Name: Kerala Chicken Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Chicken, curry cut, bone-in; ½ Potato, cut into medium cubes; ½ Carrot, cut into rounds; 1 Onion, thinly sliced; 2 Green Chili Pepper, slit (provides all the heat); ½ inch Ginger, julienned; 3 clove Garlic, sliced; ¾ cup Coconut Milk, thin, second extract; ¼ cup Coconut Milk, thick, first extract; ½ Assorted Whole Spices, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black peppercorns; 7½ Curry Leaves, divided; 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, essential for authentic flavor; ½ tsp Salt, to taste

55 mintotal

45 min hands-on10 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Heat coconut oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai on a steady medium flame.
Drop in the whole spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black peppercorns) and sauté briskly for 10 seconds until they release their aromatic oils.
10 sec
Incorporate the sliced onions, julienned ginger, sliced garlic, slit green chillies, and a portion of the fresh curry leaves.
Sauté gently until the onions yield and become translucent. CRITICAL: Do not allow the onions to brown; the stew's visual aesthetic relies on remaining brilliantly white.
Add the bone-in chicken pieces, potato cubes, and carrot rounds. Sauté the assembly for 3-4 minutes until the chicken's exterior seals and turns opaque.
3–4 min
Pour in the Thin Coconut Milk (second extract) and season appropriately with salt. Mix homogeneously.
Cover the vessel and simmer on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the chicken and root vegetables are profoundly tender and cooked through.
15–20 min
Drop the heat to its absolute minimum. Gently fold in the Thick Coconut Milk (first extract).
Allow the stew to heat through for exactly 2 minutes. DO NOT permit the liquid to boil, or the concentrated thick milk will irreparably curdle.
2 min
Turn off the heat. Bruise the remaining curry leaves lightly, scatter them over the stew and finish with a drizzle of raw coconut oil. Serve warm.

How to tell it's done

A profoundly comforting, exceptionally mild, slightly sweet, and highly aromatic milky broth suspending perfectly soft vegetables and succulent chicken.

Getting it right

Tip

Introducing a measured pinch of freshly crushed black pepper at the culinary finish elegantly cuts through the rich, heavy sweetness inherent to the coconut milk.

What to serve it with

The undisputed classic pairing for delicate Appams, lacy Idiyappams (string hoppers), or a loaf of freshly baked crusty bread.

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