Chicken 65 Recipe (Dry Version)

indian spiced deep fried boneless chicken 65 pieces tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves

Chicken 65 Recipe (Dry Version)

step by step recipe to make chicken 65 - 3 ways (traditional deep fry, air fryer chicken 65 & baked chicken 65 in oven)

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 232kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken

2 pounds boneless chicken preferably thigh meat

For chicken marination

2 eggs
3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon red chilli powder
1½ teaspoon garam masala powder
1½ teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 tablespoon rice flour

For tadka / tempering

2 teaspoon oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
1 dry red chilli
20 curry leaves (cadipatta)

Instructions

Chicken Prep & Marination

Take 2 pounds of boneless chicken (preferably thigh meat - see notes), and cut into small bite sized chunks of approximately the same size.
In a bowl, beat 2 eggs, and to it, add 3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1½ teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoon red chilli powder, 1½ teaspoon garam masala powder, 1½ teaspoon coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon cumin powder. Mix everything together to make a marinade.
Now coat all the chicken pieces with this marinade, and refrigerate the marinated chicken for 4-6 hours.
Once the chicken is marinated well, take it out of the fridge, and let it thaw for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature, to ensure the chicken doesn’t go from one extreme temperature in the fridge to the other extreme in hot oil in a matter of minutes.
Right before frying, add 1 tablespoon cornflour (for binding) and 1 tablespoon rice flour (for crispy coating) to the marinated chicken pieces, and mix well.

Frying The Chicken Pieces

Heat up the oil to fry the chicken, and then fry the chicken cubes, a few pieces at a time, till they turn golden brown and crispy.
Here ensure to not overcrowd the pan by adding a lot of chicken pieces at the same time, as that will bring down the temperature of the oil, which in turn will result in chicken retaining some oil on the surface, and not getting as crisp as you want the pieces to get for chicken 65.
Frying time will vary depending on the size of the pan and the size of the batch, but on medium heat, it took me about 5-7 minutes per batch.
As soon as you remove the chicken pieces from the oil, put them in a bowl lined with paper towel, to absorb excess oil, if any.

Chicken 65 Tadka

Finally, in a big pan (that will hold all the chicken pieces), lightly heat up 2 teaspoon oil, and add in ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start popping, add in 1 red chilli (slit in two) & 20 curry leaves, and lightly roast them for 1-2 minutes.
Then add in the fried chicken pieces to this tadka & mix well.
Now lightly roast the chicken pieces for 3-5 minutes on medium heat, and then turn off the flame.
Chicken 65 is ready to serve.

Video

Notes

For this recipe (or for any deep fried chicken dish) it's best to use thigh meat instead of breast meat, as it is easier to over cook breast meat at high temperatures, making it dry and rubbery, while thigh meat is juicier.
I cut the chicken into really small cubes, but you can cut the chicken into any shape you prefer. Just ensure the chicken pieces are (approximately) of the same size, as it will be easier to fry them evenly and well.
For a spicier chicken 65, you can increase the amount of red chilli powder, and other spices, and even add in black pepper powder in the marinade.
It’s best to marinate the chicken for 4-6 hours, but if you are pressed for time, a 2 hour marination will suffice. But irrespective of how long you marinate it, if you have refrigerated the chicken, ensure to first thaw it at room temperature for at-least 30 minutes before you start frying it.
You can skip adding corn-flour for binding, and double up on the rice flour instead, for a really crispy chicken 65. Especially if you are using eggs, which work as a good binding agent anyway. I personally prefer the texture that I get with adding a mix of both corn flour and rice flour.
You can also choose to add in red food coloring or even kashmiri chilli powder instead of regular chilli powder for getting that restaurant like red-colored chicken 65. I personally don’t add in food coloring if I can avoid it.

Quick Notes on Variation (details shared in post above recipe card)

Air Fryer Chicken 65 - 390 F for 20-25 minutes, flipping once in between
Oven Baked Chicken 65 - 350 F for 20-25 minutes, flipping once in between

Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition