onions and sauté until the onions are translucent.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken pieces and fry it until chicken pieces are fully cooked and turn nice golden brown. This should take 10 – 15 minutes and keep turning the pieces frequently to avoid burnt chicken and for an evenly cooked chicken. If the chicken is burning, reduce the heat to low and cook it a little longer until the chicken is well cooked.  Cooking time varies depending on the size of the drumstick as well.
• Serve it hot as a side dish with rice or with some salad. I served it with some brown rice (mix of half white and brown rice), tomato shorva and some salad. It would be an awesome combination to serve this chicken with steaming rice with some pappu chaaru and a dollop of ghee.