Find More Recipes

Chicken Sukka

Ready in 45 mins

Recipe by Mamtha Sunil Kumar 

Chicken Sukka is a creamy chicken recipe with delicious spices and flavours from South India. Chicken Sukka means "dry chicken" although it's anything but that! The clarified butter (ghee), fennel seeds and poppy seeds give an amazing taste and aroma to this dish. Also this is very simple to make, so it is a win-win situation. Just give it a try and I am sure you all will love this dish too. It can be eaten as a side dish with rice or roti.

Preparation Time

15 Minutes

Cooking Time

30 Minutes

Ingredients for Chicken Sukka

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.
If you want to know more about Indian ingredients, check our Indian Spices and our Indian Pulses, Rice and Seeds pages.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

12 whole roasted dried red chillies
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 medium fresh coconut
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1½ lb chicken breasts
8 curry leaves
1 large onion
  salt

How to Cook Chicken Sukka

  1. First of all, make the masala paste. Heat 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter (ghee) in a pan and roast the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, poppy seeds, fenugreek seeds, till aromatic. Allow to cool. Dry grind along with roasted red chillies, turmeric powder and tamarind paste. Set this masala paste aside for later use.
  2. Drain the 'milk' from the coconut then crack it open and coarsely grate the flesh. Peel and crush (mince) the garlic and mix this with the coconut and cumin seeds.
  3. Remove any skin from the chicken breasts and cut them into bite-size pieces then, in a large heavy bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add the chicken along with the first masala paste, adding a little water and salt according to taste. Allow this to cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked. Mix in the coconut paste and continue to cook over a low heat for few more minutes or the till the chicken is completely cooked.
  4. While the chicken is cooking, peel and finely chop the onion. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a pan, add the curry leaves and onion and fry gently until the onion turns golden brown (about 5 minutes). Stir this into the Chicken Sukka and serve hot with rice or Indian bread.
MAMTHA SUNIL KUMAR'S HOT TIP:
Be sure to grate the coconut coarsely. If it is too fine it will turn "mushy"