Chicken mappas. Super simple curry loaded with the right amount of spices and creamy coconut milk to create lip-smacking side dish. The coconut based sauce makes a winning combination with the lightly spiced tempering. Make a double batch of this easy chicken curry - it’s addictingly delicious!
When it comes to creating a heart warming meal for the family, classic is the name of the game. As you know, traditional recipes are always a huge hit on the dinner table. They incorporate well-loved ingredients in the most delicious way and bring generations of culinary wisdom to your kitchen. Whether you are a classic food lover or just experimenting with a new recipe, this dish is sure to please.
Chicken mappas. A traditional Kerala style chicken curry featuring chicken cooked in lip-smacking coconut sauce. While the chicken is succulent and tender, the sauce is subtly spiced and loaded with coconut flavor. This dish also requires a light tempering of onions which maximizes the taste. Again, it’s usually served as a breakfast dish alongside appam or rice and coconut pancakes that’s a quintessential part of Christmas and Easter celebrations.
Chicken Mappas Recipe
First, the chicken. Even though the traditional choice is chicken with bones, I have opted for diced chicken breast.
Next, let’s start with the curry. Fry a few dried whole spices including bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves in a little oil. When it starts to release the beautiful aroma, fry a little ginger, garlic and green chilies.
Fry onions and curry leaves until soft. Once you get that beautiful soft and translucent texture, fry ground turmeric, ground coriander and ground fennel. Add tomatoes, chicken and lemon juice. Season with salt. You will also need to add a generous sprinkle of ground black pepper.
Now, stir fry this chicken mappas over high heat for about 5 minutes. The chicken will eventually start to release water. At this stage, add coconut milk. In this case, the second extract of coconut milk.
In this recipe, you have two options. Use freshly extracted coconut milk from coconut or use store bought coconut milk and coconut cream. The recipe below describes the easier version using store bought canned coconut milk.
You will also need to make quick tempered spices to flavor the curry. Just a quick stir fry with shallots, curry leaves and green chilies.
Delicious and fragrant spiced chicken mappas for your next meal!
More Chicken Curry Recipes:
- Kerala Chicken Roast
- Kerala Chicken Stew
- Malabar Roast Chicken | Kozhi Nirachathu
- Malabar Chicken Curry
- Thattukada Chicken Fry | Fried Chicken Street Food Style | Kozhi Porichathu
Chicken Mappas | Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil coconut oil preferred
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 1 - inch fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 2 green chilies chopped
- 1 cup sliced onions
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel fennel powder
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 kg chicken chicken with bone is preferred, but I used chicken breast
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper pepper powder
- 1 and ½ cups coconut milk see notes
- ½ cup coconut cream see notes
- Salt to taste
Tempered spices:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 shallots peeled and sliced
- 1 green chili sliced
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves. Sauté, stirring, for about 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Add ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Add onions and curry leaves. Sauté, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent.
- Add ground turmeric, ground coriander and ground fennel. Sauté, stirring, for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, chicken, lemon juice and ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Season with salt.
- Increase heat to high.
- Stir fry for 5 minutes or until the chicken starts to release water.
- Reduce heat to medium-high.
- Add canned coconut milk (second extract of coconut or thin coconut milk). Stir to combine.
- Cook, covered, for about 15-17 minutes or until cooked through.
- Add canned coconut cream (first extract of coconut or thick coconut milk)
- Stir to combine.
- Heat through.
- To make the tempered spices, heat oil in a frying pan.
- Add shallots, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Pour tempered spices over the curry. Stir to combine.
- Serve with appam (traditional combo), rice or parathas.
Video
Notes
- Traditionally chicken mappas is served with appam or rice pancakes
- This curry doesn’t require red chili powder, so use more green chilies to make it spicy
- Use coconut oil for authentic taste
- Cooking time may vary for chicken thighs and chicken with bone
- Want to learn how to extract coconut milk from fresh coconut? - check out the recipe
Nutrition
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