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    Home » Meal Type » Appetizer

    Chicken Kali Mirch | Pepper Chicken (Dry)

    Published on July 23, 2021 · Updated on July 23, 2021 - This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See disclosure policy.

    204 shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Chicken Kali Mirch / Pepper Chicken (Dry) makes for an easy chicken appetizer, or even a side with a main dish like biryani or fried rice.

    And it’s a very low fuss recipe, using limited ingredients (just 3 ingredient marination), and under 30 minutes to make (especially if you have marinated the chicken ahead of time).

    top shot of a bowl of chicken kali mirch dry, along with another bowl & some black peppercorns in the background

    This recipe uses boneless chicken, but you can adapt it and use bone-in chicken as well.

    In-fact, this recipe came about because I wanted to try and recreate the restaurant style pepper chicken that I had in a South Indian restaurant, and they had used bone-in chicken.

    That being said, after having tried both, I personally prefer using boneless chicken for this kind of pepper chicken fry. And bone-in chicken for the curried version of chicken kali mirch.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need
    • How to Make Chicken Kali Mirch (Pepper Chicken Dry)
    • Serving Suggestion
    • Popular chicken recipes on the site..
    • 📖 RECIPE

    Ingredients You Need

    top shot of all the ingredients required to make chicken kali mirch
    ingredients – boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite sized pieces), peppercorns, fennel seeds, salt, oil, mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, chopped onions & ginger garlic paste

    Ingredient notes

    ~ Use boneless chicken thigh meat and not breast meat, for a tender and juicier pepper chicken

    How to Make Chicken Kali Mirch (Pepper Chicken Dry)

    • To begin with, in a dry mixer, crush the black peppercorns & fennel seeds into a fine powder.
    • Then add salt to this pepper & fennel powder, and give it another quick pulse in the mixie.
    • The spice rub for marinating the chicken is ready.
    step by step photos of making the spice rub for chicken marination
    • Apply this spice rub to the chicken pieces, ensuring to coat it well.
    • Then let the chicken marinate in this spice mix for 1-2 hours.
    side by side before and after shots of applying spice rub to chicken
    • Now, in a wide pan, lightly heat up the oil, and add in the black mustard seeds.
    • When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the curry leaves, and red chilies (each slit in two parts), and roast for 1-2 minutes, till they get lightly roasted.
    • Then add in the chopped onions, a little salt, and saute on medium flame, till the onions start to turn light brown (~ takes about 7-8 minutes).
    • When the onions are done, add in the ginger garlic paste & saute for 2-3 mins, just till it loses its raw flavor.
    step by step photos of making pepper chicken dry
    • Finally add in the marinated chicken thigh pieces & mix it in.
      
    • Cook covered on medium high heat, stirring intermittently, till the chicken is fully cooked ( ~ takes about 25-30 minutes).

    Serving Suggestion

    Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side with a rice dish.

    top shot of a pan full of pepper chicken dry, with a serving spoon, and black peppercorns on the side

    Popular chicken recipes on the site..

    ⭐️ Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop
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    Chicken Ghee Roast Recipe
    ⭐️
    Tandoori Spiced Chicken Wings
    ⭐️
    Whole Chicken Tandoori Recipe
    ⭐️
    Instant Pot Chicken Biriyani

    As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️ 

    📖 RECIPE

    top shot of a bowl of chicken kali mirch dry, along with another bowl & some black peppercorns in the background

    Chicken Kali Mirch Recipe (Pepper Chicken Dry)

    easy recipe to make chicken kali mirch (restaurant style indian pepper chicken dry) using boneless chicken
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizers
    Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 593kcal
    Author: Shantala Shenoy Nayak

    Equipment

    • Hexclad Pans

    Ingredients

    • 2 pound boneless chicken thighs

    For chicken marination

    • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns (kaali mirch ke daane)
    • ½ tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)
    • 1½ teaspoon salt

    For main roast

    • 2 tablespoon oil
    • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
    • 10 curry leaves (cadipatta)
    • 2 dry red chillies
    • 1 cup chopped onions
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Marination for kali mirch chicken

    • Clean and cut boneless chicken thigh meat into bite sized chunks / cubes. Set aside.
    • In a dry mixer, crush the black peppercorns & fennel seeds into a fine powder.
    • Add salt to this pepper & fennel powder, and mix well. The spice rub for marinating the chicken is ready.
    • Apply this spice rub to the chicken pieces, ensuring to coat the chicken pieces well. Let the chicken marinate in this spice mix for at-least 1-2 hours.

    Making chicken kali mirch (dry)

    • In a wide pan, lightly heat up the oil, and add black mustard seeds.
    • When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the curry leaves, and red chilies (each slit in two parts), and roast for 1-2 minutes, till they get lightly roasted.
    • Then add in the chopped onions & salt, and saute on medium flame, till the onions start to turn light brown (~ takes about 7-8 minutes).
    • After this, add in the ginger garlic paste & saute for 2-3 mins, just till it loses its raw flavor.
    • Finally add in the marinated chicken thigh pieces & mix well.
    • Cook covered on medium high heat, stirring intermittently, till the chicken is fully cooked ( ~ takes about 25-30 minutes).
    • Serve this chicken kali mirch (pepper chicken dry) hot.

    Notes

    1. You can adapt this recipe to make chicken kali mirch using bone-in chicken too. But if you are using boneless chicken, then it’s best to go with thigh meat, and not breast meat, for a juicier pepper chicken.

    Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 1343mg | Potassium: 579mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 351IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg

    Video Recipe

    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @loveofspice or tag #loveofspice!

    This post was first published in 2019, and has been republished with updated instructions, images, as well as a recipe video in July 2021.

    If you’d like FREE recipes and meal prep ideas delivered directly to your email inbox every Friday in one short email, then subscribe to the Foodie Friday list HERE, and never run out of ideas on what to cook over the weekend or prep for the week ahead. 🙂

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rajlakshmi

      March 03, 2020 at 7:46 pm

      I can already taste the flavors. It looks amazing. Thank you for this awesome recipe. Love your food photos 😀

      Reply
      • Shantala's Kitchen

        March 04, 2020 at 9:53 am

        Thank you so much, Raj. I hope you try it, and enjoy it as much as we do.

        Reply
    2. Damyanti

      March 03, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      5 stars
      Another amazing one, Shantala! I’ll start putting on weight just by visiting your posts now!!

      Reply
      • Shantala's Kitchen

        March 04, 2020 at 9:52 am

        Hehe, I hope not.

        Thank you so much for rating. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Kankana Saxena

      September 19, 2019 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      One of my fav chicken appetizer! Love it spicy with chill beer LOL

      Reply
      • LoveOfSpice

        September 21, 2019 at 12:47 pm

        Haha same here. Though it’s margaritas for me! 😀

        Reply

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    Hi there, I am Shantala, an Indian foodie in an American kitchen. Welcome to The Love of Spice - my food blog, virtual home & passion project, all rolled into one. On here I share Easy-to-Follow Family Recipes, along with tips on Indian Meal Planning & Lunch Box Ideas for Kids & Adults. I hope you enjoy the site, and find it useful. :) read more

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