Andhra Chicken
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: September 13, 2025
Andhra chicken curry is a creamy, luxuriant delight. Packed with flavour and a sauce like no other, this South Indian treasure is a keeper for sure. Learn just how simple it is to make at home too.
India's south eastern region of Andhra Pradesh provides the world with some of the most delicious food offerings. This curry is one of those delights - a succulent chicken curry with the most amazing rich and creamy sauce. It has flavour for days and is one of my most favourite Indian dishes.
This recipe is part of my Indian and Asian Curries collections, where you’ll discover more flavourful favourites.
The unique part of this curry is the thickening paste of cashews, sesame seeds and hulled white poppy seeds known as 'khus khus' - it transforms a standard sauce into a sublime sauce!
I make a similar curry, Bengali Chicken Rezala, which also uses white poppy seeds which you should definitely experience too!
What is Andhra Chicken
Andhra chicken is purely a signifier of a chicken curry that hails from the region of Andhra Pradesh in India's south. Known as the Rice basket of India, the region's fertile soils produce many of India's most treasured ingredients.
This Andhra style chicken recipe is my take on a typical curry from the region, often called 'Kodi Kura'. Succulent chicken sits in a rich gravy of spices, tomatoes, coconut milk and a special nut paste made from cashews or peanuts which is typical of a traditional Andhra chicken curry. My Kodi Kura recipe is a medium spiced dish that has a light kick of chilli heat. You can of course dial the heat up or down to your own taste.
Why it works?
It's luxurious! This is such a special curry that feels like a treat whenever I make it. The glossy and creamy sauce is pure heaven and the flavours are something else - the nuttiness from the cashew paste really deliver a unique and treasured chicken curry - and anyone who knows me can attest that I love a chicken curry! I'm sure you'll love this too.
Stuff You'll Need
As indian curries go, this one doesn't require that many ingredients. You will have to hunt out some white poppy seeds - I suggest you go to a specialist Indian store for those. They're often titled 'khus khus', so just ask.
- Cashew nuts (unsalted), sesame seeds, white poppy seeds (see above), dried chillies and milk are blended together to make a nut paste.
- Chicken thighs - I tend to use these as they are best for portioning. The thighs are juicy too and won't dry out like breast meat.
- Curry leaves - for their delightful aroma
- Onion, garlic, ginger and tomato - bring all their flavour to the sauce
- Ghee for its deep buttery flavour. You can use vegetable oil for a lighter version.
- Turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala are all the dried spices you'll need.
- Coconut milk - brings its decadent creaminess to the sauce
- Fresh chillies - for a little more heat. Add more or less depending on your spice tolerance.
Step by Step
Truth be told, it's pretty simple to put together, here's how to make Andhra chicken at home.
- Step 1 - In a dry frying pan, toast the dried chillies, sesame seeds and white poppy seeds until the start to splutter and dance around the pan.
- Step 2 - Pour them into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, and grind into a powder.
- Step 3 - Add this powder to a jug along with the cashews and milk and blend until smooth.
- Step 4 - In a large, heavy based pan heat the ghee over a medium heat until hot. Add the curry leaves and let them splutter for a few seconds.
- Step 5 - Add the onion and stir well to coat with the ghee. Cook them for 5 minutes until soft.
- Step 6 - Add the garlic, ginger, fresh chillies followed by the chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Step 7 - Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes until they break down into a mush.
- Step 8 - Add all the powdered spices and stir well.
- Step 9 - Now add the nut paste, coconut milk and some water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Remove from the heat and serve!
I like to fry up a few fresh curry leaves in oil until crisp and use as a garnish alongside some more slithers of fresh hot chillies for more heat. This is optional of course.
Sticky warning!
Beacause this curry has nuts, it makes it prone to catching on the bottom of the pan. Be sure to stir your sauce every 4-5 minutes to avoid this happening. You have been alerted!
Serving & Storage Suggestions
Curries are the perfect contender for eating later, so refrigeration or freezing are great options.
- Refrigeration - this curry will stay good for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a microwave or pan until piping hot.
- Freezer - Again, store in airtight containers and reheat in the microwave from frozen until piping hot. You may also want to add a touch of water to the top before reheating (about 1/4 cup). Be sure to stir during reheating to avoid microwave burn.
Ready to get cooking?
I'm sure you'll love this Andhra chicken curry as much as I do - the rich and creamy sauce is addictive and if truth be told, If left unsupervised, I could and would eat the entire pan myself. Hope you enjoy!
More Indian recipes
If you liked this recipe, I'm sure you'll love some more of my tasty Indian suggestions.
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Ingredients
For the cashew paste
- ½ cup cashew nuts (unsalted)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp white poppy seeds (khus khus)
- 4 dried chillies
- ½ cup milk
For the curry
- 2 lb chicken thighs cut into bitesized chunks (about 800g)
- 1 tbsp ginger crushed
- 2 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
- 1 stem curry leaves
- 2 onions (medium sized, thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp garlic crushed
- 2 green chillies chopped
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 200 ml coconut milk (6.8oz)
- 1½ tsp salt
Instructions
For the cashew paste
- In a dry pan, dry fry the chillies, sesame seeds and poppy seeds for 1-2 minutes until toasted.
- Add to a spice grinder and grind into a fine powder.
- Add the powder to a jug with the cashews and milk and using a stick blender, blend into a smooth paste. Set aside.
For the curry
- Heat the oil in a heavy based pan until just hot. Add the curry leaves and let them sizzle.
- Add the onion and stir well. Let them fry, stirring regularly for 5 minutes until soft and golden.
- Add the ginger, garlic and chopped green chillies and stir for about 30 seconds before adding the chicken.
- Stir fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes before adding the tomatoes and cooking for a further 3-4 minutes until mushy.
- Add the turmeric, coriander, cumin and garam masala. Stir well to incorporate.
- Add the cashew nut paste, coconut milk, salt and about 400ml of water.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 35 minutes. Stir regularly to avoid the sauce sticking to the base of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and serve with rice or Indian breads.
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