Quilon Fried Chicken Recipe

Quilon Fried Chicken gets its signature crisp texture from high-heat cast iron cooking.

Recommended Cookware

Use a Cast Iron kadai for even frying and deep flavor.

Ingredients

• Chicken
• Rice flour
• Corn flour
• Pepper
• Curry leaves

Quilon Fried Chicken (Kerala Coastal Style)

Quilon Fried Chicken is bold, rustic, and full of coastal spice. It comes from the old Quilon region (modern-day Kollam), where food tends to be fiery, coconut-oil rich, and deeply aromatic rather than heavily breaded like Western fried chicken.

This sits in the flavour world of Kerala and the historic coastal city of Kollam.

🍗 What makes it “Quilon style”

• No thick batter coating
• Spice-forward marinade that sticks to the chicken
• Curry leaves + coconut oil finish
• Slightly charred, masala-crusted exterior
• Juicy inside, crispy edges outside

🛒 Ingredients

Main

• 1 kg Chicken (medium pieces, bone-in preferred)

🌶️ Marinade (the real flavor layer)

• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1.5 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (color + mild heat)
• 1 tsp red chili powder (adjust heat)
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (modern touch, optional but works)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp rice flour (for light crispness)
• 1 tbsp corn flour (optional crisp boost)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

🔥 For frying

• Coconut oil (important — don’t replace if you want authentic Kerala depth)
• 10–15 curry leaves
• 3–4 green chilies (slit)

🔥 Cooking Method

1. Marinate properly

Mix chicken with all marinade ingredients.

Massage it well so the spice paste clings to every piece.

Rest:

• Minimum: 1 hour
• Best: overnight (this changes everything)

2. First fry (gentle cook)

Heat coconut oil in a pan.

Add a few curry leaves.

Place chicken pieces and cook on medium flame.

Don’t rush this — let it slowly cook and firm up.

Turn occasionally so it cooks evenly.

3. Crisping stage

Once chicken is cooked through, increase flame slightly.

Let edges start getting darker and slightly crisp.

You’re aiming for a rustic char, not deep-fried uniform crispness.

4. Final tempering

In a small pan, heat a spoon of coconut oil.

Add curry leaves + green chilies until crisp.

Pour this over the fried chicken.

This step defines the Quilon identity.

🍽️ What it tastes like

• Deep peppery heat that builds slowly
• Curry leaf aroma that hits first
• Slight tang from marinade
• Crispy spice crust, not batter crunch
• Juicy, soft interior

🫓 Best served with

• Kerala parotta
• Steamed rice + onion salad
• Kappa (tapioca)
• Or just as a snack with lime wedges