Chicken sukkha (also called Kori Sukka/Kori Ajadina) is a super delicious chicken dish native to the south Indian city of Mangalore and it's surrounding regions. It is spicy and flavorful, thanks to the homemade curry paste and has hints of coconut, ghee and curry leaves. If you like flavorful and aromatic food, you will love this delicious chicken recipe!
What is chicken sukkha?
Mangalorean Chicken Sukka or Kori Sukkha/Kori Ajadina(Tulu) is an Indian chicken dish native to Mangalore and Udupi region along the Konkan coast in south-western India. The word 'sukka/sukkha' means 'dry", so the name of this dish literally means "dry chicken dish". Chicken sukkha has a very thick almost non-existent gravy and a dry consistency. However it can also be prepared with a thick saucy gravy, depending on what you are serving it with.
Every community (and every family!) in Mangalore has their own version of this iconic dish. Some recipes are a lot more spicy than others. But, what they all have in common is a delicious dish with succulent pieces of bone in chicken cooked in a flavorful and aromatic gravy and then finish with freshly grated coconut. The coconut soaks in most of the gravy and envelopes each piece of chicken perfectly, creating the most delicious texture and mouthfeel.
This is my mum's recipe and she very kindly measured all the ingredients using a weighing scale, so I could recreate it perfectly for you all! I've grown up eating this iconic dish and it always made an appearance at every special occasion in our home. It is one of my most favorite chicken dishes of all times and brings back wonderful memories!
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Ingredients
The ingredients below might seem like a lot, but that's what makes this dish so good! I've divided the ingredients into 2 sections below, 1st is all the ingredients to make the masala (spice) paste and 2nd is all the other ingredients for this recipe.
Ingredients for the masala paste
Here's what I use to make the delicious, bright red spicy masala paste for this dish.
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil. Avocado oil is my favorite to use for Indian cooking.
- Dried chilies: I use a mix of Kashmiri red chilies (for that beautiful red color) and spicy red chilies (for heat).
- Onions
- Garlic cloves
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Fennel seeds
- White poppy seeds
- Fenugreek seeds
- Cloves
- Cassia bark/Chinese cinnamon
- Star anise
- Mace
- Black peppercorns
- Tamarind paste
- Turmeric powder
- Kashmiri red chili powder
Remaining ingredients to make chicken sukkha
- Chicken: I like using organic chicken that is preferably bone-in and cut into 2" chunks
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil. Avocado oil is my favorite to use for Indian cooking.
- Ghee lends an amazing flavor to chicken sukkha. I like using grassfed organic ghee.
- Shallots when caramelized add a subtle sweetness to this chicken sukkha.
- Jaggery powder amplifies the sweetness of the shallots and helps balance all the flavors.
- Curry leaves adds an amazing aroma and flavor this this dish, especially when toasted in ghee until crispy.
- Grated/shredded fresh coconut is one of the main flavors in this dish and adds richness and creaminess. Use fresh coconut if you can find it readily. I use store bought frozen shredded coconut that I thaw before using.
How to make chicken sukkha
- First let's make the chicken sukka masala. Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add in the oil. When it gets hot, add in the onions and garlic. Sauté them for 1-2 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.
- Then add in all the whole spices(coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, cassia, star anise, mace, peppercorns, poppy seeds and fenugreek seeds) and dried chilies.
- Toast everything for about 1-2 minutes or until the spices smell fragrant.
- Turn off the heat and let the spices cool down for about 5 minutes. Then transfer everything into a blender along with the turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, tamarind paste and ¾ the water and blend to a smooth paste.
5. Heat the oil and ghee in heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat.
6. When it gets hot, add in the sliced shallots and sprinkle over a pinch of salt.
7. Mix everything together and fry the shallots on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they turn brown in color
8. Then transfer most of the fried shallots onto a plate and reserve them for later.
9. Now add in the chicken pieces into the pot.
10. Spread them out in a single layer. Cook them on medium high heat for about 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is nicely browned on the bottom.
11. Then flip all the pieces and cook them for another 1-2 minutes or until all sides are nicely browned.
12. Now add in the ground spice paste into the chicken and mix well to combine.
13. Rinse out the blender with the remaining water and pour it into the pot with the chicken.
14. Also add in the jaggery and salt to taste. Mix everything together.
15. Let the chicken mix come up to a simmer.
16. Then lower the heat the medium low and cover the pot with a lid. Cook it covered for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
17. While the chicken is cooking. heat the ghee in a frying pan on medium heat.
18. When it gets hot, add in the curry leaves and cook them for about 20 seconds.
19. Next, add in the grated coconut.
20. Toast it on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until it turns light golden brown in color.
21. By now the chicken will be well cooked. Open the lid and cook for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
22. Add in the roasted coconut into the chicken and mix everything together.
23. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed and cook for about a minute or until the coconut and spices coat the chicken nicely.
24. Finally top the chicken with the fried shallots and mix lightly before serving.
Tips and tricks
- Be careful not to burn the whole spices while roasting, otherwise your spice paste will turn bitter.
- Use free range organic chicken for the best flavor and texture.
- To take this chicken sukka recipe to the next level, replace oil and ghee with unrefined coconut oil. You will love the flavor and aroma from coconut oil in this recipe.
- Be careful while using fenugreek seeds. While they add an amazing aroma, they can also impart a very bitter flavor to this recipe. Only use the tiny amount specified below.
- My mum's favorite tip is to make a large batch of the spice paste and freeze it in small containers. This makes it super quick and convenient to whip up this dish in a jiffy.
- If you can't find fresh or frozen coconut, replace it with unsweetened desiccated shredded coconut. Add it directly it to the gravy without roasting in ghee.
- If you want more gravy, add ½ cup extra water towards the end. This will change the consistency of the recipe and it perfect for dipping Indian breads into.
Substitutions
My mum would make a variety of sukkha dishes, depending on what protein/veggie we felt like eating. Feel free to use your favorite protein/veggie in this recipe instead of chicken. Some amazing options are:
- Shrimp/prawns/clams/mussels/crab - replace chicken with the same amount of seafood. After adding the masala paste in the recipe below, you can adjust the braising time depending on how long your chosen seafood needs to fully cook. Shrimp will only need 1-2 minutes of braising, while clams, mussels and crab will need 5-10 minutes (depending on their size).
- Lamb/beef - replace chicken with the same amount of lamb/beef. Stew meat/chuck cut into 1" cubes is perfect for this recipe. Red meat takes longer to cook than chicken. You will need to braise it for 25-30 minutes after adding the masala paste or until the meat is tender and falling apart.
If you'd like to make it vegetarian or vegan, here are some delicious options:
- Vegetarian - 1 inch cubes of paneer would make an excellent replacement for chicken in this recipe. Since paneer doesn't need to be cooked for long, you only need to braise it for 1-2 minutes after adding the masala paste.
- Vegan - Tofu, mushrooms and potatoes are all delicious in this preparation. Chop your main ingredient into 1" pieces. Brown it as usual and then proceed with adding in the masala paste. Braise the dish until your choice of ingredient is fully cooked. Tofu will just take a couple of minutes, mushroom should take 3-4 minutes and potatoes will take about 10 minutes. Also, replace ghee with coconut oil to keep it completely vegan yet super flavorful!
Check out this tamarind tofu ghee roast recipe, if you like South Indian flavors!
Variations
Here are some variations you can make to change up this recipe:
- Spicy - This recipe is at a medium spice level. Add more or less spicy red chilies, depending on how spicy you like it!
- Deluxe - replace some of the chicken with potatoes or mushrooms to make it even more interesting and delicious. As a kid, potatoes used to be my favorite part of this dish!
- Kid friendly - The original recipe below is not too spicy. If your kids can't tolerate any spice, omit the spicy red chilies and only use Kashmiri chilies. You could also add more coconut to make it creamy and sweet.
Pairing
Traditionally in Mangalore, chicken sukkha is served with a variety or rice based dishes. Ghee rice, pulao, dosas and idlis all pair well with it. It also pairs really well with other Indian breads like roti, chapati and naan.
My favorite pairing with chicken sukka is a Mangalorean dosa called Neer dosa(Kannada/Tulu)/panpole(Konkani). They are thin lacey rice crepes made with just rice and salt. I will share my recipe for neer dosa very soon.
Equipment
A good blender makes it very easy and quick to whip up the masala paste used in this recipe. I swear by my Vitamix blender. The small jars make it very easy to blend up a small batch of spices for this recipe.
I love using a shallow enameled cast iron pot to cook dishes that need to be browned and then braised in their own juices. The wide base makes it easy to get amazing browning going and cast iron helps retain heat really well and braise the dish until nice and tender.
Storage
Chicken sukka stores well in air tight glass containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You could also freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then microwave it until heated through.
My mum's favorite tip is to make a large batch of the spice paste and freeze it in small containers. When ready to make the dish, directly add in the frozen masala paste into the pot. This makes it super quick and convenient to whip up this dish in a jiffy.
Frequently asked questions
Which state is chicken sukka from?
Chicken Sukka or Kori Sukkha/Kori Ajadina(Tulu) is a is a dry or semi-dry chicken dish native to the Mangalore and Udupi regions along the Konkan coast in Karnataka, India.
Chicken sukka also has many regional variations extending along the Malabar coast - in Goa, Karnataka, and the famous Maharastrian style chicken sukka from Kohlapur.
This is my mum's recipe for Mangalorean chicken sukkha.
Related
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Recipe
Chicken sukkha
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken (preferably bone-in, cut into 2" chunks)
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons ghee
- 2 large shallots
- 1 teaspoon jaggery powder or brown sugar
- kosher salt
For the roasted coconut
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 25 curry leaves
- 1.5 cups grated/shredded fresh coconut (I use store bought frozen shredded coconut, thaw before using)
For the spice paste
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- ¼ medium onion (sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 Kashmiri red chilies
- 3 dried red chilies (spicy)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¾ teaspoon white poppy seeds
- 10 fenugreek seeds (about 1/16 teaspoon)
- 7 cloves
- 2 inch cassia bark/Chinese cinnamon
- 3 petals star anise
- 1 inch mace
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Make the chicken sukka masala
- Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add in the avocado oil. When it gets hot, add in the onions and garlic. Sauté them for 1-2 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.
- Then add in all the whole spices(coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, cassia, star anise, mace, peppercorns, poppy seeds and fenugreek seeds) and dried chilies. Toast everything for about 1-2 minutes or until the spices smell fragrant.
- Turn off the heat and let the spices cool down for about 5 minutes. Then transfer everything into a blender along with the turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, tamarind paste and ¾ the water and blend to a smooth paste.
Cook the chicken
- Heat the oil and ghee in heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat. When it gets hot, add in the sliced shallots and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Mix everything together and fry the shallots on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they turn light brown in color. Then transfer most of the fried shallots onto a plate and reserve them for later.
- Now add in the chicken pieces into the pot and spread them out in a single layer. Cook them on medium high heat for about 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is nicely browned on the bottom. Then flip all the pieces and cook them for another 1-2 minutes or until all sides are nicely browned.
- Now add in the ground spice paste into the chicken and mix well to combine. Rinse out the blender with the remaining water and pour it into the pot with the chicken. Also add in the jaggery and salt to taste. Mix everything together.
- Let the chicken mix come up to a simmer. Then lower the heat the medium low and cover the pot with a lid. Cook it covered for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Make the roasted coconut
- While the chicken is cooking. heat the ghee in a frying pan on medium heat and add in the ghee. When it gets hot, add in the curry leaves and cook them for about 20 seconds.
- Next, add in the grated coconut and toast it on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until it turns light golden brown in color.
Assemble the chicken sukkha
- By now the chicken will be well cooked. Open the lid and cook for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add in the roasted coconut into the chicken and mix everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed and cook for about a minute or until the coconut and spices coat the chicken nicely.
- Finally top the chicken with the fried shallots and mix lightly before serving.
Video
Estimated Nutrition
Food safety
- Always cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds. My favorite oil for all high heat cooking is avocado oil.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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