Chicken Xacuti (Authentic Goan-Style)

Chicken Xacuti recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions.

What is Chicken Xacuti?

Chicken Xacuti (pronounced as “sha-kuti“) is a spicy, flavourful Goan chicken curry. It is prepared in almost every Goan home. Each home will have its own version of ‘Xacuti’ with a little variation here and there. No party, celebration is complete without chicken xacuti on the menu card. Forget about any event, a mere Sunday is a strong enough reason to prepare xacuti. 😜 The reason being it has less hassles, as compared to getting fish (and cleaning it), on a Sunday when all that you want to do is chill out!

Just cook this one dish and buy ‘pav‘ from the local ‘poder‘ in the morning and you are sorted out for the day. (Poder is the guy who sells different types of Goan pav. If you live in Goa you do not need an alarm to wake up in the morning. He will come with a big basket strapped to a bicycle honking with his horn.)

Chicken Xacuti keeps getting better with passing time as the flavours of the spices and chicken start mingling with each other. So it actually tastes better the next day. Hence, use fresh spices and chicken for optimum flavour and taste. Serve it with Goan ‘pav’, ‘undo’ or ‘katro pav’. (local bread names in Goa, each one is different in shape, size and taste. I think I should write a post on Goan Breads someday 😄) However, if you do not reside in Goa you can serve it with any Indian bread like roti, naan, paratha or slice bread. You can serve it with rice too. But believe me you ought to try out ‘The Goan Xacuti’ with Goan breads.

Chicken Xacuti – Beauty in Simplicity

Chicken Xacuti to me is like a blockbuster multi-starrer movie. So many characters (spices, ingredients) and scenes (preps) but still you do not lose out on the plot (delicious and irresistible chicken). No exotic ingredients required, just some staples from the pantry. Really, sometimes the simple dishes are the most tastiest ones. It requires no accompaniments and above all you never get bored eating it. Although a large number of spices are used here, you will not find any one spice overpowering the other. The perfect medley of spices and other ingredients gives this indigenous delicacy a cult status.

A lot of spices go into the making of Xacuti. So, do not get overwhelmed or intimidated looking at the ingredients and pre-preps. Go slow one step at a time and consequently you will be done in no time.

Let’s just take a brief overview of ingredients used to prepare Xacuti.

Key Ingredients To Prepare Chicken Xacuti

1. Chicken – Preferably use fresh chicken for Xacuti. If using frozen chicken then thaw it completely.
2. Coconut – Here again I would insist on freshly grated coconut. Do not use frozen or desiccated coconut.
3. Assorted Spices – A lot of spices are used to make Xacuti. Hence, use good quality spices for great taste.
4. Tamarind – Tamarind adds a subtle hint of tang and sourness to Xacuti.
5. Sesame seeds (Til) – Sesame seeds give a nutty flavour to Xacuti. It balances the flavour of all spices.

Tips to prepare fiery Chicken Xacuti

1. All the ingredients (chicken, coconut etc.) used should be preferably fresh or atleast thawed completely to room temperature. Do not use boneless chicken. Chicken with bones gives a delectable taste.
2. If available use the Goan variety of red chillies for authentic taste.
3. Marinating the chicken is optional if using fresh chicken. In case of frozen chicken, marinate it with the green masala for about 1/2 to 1 hour.
4. Do not add too much coconut in the xacuti. The gravy will turn out too thick.
5. Remove the seeds from star anise (dagadful) as they are bitter to taste.
6. A key step is to fry the coconut and spices appropriately. Fry the spices on slow flame till a waft of light aroma is released. However, do not burn the spices.
7. Similarly, coconut has to be toasted till all the moisture in it evaporates and it becomes crumbly and dry to touch. Also be careful not to burn the coconut.
8. This toasting of coconut on low flame will release its natural oils and consequently you will see a thin layer of oil floating on the top of Xacuti once cooked. (see pic below). (Note:- If you do not have the time to fry coconut in this manner you can use a dry coconut instead. Dry coconut requires less time for roasting as compared to fresh coconut.)

How to prepare Chicken Xacuti?

Preparing the green masala

1. First, let’s prepare the green masala. Grind all the ingredients under ‘green masala’ (see recipe card) to a smooth paste.

2. Wash the chicken pieces well. If you are using frozen chicken marinate here with green masala for 1/2 to 1 hour. You can marinate fresh chicken too.

Frying onion, coconut and spices

3. Grate coconut and slice onion lengthwise.

4. Heat oil in a kadhai or pan. (I have used pure coconut oil. You can use any other regular oil.) Add sliced onion and sauté till light brown.

5. Next add coconut and fry on low flame till all the moisture content of the coconut evaporates. You need not fry it continuously. Thus, just leave it in the kadhai and mix occasionally. However, be careful not to burn it.

6. Once done remove on a plate and allow to cool. Next let’s fry the spices.

7. On low heat fry the spices till an aroma is released. Do not burn the spices as they will impart a bitter taste to chicken xacuti. Grind the roasted onion, coconut and spices to a paste. The paste should be neither too coarse nor too finely ground.

Cooking Chicken Xacuti

8. Heat ghee in deep and wide pan or utensil. Adding a fat such as ghee makes the chicken soft. However, you can use oil instead of ghee. Toss in the sliced onion and a bay leaf.

9. Further, add the chicken and green masala.

10. Add a tablespoon of salt and mix everything well. (Note:- I have used the local sea salt (gavthi meeth) which imparts an exquisite taste to chicken xacuti.) Cover and cook for about 20-25 mins till the chicken becomes soft.

11. Add the ground masala paste and water to get a medium-consistency gravy. Lastly, add a tablespoon of salt and cook for another 10 mins. Also, adjust salt as per your taste.

12. If you have roasted the coconut well you will get a layer of oil on top as shown in the pic below.

13. Chicken Xacuti is ready. Serve with pav, roti, naan or rice along with some raw onion rings and lemon to squeeze.

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