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Kerala Recipes

Authentic Kerala Chicken Curry — Nadan Kozhi Curry Recipe

📅 Mar 10, 2026⏱ 8 min read✍️ Hostao LLC
⏱ Prep Time
20 min
🔥 Cook Time
40 min
🍽 Servings
4 people
📊 Difficulty
Medium

If there's one dish that screams Kerala in every bite, it's Nadan Kozhi Curry — the classic Kerala chicken curry that every Malayali grew up eating. This isn't your restaurant-style gravy with cream and butter. This is the real deal: roasted coconut, aromatic curry leaves, bold spices, and a thick, flavourful gravy that pairs perfectly with rice, appam, or Kerala parotta.

I learnt this recipe from my achamma (grandmother) who made it every Sunday. The secret, she always said, was patience — roasting the coconut until it's deep brown, and letting the curry simmer until the oil separates. Don't rush it and you'll get magic.

🛒 Ingredients

Chicken (curry cut) — 750g
Grated coconut — ½ cup
Onion (sliced) — 2 large
Tomato — 2 medium
Ginger-garlic paste — 2 tbsp
Green chillies — 3–4
Curry leaves — 2 sprigs
Coconut oil — 3 tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder — 2 tsp
Coriander powder — 2 tsp
Turmeric — ½ tsp
Garam masala — 1 tsp
Pepper powder — 1 tsp
Salt — to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

1
Dry-roast the coconut. In a heavy pan over medium heat, dry-roast the grated coconut without any oil, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown — about 7–8 minutes. The moment it smells nutty and fragrant, remove from heat. This step is the heart of this curry.
2
Grind the coconut. Grind the roasted coconut with ¼ cup of water to a smooth paste. Keep it aside. This paste is what gives the curry its unique thick, rich gravy.
3
Sauté the base. Heat coconut oil in a kadai. Add curry leaves and green chillies — let them splutter. Add sliced onions and cook on medium flame until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes. Don't hurry this step — the colour of the onions defines the colour of your curry.
4
Add ginger-garlic and spices. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw smell disappears. Add Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and pepper. Mix well and cook on low heat for 2 minutes until the oil starts to release.
5
Add tomatoes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn completely soft and mushy. The oil should start separating from the masala at this point.
6
Cook the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and mix well to coat with the masala. Add salt and 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
7
Add coconut paste and finish. Add the roasted coconut paste and garam masala. Stir well and simmer for another 8–10 minutes until the gravy thickens beautifully. Taste and adjust salt. Finish with a drizzle of coconut oil and a few fresh curry leaves.

💡 Tips & Variations

  • Use bone-in chicken for maximum flavour — the marrow enriches the curry.
  • For extra heat, add 2 more green chillies or increase pepper powder.
  • If you prefer a thinner gravy (for appam), add ½ cup more water and skip reducing.
  • Tastes even better the next day as the spices deepen overnight.
  • For a coconut milk version, replace coconut paste with ½ cup thick coconut milk added at the end.
🏆 Recommended for this Recipe

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make Kerala chicken curry without coconut?

You can, but then it's not really nadan style! The roasted coconut paste is what gives this curry its distinctive nutty depth. If you're allergic, try a cashew paste instead — it gives a rich body to the gravy.

What goes best with Kerala chicken curry?

Kerala chicken curry is best paired with appam, Kerala parotta, or simple white rice. It also goes well with puttu, idiyappam, or even chapati. The thick gravy works with everything!

Can I make this in a pressure cooker?

Yes! After adding the chicken and water, pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium heat. Then open, add the coconut paste and simmer uncovered for 5–7 minutes to thicken the gravy. Works perfectly.

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