Kerala-style chicken perattu: Spicy, juicy and full of flavour

Chicken can be prepared in many ways, from curries and fries to spicy dry preparations. This Kerala-style chicken perattu is a simple 'nadan' dish where chicken is marinated with crushed spices, onion, green chilli, ginger, garlic and fennel, then slow-cooked until the masala coats the pieces.

Ingredients

1. 1 kg chicken
2. 3 tsp chilli flakes
3. 1 tsp turmeric powder
4. 1 tbsp crushed black pepper
5. 3 tbsp coconut oil
6. Salt, as needed
7. ¼ kg onion
8. 3 green chillies
9. 1 piece ginger
10. 5 cloves garlic
11. 1 tsp fennel seeds

Preparation

1. Cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces.
2. Crush the onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic and fennel seeds together. Add this mixture to the chicken along with chilli flakes, turmeric powder, black pepper and salt. Mix well, rubbing the masala into the chicken. Allow it to marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the marinated chicken to a cooking vessel and cook over low heat until the chicken is tender and the moisture has reduced. Continue cooking until the masala coats the chicken and the pieces are nicely roasted.

Serve hot with rice, porotta, chapati or bread.