Chicken kulambu or kuzhambu is a popular South Indian gravy dish made with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic. This Spicy and flavourful Chicken Kuzhambu or Chicken Kulambu recipe is perfect to enjoy with some hot rice or some chapati. It can be had with Appam, Idiyappam and Kerala Parotta.
Chicken kulambu
Spicy and flavourful chicken curry or kuzhambu recipe which is perfect to enjoy with some hot rice or some rotis. This kuzhambu is a basic recipe which can be enjoyed with many of your main dishes. I make this often for lunch and it taste so delicious with plain rice.
About Chicken Kulambu
A popular gravy from the South of India is called as "kulambu or kuzhambu". Mostly it is made using vegetable like ladies finger, brinjal, tomato, for lunch. It is a staple dish in every South Indian household. We make at least one variation of kulambu for lunch to serve with rice. You can check out my 85+ kulambu recipes available on this blog.
Not only it is made with vegetables, but also made using fish, mutton, prawn and other non-veg items too.
This is how you make Chicken kulambu. Temper whole spices like fennel, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in oil. Add onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic. Cook this till golden brown. Add in Spice powders, Cleaned chicken to the masala and cook till completely cooked. The kulambu is thickened with coconut paste which is flavoured with pepper and fennel. Finally add curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Kuzhambu is usually served with rice, nool parotta, Tandoori roti, idli, dosa, idiyappam or ghee rice.
Similar Recipes,
Chicken Salna
Easy Chicken Curry
Traditional Chicken Curry
Watch Video
Ingredients
Chicken - use chicken that is cut into small pieces. It is called as curry-cut chicken. In this recipe post, I have shared two version of kulambu made with regular broiler chicken and country chicken(nattu kozhi).
Whole Spices - aromatic spices like cinnamon, cumin, fennel, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf add the depth of aroma to the dish.
Onion & Tomato - onions, shallots and tomatoes form the base of any kulambu recipe.
Ginger & Garlic - freshly crushed ginger and garlic is sauted with onion to add the aroma which every curry or kulambu need.
Spice Powders- combination of chilli, turmeric, coriander and garam masala powder adds flavour as well as thickness to the kulambu.
Coconut - fresh coconut is ground into smooth paste with roasted gram dal and fennel seeds. This adds thickness to the kuzhambu.
Garnishing - fresh curry leaves, coriander leaves is added in the gravy in the end.
Stepwise Pictures
Grinding Coconut Paste
1)Start by grinding coconut, roasted gram dal, black pepper and fennel seeds to a smooth paste. if you are using frozen coconut, use hot water for grinding.
Making Chicken Kulambu Base
2)Heat oil in a pot. You can use regular cooking pot or cooker. Add in whole spices and curry leaves. let the spices sizzle for a minute or so.
3) Add in chopped onions and peeled shallots in the oil. Saute this for 2 to 3minutes.
4) Add in ginger and garlic paste. Cook this for 1 to 2 minute till aromatic.
5)Add in chopped tomatoes. Saute the tomatoes with the onion masala for 4 to 5 minutes.
6)Add in spice powders like turmeric, chilli, coriander and garam masala powder. Saute them well with onion masala.
7)Saute the spices with the onion tomato masala for few minutes to remove the raw smell.
Adding Chicken
8)Add in chicken and coat with the masala. I like to saute the chicken with the masala for 3 to 4 minutes.
9)Add salt to taste and mix well.
10)Add enough water to form a gravy. If you are using pressure cooker, cook this for 2 whistle. if you are cooking in a pot, bring the curry to a boil, reduce the flame and cook for 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
11)Once chicken is cooked, add in the coconut paste and mix well. Don't boil the chicken on high heat once coconut paste is added else the coconut may curdle.. Reduce the flame and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
12)Once the kulambu is cooked, a layer of oil will float on top which indicates that kulambu is ready.
13)Serve.
Expert Tips
- You can cook this dish in pressure cooker or regular pot. If using pressure cooker, the cooking time is less. If cooking in cooking pot, it takes more time.
- Country chicken (nattu kozhi) takes more time to cook. So I cook in pressure cooker.
- Small onions (shallots) add sweetness to the dish. You can use shallots of regular onions.
- Roasted gram dal in coconut paste adds thickness to the gravy.
- Once coconut paste is added, don't boil too vigorously else the coconut will curdle.
Serving & Storage
Leftover chicken kulambu can be stored in fridge and reheated on stove top when needed.
Chicken Kulambu recipe is perfect to enjoy with some hot rice or some chapati. It can be had with Appam, Idiyappam and Kerala Parotta. Kuzhambu is usually served with rice, nool parotta, Tandoori roti, idli, dosa, idiyappam or ghee rice.
📖 Recipe Card
Chicken Kulambu | Chicken Kuzhambu Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking pot
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
Chicken Kulambu Recipe
- 500 grams Chicken bone-in
- 2 large Onion peeled & chopped finely
- 12 no Shallots peeled
- 2 large Tomatoes chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 2 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 teaspoon Garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- Water as needed
- Coriander leaves a small handful chopped finely
For Tempering
- 4 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 5 no Cardamom
- 1 no Bay Leaf
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
For Grinding
- 1 cup Fresh Coconut
- 1 tablespoon Roasted Gram Dal
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
Instructions
- Grind the ingredients given for grinding together to a very fine paste. Set aside.
- Take oil in a pressure cooker or cooking pot. Add in whole spices and curry leaves. Add in onions and shallots and cook for 5 mins. Sprinkle in ginger garlic paste and cook for 2 mins. Add in tomatoes and cook till it is soften. Add in spice powders and salt and mix well.
- Add chicken and toss well. Pour little water, cover the cooker with a lid and pressure cook for 2 whistle, simmer the flame for 10 mins. Open the cooker once pressure is released. Add in coconut paste and mix. Simmer till oil floats on top. Add coriander leaves and mix.
Video
Notes
- You can cook this dish in pressure cooker or regular pot. If using pressure cooker, the cooking time is less. If cooking in cooking pot, it takes more time.
- Country chicken (nattu kozhi) takes more time to cook. So I cook in pressure cooker.
- Small onions (shallots) add sweetness to the dish. You can use shallots of regular onions.
- Roasted gram dal in coconut paste adds thickness to the gravy.
- Once coconut paste is added, don't boil too vigorously else the coconut will curdle.
Serving & Storage
Leftover chicken kulambu can be stored in fridge and reheated on stove top when needed. Chicken Kulambu recipe is perfect to enjoy with some hot rice or some chapati. It can be had with Appam, Idiyappam and Kerala Parotta. Kuzhambu is usually served with rice, nool parotta, Tandoori roti, idli, dosa, idiyappam or ghee rice.Nutrition
If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @aarthi198689@gmail.com and I'll help as soon as I can.
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Jeni Jeni
Awesome recipe.. Tried it twice.. Got applause from family both times 😁
Anita
Can I use sesame oil or sunflower oil instead of coconut oil?
Ashvini
Superb recipe!!!! Every 1 loved it!! Thank you