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South Indian · Indian

Andhra chicken curry

Non-vegetarian

A hot, punchy chicken curry in the Andhra style — lots of red chilli and green chilli, onions cooked down dark, a little poppy-seed paste for body and plenty of curry leaves.

Andhra chicken curry is a South Indian curry, ready in about 1 hour and made with chicken thigh, green chilli and cayenne / chilli powder. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Andhra chicken curry: spicy chicken gravy with lime slices in a steel pot
Photo: Karteeki4u / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
351

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rub the chicken with turmeric (opens in a new tab) and half the salt.

    • 2 min

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil and add the cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab) and curry leaves (opens in a new tab). Add the onions (opens in a new tab) and green chillies and fry until the onions are deep golden.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger, then the tomato (opens in a new tab), chilli powder, coriander and remaining salt. Cook until the oil separates.

    • 6 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the chicken and fry on a high heat for 5 minutes, then stir in the poppy-seed paste and water. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

    • 22 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C at the thickest part.

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the garam masala (opens in a new tab), cook 2 minutes more and finish with coriander.

    • 2 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Andhra Pradesh, India · Commonly attributedAndhra cooking is known for its chilli heat (Guntur chillies); recipes vary widely from home to home.More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Sautéed, Simmered
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pot
Cook more with
Chicken thigh · Green chilli · Cayenne / chilli powder · Turmeric · Cinnamon · Cloves
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering · Bhunao

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

351 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 369 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 39%
  • Carbohydrate 14%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy351 kcal95 kcal
Protein34.2 g9.3 g
Carbohydrate12.5 g3.4 g
Net carbohydrate9 g2.4 g
Sugars3.8 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.5 g0.9 g
Fat18.5 g5 g
Saturated fat2.7 g0.7 g
Trans fat0.1 g0 g
Cholesterol153 mg41 mg
Sodium1038 mg281 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
672 mg
Calcium
101 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
68 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
47 µg
Vitamin C
26 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
1 µg
Folate (DFE)
27 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Taste the chilli powder first — Guntur chilli is very hot; use part Kashmiri chilli for colour with less heat.

Common mistakes

  • Under-browning the onions — Andhra curries rely on onions cooked down deep golden.

Serve with

  • Serve with hot rice and ghee, or with chapati.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until piping hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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