Craving Indian food isn’t something every non-Indian experiences, but I may be one of those exceptions. Of many choices, Chicken 65 is a dish I would love to make again and again. It simultaneously hits all my taste buds and senses, delivering a concentrated, intense, and authentic South Indian flavor that lingers even after eating.
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The Story of Chicken 65
So, what exactly is Chicken 65, and how did it get its name?
After searching the internet, I found various stories about its origin. The most popular one claims that it was invented in 1965 by A.M. Buhari of Hotel Buhari in South India. Another story suggests that the chef chopped the chicken into 65 pieces during the cooking process. There’s also a version that says a group of Indian soldiers in Chennai was presented with an elaborate menu, and this chicken dish was the 65th item on the list.
Despite its obscure origins, the irresistible flavor makes me addicted to it, given that it’s so delicious. I see no reason not to share the recipe with you. Below is my step-by-step guide on how to prepare Chicken 65.
The chicken 65 recipe
The Chicken 65 recipe primarily involves chicken marinated with various Indian spices, deep-fried, and coated with tempered spices. Since there are many ways to prepare it, my version may incorporate some Malaysian cooking traits, although it remains primarily a Southern Indian cuisine.
Let’s get into the details of how to make this restaurant-style chicken
Ingredients required for the Chicken 65 recipe
- Chicken. You can use either chicken thighs or breast meat. However, it is best to use boneless chicken because it is more suitable as a side dish or appetizer.
- The marinade. The flavor of Chicken 65 depends heavily on the ingredients used to marinate the chicken. In this recipe, the perfect combination includes ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, black pepper powder, Kashmiri chili powder, and garam masala. Also, incorporating some yogurt helps to add acidity and tenderize the chicken.
- Spices for tempering (frying in hot oil). Tempering is a traditional Indian cooking technique that involves frying spices in hot oil to release their essential oils and enhance their flavor. The whole spices used include cumin seeds, green chilies, dried chilies, and curry leaves. This step is crucial for bringing out the full flavor of these spices.
- Garnish. Finally, it is garnished with additional curry leaves, onion rings, and lemon wedges.
The step-by-step method to prepare Chicken 65
1. Marinate the chicken. Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breast meat into 1-2 inches pieces. Mix the boneless chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, black pepper powder, Kashmiri chili powder, and garam masala. Also, include the yogurt, which helps tenderize the chicken. Marinate the chicken pieces for an hour before deep frying.
2. Coat the chicken with flour and cornstarch generously before deep-frying.
3. Fry the chicken. Heat the vegetable oil with a high smoking point to medium heat, about 170°C/340°F. Lower the marinated chicken pieces gently into the hot oil. Deep-fry the chicken pieces in small batches to avoid sticking together in the pan. Refrain from disturbing them for the first minute, which helps the coating adhere to the surface without dropping off.
4. Deep-fry the chicken until golden brown, which will take four to five minutes, depending on the temperature and the size of the chicken pieces. (Since part of the flour will inevitably detach from the chicken pieces during the frying, please use a slotted spoon to remove the debris between batches.)
Remove the chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack or paper towels to drain the excess oil.
5. Temper the spices. Heat the vegetable oil in the pan to fry the cumin seeds until they crackle. Please use low to medium heat to temper the cumin seeds, as they can burn quickly. Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, dried chilies, and curry leaves. Fry over low heat until automatic. Slit the green chilies lengthwise before adding them to the pan helps to release the flavor. Pat dry the curry leaves and the green chilies to prevent them from splattering while frying.
6. Add a tablespoon of water to form a sauce. Return the deep-fried chicken pieces to the pan and thoroughly mix them with the tempered spices.
7. Garnish chicken with curry leaves, onion rings, and lemon wedges. Serve with rasam, sambar, and rice.
Chicken 65 Recipe
Chicken 65 recipe is a side dish and appetizer. It is a famous Indian dish prepared with various spices and deep-fried.
Ingredients
Ingredients A: Marinate the chicken
- 500g boneless chicken breast
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder (option)
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder (optional)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 4 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- A pinch of red food coloring (optional)
Ingredients B: Coat the chicken before deep-frying
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp rice flour
Ingredients C: Tempering the spices
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chilies, slit
- 1 dried chili
- 2 stalks of curry leaves
- 2 tbsp water
Ingredients D: Others
- Curry leaves, onion rings, and lemon wedges to garnish
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying and tempering the spices
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breast meat into 1-2 inches pieces.
- Mix the boneless chicken pieces Ingredients in A.
- Marinate the chicken pieces for an hour.
Deep-fry the chicken
- Coat the chicken with rice flour and cornstarch before deep-frying.
- Lower the marinated chicken pieces gently into the hot oil (170°C/340°F). Refrain from disturbing them for the first minute.
- Deep-fry the chicken until golden brown, which will take four to five minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack or paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Temper the spices
- Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan.
- Add the cumin seeds and stir-fry until they crackle.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, dried chilies, and curry leaves. Saute over low heat until aromatic.
- Add a tablespoon of water to form a sauce.
- Return the deep-fried chicken pieces to the pan and thoroughly mix them with the tempered spices.
- Garnish chicken with more curry leaves, onion rings, and lemon wedges.
Notes
A simpler recipe is to omit the cumin and coriander powder and double the amount of garam masala.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1011Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 176mgSodium: 2394mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 72g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 13/11/2022
Tips to make the best Chicken 65
- The longer you marinate, the tastier the chicken will be. You can even marinate it overnight.
- You can use finely minced garlic and ginger as a substitute for ginger-garlic paste. Please ensure that the garlic and ginger are minced finely or will not stick to the chicken during frying.
- If you do not have coriander and cumin powder, double the amount of garam masala.
- Marinate the chicken with the spices generously. You will only get the restaurant-style flavor if you use enough spices.
- Kashmiri chili powder is a red chili powder that gives the chicken a nice reddish appearance. You can add some paprika if you can’t get the Kashmiri chili powder. Otherwise, add some edible red food coloring like those served in the restaurant to get a bright red color.
- You can add acidity to the chicken with lemon juice and yogurt. These ingredients help to tenderize the chicken meat. However, some chefs do not add yogurt to marinate the chicken, which is a personal preference.
- All-purpose flour is a good substitute for rice flour. However, cornstarch is essential as it is a crucial ingredient in producing the crispy crust.
- The oil used for deep frying should have a high smoking point. Corn, canola, peanut, and palm oil are the choices.
- An alternative to deep-fried is to air-fry the chicken. However, deep-frying chicken tastes better than air-fried chicken.
- The quantity of green chilies depends on the spice levels that you want. You can remove the seeds and pith of the green chili to reduce the hotness, but I suggest not reducing the number of chilies as they contribute to the flavor.
How to store the chicken?
The chicken pieces will remain crispy for half an hour after deep-frying. Therefore, it is advisable not to fry the chicken in advance to ensure they are still crispy while serving.
You can store marinated chicken pieces in the freezer for four to six weeks. Since they are frozen, please defrost the chicken at room temperature before deep-frying.
If you make a large batch of chicken 65, I suggest freezing the marinated chicken without coated with cornstarch and flour. Please add the flour and cornstarch only right before deep-frying.
Can I make it if I don’t have all the spices in the recipe?
The Chicken 65 recipe is very flexible. You can make the following changes if you do not have all the ingredients:
- The basic ingredients are ginger garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric, and chili powder.
- You can double the amount of garam masala if cumin and coriander powder are unavailable.
- Lemon juice and yogurt are optional. However, I would prefer to include either one, as the acidity helps tenderize the chicken meat.
- You can substitute rice flour with all-purpose flour. As for the cornstarch, replace it with wheat starch or potato starch.
- The dried chili in the recipe is optional. Just use the green chili to infuse the chili flavor into the chicken meat.
- Curry leaves are indispensable for this chicken recipe. I always use fresh curry leaves as they are readily available. If you can’t get fresh curry leaves, you can use dry curry leaves as a substitute.
Shefali
Wednesday 30th of November 2022
Hi, on a completely different note, can you tell me how to make authentic Chinese fried rice
KP Kwan
Wednesday 14th of December 2022
I have written several articles about fried rice on this blog. The most comprehensive one, however, is this one: https://tasteasianfood.com/fried-rice/ I hope that is due to you.
KP Kwan
Sunday 13th of November 2022
Hi, this is KP Kwan. I am happy to see you in this comment area, as you have read through my recipe. I am glad to reply to any questions and comments as soon as possible.