Xacuti Chicken
Chicken in Chilli-Coconut Paste
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Heat
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Serves
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Dietary Info
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Prep 5 mins
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Marinade 30 mins
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Cook 30 mins
A uniquely flavoured dish made from roasting a delicate blend of spices to form a thick paste with coconut and kashmiri chillies for an intense heat and delicious flavour.
Hari says
Chicken Xacuti is actually pronounced as shakuti. It's a unique South Indian dish from the Goan region that is made with poppy seeds and Kashmiri chillies. It's thought that 'shakuti' comes from the Portuguese dish 'chacuti' which has been modified and to produce this dish.
It's a dish that is cooked with some typical South Indian flavours in a typical South Indian style. The chicken is first marinated and the spices roasted and ground to create a fragrant paste. It radiates a beautiful bright red colour which comes from the lovely kashmiri chillies that are a key ingredient of this dish. If you are the mood to wake up your taste buds then this is the dish for you. Hot, fiery and delicious.
To buy the main ingredients for my Xacuti, buy my curry kit here.
- Ingredients
- Method
- 8 chicken pieces on the bone skinless
Marinade
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Xacuti paste
- 100g fresh coconut, fresh grated/desiccated
- 8 Kashmiri chillies, broken
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 5cm stick of cassia bark, broken
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 6 garlic cloves
Masala
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, finely sliced
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
Method
Marinade
- Marinade the chicken in salt and turmeric for 15-20 minutes.
Xacuti paste
- Heat a dry frying pan on a low heat and roast the coconut for 5-7 minutes until just brown. Remove and set aside.
- Dry roast the chillies, coriander seeds, cassia bark, peppercorns, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cloves and star anise in the same pan for 2 mins just till they release their aromatics.
- Add the poppy seeds and roast for a further 1 minute.
- Remove the spices and leave them to cool before grinding them to a powder in a spice grinder. Remove and set to one side.
- Put the garlic into a blender with the toasted coconut and blend to a paste.
- Add the ground spices with about 100ml of water to create a thick paste.
Masala
- Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions. Fry for 10 minutes once browned add the spice paste and fry for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken pieces and coat in the spice paste. Leave to cook on a low heat with the lid on the pan until the chicken pieces are tender (about 20-30 minutes).
- Grate in the nutmeg and tamarind paste and leave for a further 5 minutes to cook.
- Add some boiling water to create a little more gravy. Garnish with fresh coriander and whole red chillies.
Served with
This is a really fiery South Indian dish which I like to eat with some plain rice. Looks and tastes amazing and it could blow you away!
Nutritional information
| Typical values* | per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 189 |
| Fat (g) | 13 |
| of which saturates (g) | 5.9 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 4.2 |
| of which sugars (g) | 2.9 |
| Fibre (g) | 2.1 |
| Protein (g) | 14 |
| Salt (mg) | 0.84 |
This goes well with
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Comments
Comments (16)
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Hari Ghotra
Glad you are enjoying the website. Do download me free app too thanks Hari
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Barbara
Hi Hari
Love your recipes and looking forward to trying them. If you use desiccated coconut instead of fresh, is the quantity reduced and if so, by how much?
Thanks-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Desiccated it fine it will be a bit more dry but its fine. Let me know how you get on. Take a picture and post it on the app too. Thanks Hari
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Neil
Woooooo,
Guess what I'm going to make. I can taste it now. Awesome.-
Hari Ghotra
OOOOOOOOO how did it go??
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Dave
Hari,
As a fully committed Hari fan - have cooked quite a few of your curries - loved them all.
1st time using one of your kits - worked a treat - nice flavours - keep up the good work x-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Dave - wow that it so cool! I am so happy that you are loving the recipes, the kits and the website. Make sure you download the free app too. Big love Hari
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Hari Ghotra
Hi Matthias That is praise indeed - I think Camellia is fantastic so thank you very much. Lovely to hear that you enjoyed the vindaloo so thank you for the feedback. Do let me know what else you try. I think the ginger is in the list I say about 3cm worth. Thanks again and enjoy Hari -
Matthias
Hi Hari, I stumpled upon your recipes while surfing Youtube. A friend introduced us to Camellia Panjabi, who happens to be one of his oldest friends. I feel your recipes are more authentic than hers - and she was my gold standard. Thank you so much for the recipes! Your pork vindaloo tastes like I remember it from 20 years ago, when you got it in most Indian restaurants in the UK.
Am excited to cook this recipe tonight.
You forgot to list the ginger. I just assume it is about 2 inches worth.
Cheers, Matthias -
Hari Ghotra
Hi Helen Do you mean coconut milk? This is more of a dry paste so desiccated coconut would be better. Let me know what you think. Thanks Hari -
Helene
Hi Hari, would it be possible to use tinned coconut instead of fresh? -
Hari
Hi Maureen
Just what you needed on a cold night! Glad you enjoyed it and even better to see you adapting the recipe to suit you! Thanks for sharing, what you going to try next? Hari -
Maureen
Made this on this downright frigid night. Comfort food. Excellent. I switched out the canola for ghee and used coconut water instead of plain water. I also served it with basmati cooked in coconut water. Very tasty. Nice heat but not uncomfortable. -
Hari
Sounds like a plan to me. Also try the Thari Walee Lamb -
Jeff
Hi Hari. Gradually working my way through your recipes. So far Lamb Madras was gorgeous, Tangy fried okra a little iffy. Xacuti Chicken really nice but think it would work better with creamed coconut. Think maybe Vindaloo next?
Sasha
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