This bright, green-yellow picture of the stir fried chicken, is a recipe from Kerala – a beautiful, coastal state in south of India. In fact, Kerala is so beautiful, that is is also known as God’s own country! If you have not yet been to this part of India, then you should definitely add it to your travel list. A coastline measuring 580 kilometres adorns the state and hence it has an abundance of coconut trees. As a result, Kerala’s cuisine makes good use of the fruit in it. Likewise, the thoran, is one such popular coconut-based recipe.
Only vegetables (not meat or fish) were, traditionally, used to cook thorans and that too without using onions and garlic. However, with time, that has changed. Now, onions and garlic are included to make this flavourful, quick and easy stir fry. And, I am sharing with you, a chicken thoran or stir fried chicken with coconut recipe.
The creaminess of the coconut, the spice of the ginger, the aroma of the curry leaves and the tang of the lime juice in the chicken thoran, makes it a hearty stir fry.
Before, I write any further, I want to thank my friend Sathis for introducing me to this delicious recipe. Sathis, himself is a foodie and stirs up amazing Indian and Sri Lankan food fares. Do check his blog www.tastepot.com for some mouthwatering recipes.
Quick, easy and healthy
You are going to be able to make this chicken thoran, with easily available ingredients and that too, under 30 minutes. This why this recipe, makes it one of my top options for a quick and easy weekday meal. And soon it will become your go-to weekday dinner too. Also, there is hardly much of a pre-preparation that you would need to do. This is because, the main flavours of this dish – coconut, garlic and ginger – are used in the form of a ground paste. So absolutely no elaborate cutting and chopping needed.
Also, by using finely diced chicken breasts, I have further ensured that the cooking time is reduced. Chicken breasts, being leaner, don’t take a lot of time to cook and are healthier too. Additionally, you will need very little oil to put together this chicken thoran or stir fried chicken with coconut. Hence, this is not just a recipe that is bursting with taste but a healthy one too.
Accompaniments
I love having the chicken thoran just as is. On weekends when I am too lazy to cook but want to eat something delicious, this is my weekend lunch. However, this is a delicious side dish with a bowl of rice and dal and/or with Indian flatbreads like rotis. Though this is a stir-fry, the coconut in it imparts a lovely, creamy texture to the thoran and does not make it dry. You could also top up your whole wheat bread with this stir fried chicken with coconut and enjoy. The possibilities to devour this quick-fix chicken meal are endless really. So, now lets take a look at how to get going with making it!
Do take a look at my other easy and quick chicken recipes:
Chicken tikka salad with baby spinach
Chicken thoran - stir fried chicken with coconut
Ingredients
- 200 g chicken breast finely diced
- 4 tbsp grated coconut or coconut meat chunks
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp coriander leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 3-4 fresh green chillis optional
- 4-5 curry leaves
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add some salt, red chilli and turmeric powders to the chicken breasts and leave it aside for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile, in a mixer-grinder, add the coconut, ginger, garlic, chillies and half of the coriander leaves and grind it to a coarse paste using little water
- Heat a pan with oil, add the cumin and mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter
- Add the curry leaves, chopped onions and chillis. Saute until the onions soften and turn translucent
- Add the ground coconut mixture and fry on medium heat until it turns dry
- Add the diced chicken and stir fry on high heat until well seared
- Cover and cook on medium flame until the chicken is completely tender
- Turn off the flame and add the lime juice and fresh coriander leaves
- Serve hot just as is or as a side with breads and/or rice
Notes
- You could replace onion with shallots, that will enhance the taste even more
- You may use your regular cooking oil instead of coconut oil
- Dicing the chicken breast in smaller pieces aids in faster cooking
- tbsp - tablespoon
- tsp - teaspoon
- g - grams
Dear Madhu,
That’s a wonderful work by you. You have done it perfectly. Thank you so much for trying this. 🙂
I am so happy that you like it Sathis 🙂 Thank you