Chicken xacuti with step by step photos and a video recipe. Chicken xacuti (or Chicken Shagoti) is a flavorful chicken curry from Goa, India. You can serve this Goan chicken curry with Bread, Pav, Poli, or Rice. Let’s see how to make this easy chicken curry at home.
Watch the recipe video
Goan Chicken Xacuti Recipe
Xacuti (pronounced ‘shakuti’) is derived from chacuti in Portuguese. The locals here call it ‘shagoti’ in Konkani language (Goa’s language). It is made with chicken cooked in freshly ground xacuti masala. You can serve it with Bread, Pav, Poli, or Rice.
I have been staying in Goa for the last 20 years. Chicken Shagoti is prepared in most Goan households as Sunday special lunch/dinner. You can find this delicious chicken curry made during Goan festivals and celebrations like Chicken Cafreal.
To make this Goan chicken xacuti curry, whole spices, coconut, red chilies, and onions are roasted and ground to make xacuti masala. The chicken is then cooked with this masala and served with bread or Goan Pav.
What's in Xacuti Masala
Shagoti is made with aromatic spices, coconut, dried red chilies, and onions. Every family has its recipes to make xacuti masala. Homemade xacuti masala is so incredibly aromatic, flavorful, and easy to make that you will ditch the store-bought ones. I have shared the recipe in the post. This xacuti masala recipe is surely a keeper. You can add it to any other non-vegetarian recipes like mutton xacuti.
You will find this traditional Goan chicken curry on every restaurant’s menu serving non-vegetarian foods in Goa. In addition to this, you will also find popular seafood like prawns and fish on their menu.
You may also like these other popular chicken recipes from this website:
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Scroll down the recipe card for step by step instructions with photos.
Chicken Xacuti Recipe (Chicken Shagoti)
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Deep bottom pan/Kadhai
Ingredients
To make green masala
- 1- inch ginger roughly chopped
- 20 small garlic cloves
- 2 green chilies add as per your spice preference
- 1 cup tightly packed coriander leaves with stems
To marinate the chicken
- 1 kg chicken, curry cut
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- green masala
To make Xacuti masala
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (if you prefer less spicy add ½ teaspoon black peppercorns)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 8 cloves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ star anise
- 1 teaspoon fennel
- 2 petal of mace
- 1- inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- a small piece of nutmeg
- 8 byadgi red chilies (or kashmiri red chilies)
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 2 onion sliced
- 1 whole grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds Khus-khus
To make Goan chicken curry
- 3 teaspoon oil
- 1 small onion chopped
Instructions
Preparations
- Making green masala - In a mixer/grinder jar, add ginger, garlic, green chilies, coriander leaves and ¼ cup of water. Grind to a fine paste. Keep it aside.
- Marinate the chicken - In a mixing bowl add chicken, lemon juice, turmeric powder, salt and green masala. Combine and marinate the chicken for an hour. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator.
Making Xacuti masala
- In a deep bottom pan, dry roast black pepper, cumin, cloves, coriander seeds, star anise, fennel, mace, cinnamon, green cardamoms, nutmeg and red chilies over low heat until aromatic. Remove and keep it aside on a plate to cool down.
- Heat 2 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add onion slices and sauté until lightly golden. Now, add grated coconut to the pan and roast it until the coconut is lightly golden.
- Next, add poppy seeds (Khus-khus) and roast until the coconut is golden. Remove and keep it aside on a plate to cool down.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients to a mixer/grinder jar. Add water and grind to a fine paste. Xacuti Masala is ready.
Making the Chicken Xacuti Recipe
- Heat 3 teaspoon of oil over medium heat.
- Add onion and saute until golden.
- Next, add the marinated chicken. Cook it, uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Now cover and cook it until chicken is cooked. Stir it in between as required.
- When the chicken is cooked, add xacuti masala to it.
- Add water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Cover and cook until it comes to a boil.
- Taste and add salt as per taste.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Oil will float on the surface. It is an indication that the masala is cooked.
- Chicken Xacuti is ready to serve.
- Serve with Pav or Poli or steamed rice.
Video
Notes
- Dry roast all the ingredients on low to medium heat. Make sure to stir them often so that they get roasted evenly and to avoid the burning of spice.
- Deseed the dried red chilies to reduce the spiciness.
- Marinating the chicken keeps the chicken tender and juicy. Also, enhances the flavor.
- Try to make this curry at least 1-2 hours in advance. The curry tastes better the next day. The flavors get enough time to combine.
- Add a very small piece of nutmeg. If you do not have it skip it. Do not add more as it can make the masala bitter.
- Storage Suggestions:
- Store the leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.
- Let the chicken curry come to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days. Reheat until piping hot and serve.
- For longer self-life freeze it. Stays good for a month. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
How to make Chicken Xacuti (with Stepwise Photos)
Preparations
- Making green masala - In a mixer/grinder jar, add ginger, garlic, green chilies, coriander leaves, and ¼ cup of water. Grind to a fine paste. Keep it aside.
- Marinate the chicken - In a mixing bowl add chicken, lemon juice, turmeric powder, salt, and green masala. Combine and marinate the chicken for an hour. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator.
Making Xacuti masala
- In a deep bottom pan, dry roast black pepper, cumin, cloves, coriander seeds, star anise, fennel, mace, cinnamon, green cardamoms, nutmeg, and red chilies over low heat until aromatic. Remove and keep it aside on a plate to cool down.
- Heat 2 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Add onion slices and sauté until lightly golden. Now, add grated coconut to the pan and roast it until the coconut is lightly golden.
- Next, add poppy seeds (Khus-khus) and roast until the coconut is golden. Remove and keep it aside on a plate to cool down.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients to a mixer/grinder jar. Add water and grind to a fine paste. Xacuti Masala is ready.
Making the Chicken Xacuti Recipe
- Heat 3 teaspoon of oil over medium heat.
- Add onion and saute until golden.
- Next, add the marinated chicken. Cook it uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Now cover and cook it until the chicken is cooked. Stir it in between as required.
- When the chicken is cooked, add xacuti masala to it.
- Add water to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Cover and cook until it comes to a boil.
- Taste and add salt as per taste.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Oil will float on the surface. It is an indication that the masala is cooked.
- Chicken Xacuti is ready to serve.
- Serve with Pav or Poli or steamed rice.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken - To make this Goan-style chicken xacuti, I have used bone-in chicken pieces as they are more flavorful. You can also use boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Lemon juice - Traditionally, Goan toddy vinegar is used. You can substitute it with tamarind.
- Coconut - Use freshly scraped/grated coconut for this recipe. You can substitute it with coconut milk.
- Onions - I have used red onions for this recipe. You can substitute it with yellow onions.
- Ginger and Garlic - Fresh ginger and garlic give the best flavors. You can substitute it with store-bought ginger-garlic paste.
- Whole Spices - I have used black pepper, cumin, cloves, coriander seeds, star anise, fennel, mace, cinnamon, green cardamom, and nutmeg. You can easily purchase these whole spices from a nearby Indian/Asian grocery store or online.
- Poppy seeds (Khus-khus) - You can skip the addition of poppy seeds if it not available.
Variations that you can try
- You can make Mutton Xacuti or Crab Xacuti with the same recipe by substituting chicken with mutton or crab.
- Even vegetarian versions link Paneer Xacuti or Mushroom Xacuti can be made by substituting chicken with paneer or mushroom.
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