Restaurant Style Pepper Chicken Fry | Spicy Pepper Chicken Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-5 Servings
 
Ingredients
For dry spice mix:
  • Whole black peppercorn - 2 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
  • Fennel seeds / Saunf - 1 tsp
Other ingredients:
  • Chicken - 1 kg, skinless & bone-in, curry cut
  • Onion - 3, large, thinly sliced
  • Curry Leaves - couple of handful (about 8 stalks)
  • Garlic - 15 to 20 cloves
  • Canola/Sunflower oil - 5 to 6 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
  • Fennel seeds - ¼ tsp
  • Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
  • Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
  • Green chilli - 2, finely chopped and 2, sliced into halves
  • Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
  • Garam masala - ¼ tsp
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Fresh coriander leaves - ½ cup
Instructions
  1. To make the dry spice mix for pepper chicken fry, dry roast whole black peppercorn, cumin seeds and fennel seeds in a small frying pan until they start becoming fragrant. It would take about 2 minutes on medium-low flame.
  2. Transfer the roasted spices to a plate to cool down completely. Once cooled, grind the spices in a dry grinder to make a fine powder. Your pepper chicken fry spice mix is ready!
  3. Now heat a kadai/wok until very hot. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the oil.
  4. Once oil is warmed up, temper it with cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Then add half of the curry leaves and whole garlic cloves.
  5. Sauté the garlic on low flame for a minute or two but ensure garlic doesn’t burn. The garlic cloves will change their color and become light golden.
  6. Now add the sliced onion. Fry the onion on medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes until they become light golden brown.
  7. Add the ginger & garlic paste and the finely chopped green chillies. Give a good stir and continue to cook on medium flame for 2 minutes until the raw smell of aromatics are gone.
  8. Next add turmeric powder and garam masala making sure the flame is reduced to minimum. Stir them in to mix well.
  9. At this stage we will add the chicken pieces and also add salt to taste. Now continue to stir the chicken on high flame for a good 5 to 6 minutes.
  10. After the chicken pieces are nicely browned, add hot water to the chicken, about 1 cup, to cook them nicely. Give a good mix.
  11. Now cover the kadai/wok with a lid and let the chicken cook on low flame for 5 to 7 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked!
  12. After about 5 to 7 minutes, remove the lid and check the doneness of the chicken which should be almost cooked through by now.
  13. It’s time to add the prepared pepper fry spice mix! Add all the prepared pepper fry masala to the chicken along with the remaining half of the curry leaves and the sliced green chillies.
  14. Continue stirring the chicken so that the pepper fry masala coats each chicken piece evenly giving them that unique pepper chicken makeover.
  15. Cook for 5 more minutes on medium flame so that chicken is completely cooked through and oil will start to release slowly.
  16. Your chicken will take on that signature blackish color of restaurant style pepper chicken fry! Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  17. Squeeze juice of half a lemon and freshly chopped coriander leaves over your delicious restaurant style pepper chicken fry and give a final mix!
  18. Your pepper chicken fry is ready! Transfer to a serving platter, serve warm with Kerala parotta and enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2025/04/restaurant-style-pepper-chicken-fry-recipe/