I love a good chicken curry, and this Curry Leaf and Black Pepper Chicken Curry recipe is no exception! I’ve taken inspiration from some of the delicious foods I tasted while visiting Kerala, India; using a pretty common flavor profile for that area.
Although it’s a bit similar to my Coconut and Cardamom Chicken Curry recipe (another favorite!), the flavor is also quite unique.
If you aren’t very familiar with Indian cooking, you may not know what curry leaves are. Not to be confused with the “curry” spice that you can pick up at the local supermarket, these leaves are extremely flavorful and lend a bit of a herbal flavor to your dish. I suppose you can liken it to the bay leaf in western cuisine. It adds depth to your dish and is usually that flavor that you can’t quite pin-point, but your taste-buds can surely tell when it’s missing. 
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Curry leaves usually play a supporting role in Indian cuisine, added before cooking or as part of a tadka (tempering of spices in oil) at the end. They aren’t usually the star; and even with using over 50 leaves in this dish–I wouldn’t say that their flavor overpowers the others, surprisingly.
Curry leaves can be found at most Indian and Asian grocery stores. They can also be ordered online. When purchased fresh, they last a few weeks in the refrigerator, provided they are stored well. I usually wrap mine in paper towels and then slip them into a Ziploc bag. You may also freeze curry leaves and add them to your dish directly from the freezer.
Curry leaves may also be purchased and used dried (or you can dry your own!) and are sometimes even crushed into a powder. Although the leaves themselves aren’t usually eaten whole, there is no harm in doing so. Most people choose to pick them out of their foods or just keep them aside while eating.
Originally when I made this recipe I had thought that I would keep it simple and make the gravy (sauce of the curry) using only the spices, marinade and water. It tasted really nice, but I thought a bit of coconut milk would take it up a notch.
I was right.
If you like your dish a bit more creamy, go ahead and add in some extra coconut milk–or even coconut cream. Delicious. Please keep in mind that you may need to add extra salt to balance the flavor.
When you taste a curry, it should be an explosion of flavor on your tongue. If instead of an explosion, the flavor is more like a little bang, you probably need to adjust the salt.
If you like this recipe and would like to see more posts like this, I’d appreciate if you commented, liked and shared! 👍 😀❤
[recipe title=”Curry Leaf and Black Pepper Chicken Curry Recipe” servings=”4-6″ cook time=”30 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 medium sized onion
- 1/2 tbsp. Garlic (I used Shan Garlic Paste)
- 1/2 tsp. Black peppercorns
- 5-6 sprigs (about 60 individual leaves)of fresh curry leaves, plus 15-20 more individual leaves for tempering
- 1-3 green chilies, your preference
- 1/4 tsp. Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. Red chili powder
- 1 tsp. Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp. Lemon juice
- 2 tsp. Oil (I used coconut)
- 1/3 c. Coconut milk
- salt, to taste
Directions:
- In a small mixie or blender, grind together onion, garlic, curry leaves(only the leaves, not the tough sprig), green chilies, and black peppercorns.
- Add some salt and lemon juice. Also add turmeric, coriander powder and chili powder. •Pour this mixture in a large bowl and then add the chicken breast. Marinate chunks of chicken breast at least 20 minutes, preferably a few hours.
- Add oil to a pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add 10-15 fresh curry leaves (be careful, oil will splatter).
- Cook for 20 seconds or until the oil stops spluttering. The leaves will crisp up a bit.
- Then add the chicken/marinade mix. Cook until chicken is nearly done then add about 1/3 cup coconut milk and continue cooking until the chicken is done and the curry has reached your desired consistency.
- Finish with some more fresh ground pepper and check salt.
Notes:
- Serve over plain boiled rice. This curry would also go really well alongside appams.
- Try not to over cook the curry, this may result in tough chicken pieces. When I made this recipe the chicken stayed nice and tender.
- I also recommend cutting the chicken pieces slightly large. Smaller pieces tend to cook faster and dry out easier.
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[/recipe]
