Name: Chicken 65
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 300 g Boneless Chicken, cut into small bite-sized pieces; 2 tbsp Indian-Style Yogurt, thick; 1½ tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 2 tbsp Rice Flour; 1 tbsp Corn Flour; ½ Egg, beaten (just enough to bind); ¾ tsp Salt; as needed Cooking Oil, for deep frying; 15 Curry Leaves, for tempering; 3 Green Chili Pepper, slit, for tempering; 1 tbsp Garlic, finely minced, for tempering; 1 tbsp Indian-Style Yogurt, for tempering (optional but authentic)

1 hr 15 mintotal

45 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

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Method

In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken with curd, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric, and salt. Allow the mixture to rest thoroughly.
Immediately prior to frying, incorporate the rice flour, cornflour, and beaten egg into the marinated chicken. Mix vigorously to ensure each piece is thickly and uniformly coated.
Heat the frying oil in a deep kadhai. Lower the chicken pieces in one at a time and fry on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until crisp, bright red and cooked through. Drain and set aside.
5–6 min
For the tempering, heat a little oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan.
Introduce the finely minced garlic, slit green chillies, and fresh curry leaves. Allow the aromatics to crackle and release their essential oils for about 10 seconds.
10 sec
Whisk the yoghurt for the tempering with a pinch of red chilli powder, pour it into the pan and stir hard for 5 seconds.
5 sec
Instantly transfer the fried chicken pieces into the active pan. Toss them rapidly over high heat to ensure the spicy, garlicky emulsion flawlessly coats every crispy bite.
Serve immediately while piping hot to preserve the crunch.

How to tell it's done

Expect an exceptionally crispy rice-flour exterior that yields to perfectly tender meat, enveloped entirely in a fiery, deeply aromatic curry-leaf glaze.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: The final flash-tempering of curry leaves, green chillies, and a highly spiced yogurt reduction is the definitive technique that elevates standard fried chicken to the legendary 'Chicken 65'.

What to serve it with

An iconic appetizer. Present it elegantly as-is, accompanied simply by fresh, crisp raw onion slices.

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Ingredients