• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Yummy Tummy
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Masterchef Journey
  • Media
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Masterchef Journey
  • Media
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipe Index
    • About Me
    • Masterchef Journey
    • Media
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home

    Pepper Chicken Recipe

    Last Updated On: May 24, 2025 by Aarthi

    886
    Shares

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Pepper chicken is a popular South Indian chicken preparation. Chicken is cooked with onions, curry leaves, green chillies till tender and tossed with freshly ground black pepper which gives its unique taste. When served with rice or roti, this spicy pepper chicken is quite addictive. Learn how to make pepper chicken at home with step by step pictures, instructions and video.

    spicy pepper chicken served in a white serving dish with coriander leaves on top

    Pepper Chicken Recipe

    Yesterday i had my baby shower celebrations in a traditional way. I am brought to my mum's place and i will be here until i get my love in my hands. My hands are filled with so many glass bangles and it is really a lovely experience hearing those sounds. I am loving each seconds. I will be sharing my baby shower pictures very soon in facebook.

    Jump to:
    • About Pepper Chicken Dry Recipe
    • Video for Pepper Chicken Recipe
    • Pepper Chicken Ingredients
    • Pepper Chicken Recipe (Step-wise Photos)
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    About Pepper Chicken Dry Recipe

    Now coming back to today's recipe, it is a chicken recipe and my favorite one. I have already posted chinese style pepper chicken recipe in my blog before. This is my Indian version of it. It has lots of Indian masala and stuffs in it. I love this one when served with naan or hot rice.

    Chicken cooked in sauted onions, spices, green chillies, curry leaves and crushed black pepper which gives the unique taste and colour to the pepper chicken. Pepper chicken is a dark brown coloured dry dish usually served with rice, roti or naan. 

    Video for Pepper Chicken Recipe

    YouTube video

    Similar Recipes,

    Onion Chicken Fry

    Pepper Chicken Fry

    Garlic Chicken

    Pepper Chicken Ingredients

    Spicy pepper chicken uses basic ingredients which you already have on hand. This version of pepper chicken is dry. So you have to adjust the water quantity as required.

    ingredients for pepper chicken

    Fresh Produce

    The curry is made with Onions which are sliced thinly, green chillies, curry leaves as the base.

    Chicken

    I prefer to use one whole chicken which is cut into small pieces. Bone-in chicken results in juicy and tender chicken dish. But if you want you could use boneless chicken thighs.

    Spices

    The predominant flavor in a pepper chicken is black pepper. Use freshly roasted, coarsely ground black pepper for maximum flavour. I dry roast whole peppercorns for 2 to 3 minutes and allow them to cool. Grind them in a food processor or mortar and pestle till coarse. Add ground pepper only in the end of the cooking.

    spicy pepper chicken served in a white serving dish with coriander leaves on top

    How to Make Pepper Chicken Dry

    Making base

    Heat oil in a kadai. Add in fennel seeds and let them crackle. Now add in onions, curry leaves and green chilli. Saute for 5 to 10 mins till it turns light golden. Now add in ginger garlic paste and saute for a min. Add in all the spice powders and salt and mix well.

    Cooking 

    Now add in chicken and toss well with the masala. Cover the kadai and let it cook for 30 to 40 mins till the chicken is cooked. Now open the kadai and cook on a high heat and let the masala gets dry. Add in fresh ground pepper and toss well.

    Serving

    Squeeze in some lemon juice and coriander leaves and mix well. Serve with rice or any bread.

    spicy pepper chicken served in a white serving dish with coriander leaves on top

    Pepper Chicken Recipe (Step-wise Photos)

    1)Heat oil in a kadai. Add in fennel seeds and let them sizzle.

    heat oil in a kadai, add in fennel seeds

    2)Add in onions, curry leaves and green chilli.

    add in onions, green chillies and curry leaves

    3)Saute till lightly golden

    cook onions till soft

    4)Add in ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2 mins till the raw smell from the paste goes and it gets fragrant.

    add in ginger garlic paste and saute

    5)Add in spice powders and salt.

    add in salt, spice powders

    6)Saute the spices in hot oil for few seconds till aromatic.

    saute onions with the spice powders

    7)Add in chicken.

    add in chicken

    8)Mix well till the masala coats the chicken pieces.

    saute chicken with onions and the spices

    9)Cover and cook on low heat till chicken gets cooked, may be 20 mins or so.

    cover the pan with a lid and cook chicken till tender

    10)Now chicken is cooked.

    chicken is cooked but there is some water in the chicken

    11)I cooked the chicken on high heat for few more minutes till the masala gets dry and coats the chicken.

    cook the chicken till it gets dry

    12)Add in coarsely ground fresh black pepper in the end for the pepper flavor

    add coarsely ground black pepper

    13)Toss well.

    pepper chicken dry done

    14)Finally add in lemon juice.

    add lemon juice in with the pepper chicken

    15)Add in coriander leaves

    add coriander leaves to the chicken

    16)Mix well

    pepper chicken dry done

    17)Serve

    spicy pepper chicken served in a white serving dish with coriander leaves on top

    More Chicken Recipes,

    • Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe
    • Dragon Chicken Recipe
    • Chicken 65 Recipe
    • Tandoori Chicken Recipe
    • Popcorn Chicken Recipe
    • Grilled Chicken Legs Recipe
    • Chicken Chettinad Gravy Recipe
    • Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani Recipe

    📖 Recipe Card

    Pepper Chicken | Pepper Chicken Recipe | Pepper Chicken Dry Recipe

    Pepper chicken is a popular South Indian chicken preparation. Chicken is cooked with onions, curry leaves, green chillies till tender and tossed with freshly ground black pepper which gives its unique taste. When served with rice or roti, this spicy pepper chicken is quite addictive. Learn how to make pepper chicken at home with step by step pictures, instructions and video.
    4.25 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 285kcal

    Ingredients

    • ½ kg Chicken (cleaned with bone)
    • 3 tbsp Oil (Preferably Coconut Oil)
    • 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
    • 2 large Onion sliced thinly
    • 3 Green Chilli
    • 1 sprig Curry leaves
    • 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
    • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
    • 2 tbsp Coriander Powder
    • 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp Black Pepper (Freshly ground)
    • 1 tsp Lemon Juice
    • Coriander Leaves / Cilantro for garnishing

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in a kadai. Add in fennel seeds and let them crackle.
    • Now add in onions, curry leaves and green chilli. Saute for 5 to 10 mins till it turns light golden.
    • Now add in ginger garlic paste and saute for a min.
    • Add in all the spice powders and salt and mix well.
    • Now add in chicken and toss well with the masala.
    • Cover the kadai and let it cook for 30 to 40 mins till the chicken is cooked.
    • Now open the kadai and cook on a high heat and let the masala gets dry.
    • Add in fresh ground pepper and toss well.
    • Squeeze in some lemon juice and coriander leaves and mix well.
    • Serve with rice or any bread.

    Video

    YouTube video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servings | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 317mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @yummytummyaarthi or tag #yummytummyaarthi!
    Join us on FacebookFollow us on Facebook
    Share by Email Share on Facebook

    If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.

    Follow me on Instagram, Facebook,Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter for more Yummy Tummy inspiration.

    IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING FROM YUMMY TUMMY, MAKE SURE TO POST IT AND TAG ME SO I CAN SEE ALL OF YOUR CREATIONS!! #YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI AND @YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI ON INSTAGRAM!

    • Ethiopian Doro Wat Recipe
    • Tan Tan Ramen Recipe
    • Garlic Tomato Chicken Roast Recipe
    • Chicken Mince Kebab Recipe
    • Chicken Club Sandwich Recipe
    • Chettinad Chicken Fry Recipe

    886
    Shares
    « Homemade Asafoetida
    Suryakala Chandrakala Sweet Recipe »
    Aarthi

    About Aarthi

    Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vanita

      at

      Hi. Good Morning Aarthi. I like the way you present your recipes. Very easy. I know that if I want a recipe I can just go through the site & check it out. Congratulations for your Baby Shower & keep us posted. We luv you. Take care. 😀

      Reply
    2. Corporate to Kitchen

      at

      The chicken looks lovely & the color is totally beautiful. This is very similar to the way I make it at home.

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      at

      fingerlicking gud!!! yummmm

      congrats fr ur babyshower and my wishes with u

      Reply
    4. Mubashira Anjum

      at

      Many congo dear...Looking forward the pics in fb 🙂

      Reply
    5. meera nair

      at

      Hi aarthy..in this recipy did u add any chillypowder. I make this easterday it is little yellowish color,yours is dark brown in color. Plz Clarify it.I am your regular blog visiter.congratulations for ur baby shower..

      Reply
    6. Aarthi

      at

      @meera nair No i didn't add any chilli powder, The colour depends on the brand of spice powders which we use. my coriander powder is a home milled one, so it gives a darker colour to the curry. And also the colour comes from the browning of the onions. I hope they tasted good.

      Reply
    7. Sakshi

      at

      Hi...my mouth is watering reading this recipe....I will definitely try it...simply amazing....thank you for sharing it...

      Reply
    8. Sathya Angel

      at

      Hi ... I liked the way it is described pic by pic ..I tried it. It came out really well.. Only thing I missed is the non stick kadai.Simple and easy to make .. The real....indian way...
      Sathya Angel

      Reply
    9. zukriyah

      at

      wonderful explanation... with a lovely photos shown step by step. I just love it this kind of style and that's was my favourite recipe and I'll definitely make it!!

      Reply
    10. Unknown

      at

      Hi Aarti...You have an amazing blog. I followed all your baby food recipes for my 10 month old son and he is liking them and he has put on little bit of weight also (he was thin earlier). Thank you so much . Just love your step by step explanation with pictures which not many blogs have. It really helped me. Thank you so much. Keep blogging and i will follow them.

      Reply
    11. Murali

      at

      Thanks for sharing the receipe. Am trying this for the first time today. Hope my mom and sister likes it. Will share the outcome once done.

      Reply
    12. Murali

      at

      Done with the cooking Aarthi. It was good and my sister liked it very much!!! However, the chicken wasn't juicy. It was too dry.
      In general while cooking is there some method to keep chicken juicy till it is served??? Please suggest.

      Reply
    13. Anonymous

      at

      It tastes yumm..tried it..v loved it ..! 🙂

      Reply
    14. Aarthi

      at

      @MuraliIf you want your chicken juicy, you have cook to cook it low and slow. Cooking in a cooker helps it turn out juicy and soft

      Reply
    15. Anonymous

      at

      Hi aarthi your recipe maked my Sunday very nice thanks for a simple
      And easy recipe. Ayesha

      Reply
    16. Moumita Guha

      at

      Made it today, it was delicious. My father in law and mother in law enjoyed it a lot !!

      Thank you

      Reply
    17. Vinodhini Muthuswamy

      at

      Do we need to add water to cook the chicken?

      Reply
    18. Aarthi

      at

      @Vinodhini Muthuswamyno need the chicken will be cooked in its ow juices

      Reply
    19. Anonymous

      at

      Trying this today let's see how it come up

      Reply
    20. Anonymous

      at

      Cooking for my family first time after wedding, and the dish was finger-licking good .. thanks! 🙂

      Reply
    21. Anonymous

      at

      Nice trying now

      Reply
    22. Padhu R

      at

      hi... excellent recipe.. I tried it on last Sunday and it came out very tasty... all at home appreciated.. thanks for sharing. 🙂

      Reply
    23. Neethu

      at

      Thank you for the receipt.. I follow your site a lot.Good work

      Reply
    24. Sara

      at

      Hi Aarthi. I had tried this.It was amazing. I hav started cooking after watching ur blog. The way you run this blog is awesome. Keep it up. Thank you 🙂

      Reply
    25. niyati shetty

      at

      Hi hi hi. My name is niyati. I'm 14 I love chicken alot . Just saw this n now I'll prepare this dish... by the wayy congratulations n thaank you soo much for sharing this eassyy recipe..

      Reply
    26. Anonymous

      at

      Thank you for the recipe it looks yummy 🙂 My family is new to Indian cooking. I am an experienced cook but am unfamiliar with some of the ingredients. Are curry leaves the same as curry powder? if not what are the difference and what do I look for at the market? How hot spicy is this recipe? I have never used so much black pepper in a single dish...I am very interested in trying this so I look forward to your reply. Thank you again, tpm

      Reply
    27. Aarthi

      at

      @Anonymouscurry leaf is not curry powder, These leaves will come from a plant.

      This dish is a bit spicy, you can reduce it as per your taste

      Reply
    28. ktsue

      at

      I made this and it was absolutely delicious. My husband proclaimed it one of the best pepper chickens he has ever had. I will definitely be making this again, thank you so much!

      Reply
    29. Anonymous

      at

      Hi:)
      I tried Dry Pepper Chicken on last sunday. It turned out really well. Thanks for the recipe. Keep going!!!

      Reply
    30. kamalaveni

      at

      Wow mouthwatering dish
      Please tell the onion in gram or cup measure

      Reply
    31. Aarthi

      at

      @kamalavenionion around 300 grams

      Reply
    32. kamalaveni

      at

      Thank you very much for your reply. It's really good.

      Reply
    33. Shalabh

      at

      Wow looks wonderful.
      I was just wondering, why haven't you added tomatoes? Also, I read somewhere that coconut milk is to be used.
      Will the dish be something different if I add tomatoes and coconut milk?

      Reply
    34. Aarthi

      at

      @Shalabhthis is a different style of recipe

      Reply
    35. Iris D'Silva

      at

      Hi there... Tried this recipe... And I must say... All loved it!! Followed it word to word.. It was sooo delicious!!
      Amazing!!
      Will try more of ur recipes
      Iris

      Reply
    36. Iris D'Silva

      at

      Hi aarti...
      Tried this recipe yesterday... It was amazing.. My son loved it! He was so tired of my usual gravies... When made this he loved the taste, the smell.... Thanks dear!!
      Iris

      Reply
    37. Anonymous

      at

      hi, aarthi, last night I made tis. It turned out bitter , tink i burned d spices. My baby was very cranky 🙁
      what do i do with it now? How can i make it edible now

      Reply
    38. Aarthi

      at

      @Anonymous add some tomato puree and adjust with some salt and a little sugar and make it like a curry. You can add some pureed coconut or cashew puree too

      Reply
    39. Cibino Ross

      at

      Came out very well! So simple n easy too.

      Reply
    40. Kaajal Bhawnani

      at

      Can we use chicken breast for this recipe? If yes then what changes should I do relating to cooking technique and time taken

      Reply
    41. Aarthi

      at

      @Kaajal Bhawnaniu can use chicken breast. reduce cooking time.

      Reply
    42. PRADYUMN shenoy

      at

      I am a 18 year old guy who just started cooking and this is one of my firSt time cooking chicken . Wish me luck and I'll soon try out future recipe. And thanks for this one.
      ps very excited ,thanks arthi

      Reply
    43. Shaheena

      at

      Tried this dish today and my family said best pepper chicken ever..Thankyou

      Reply
    44. Vandita Srivastava

      at

      Tried it a couple of times now and my family loved it ... thanks

      Reply
    45. somewhereonlyinoe

      at

      I made this yesterday. I used less sombu as both my husband and I don't like it very strong. This dish turned out really well. Both of us loved it.

      Reply
    46. Anonymous

      at

      Tried this today and it came out very well..
      Thanks for the recipe..

      Reply
    47. Lucknow Chicken Online

      at

      I tried this recipe and it is very tasty.The stepwise procedure with images is very good and easy to understand.

      Reply
    48. Able Johnson

      at

      Good Recipe. I tried this and it's extremely good. One suggestion add more onion for more gravy(or is there any other idea?).I know this dish is best in the dry form but my north Indian roommate loved it with more gravy.

      Reply
    49. Nazeeba

      at

      Today im going to make this dish. But I dont have fennel seeds. What can I do. Can I add fennel powder? Please help. I'm new to your blog

      Reply
      • Aarthi

        at

        yes u can use powder.

        Reply
    50. Archana

      at

      I have prepared this pepper chicken.I have added curd for marination of chiken and I also have added tomato.It tastes so delicious.My husband my friends like this dish a lot.
      Thank you so much☺️

      Reply
    51. sharon

      at

      Will boneless chicken breast work? Is fennel seeds/ powder necessary?

      Reply
      • Aarthi

        at

        yes u can use.u can skip fennel

        Reply
    52. Harvey leo

      at

      A simple way to cook a homemade chicken. It is a very convenient way to cook.I've already tried it.

      Reply
    53. samyuktha

      at

      5 stars
      Tried in earthen clay pan.,Taste Yum..
      Very easy recipe for beginners .

      Reply
    54. Pradnya Jadhav

      at

      The video and the recipe are different.which is more authentic

      Reply
    55. NR

      at

      5 stars
      Loved it

      Reply
    4.25 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    MEET THE AUTHOR

    Hi, I'm Aarthi!

    WELCOME. Over the past few years, I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours!

    More about me →

    STAY CONNECTED

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Useful Links

    • Dosa
    • Idli
    • Rice Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner

    Recent Posts

    • Ethiopian Cabbage Potato Carrots (Atakilt Wat)
    • Ethiopian Dal Recipe (Misir Wat)
    • Ethiopian Injera Flatbread Recipe
    • Ethiopian Berbere Recipe

    As seen in

    BUY MY COOKBOOK

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy

    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertisers
    • Contact
    • Recipe Index

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Stay Connected

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    Copyright © 2021 Yummy Tummy | Technical Partner </> Host My Blog

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.