A Delicious and Easy Chicken 65

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Chicken 65 is a very popular dish amongst the south asians and commonly eaten as an appetizer. From my research, It was discovered in a restaurant named Hotel Buhari in Chennai, India. Although they are various speculations to why this chicken has two digits in its name, the fact that this recipe was created in 1965 makes it the most logical theory. After studying various different versions of this recipe, I am happy to inform you that this recipe does not require 65 spices and clearly that is not the reason why this chicken was given its name.

Now that I have addressed our curiosity, let’s talk about what makes this recipe so unique and flavorful. Although this dish originates in India, it really does remind me of an Indo-Chinese dish like Chicken Manchurian. That is probably why some people will also eat this Chicken 65 with fried rice. I could eat it with fried rice or with Daal- Chawal. Actually I could eat almost anything with Daal- Chawal (Lentils & Rice).

Find my favorite and a super simple Daal recipe here

Find my go to Fried Rice recipe here

The reason why I said this chicken is similar to a Chinese dish is because its marinated and fried then marinated again after its cooked.

How I make Chicken65

Let’s talk a little about my version of this Chicken 65 recipe. First we marinate the bite size chicken cubes in lemon juice for a couple hours. The lemon juice will start the tenderizing process and ensure that the chicken cubes are soft and flavorful.

Then marinate the chicken with the spices. These spices include turmeric, chili powder, salt, white pepper (you can also use black pepper) and garam masala. Then add the ginger and garlic paste, an egg , cornstarch, and flour to create a batter. The traditional recipe calls for rice flour but I used all purpose flour. I believe its a staple pantry item and sometimes we don’t want to buy things we’ll only use once a year. And all purpose flour works just fine for this Chicken 65 recipe.

It’s essential to prepare and measure out all ingredients. This will help us avoid any burns in the wok while tempering and glazing the chicken 65. Also, its important to make sure that we chop the ginger and garlic very finely to avoid any huge chunks in the mouth. This Chicken 65 is super soft and tender and large ginger chunks will just be a nuisance. Also, measure out the yogurt at this point so it can start coming down to room temperature to avoid curdling.

Key Ingredients for Chicken 65

The two ingredients that set this recipe apart are the Curry leaves and the red food coloring. Curry leaves impart this unique sharp and nutty flavor while the red food coloring gives it that perfect red color that you usually see on Chicken 65.

After deep frying, the chicken is tempered and glazed with the flavorful sauce and is ready to be served. One thing about Chicken 65 is that it NEEDS to be served right away or even as you are frying it. Otherwise chicken tends to get soggy and cold and re-heating anything fried is just not a good idea.

Chicken 65

Originated in South Asia. The marinated chicken is deep fried in oil then glazed/tempered in a sharp and spicy, tangy sauce enhanced with curry leaves and chili sauce. This bit sized fried chicken can be eaten as an appetizer or as a meal.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Pakistani

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Marination

• 3 cups Neutral Oil
• 1 lb Chicken Breast cubed in bite size pieces
• Half Lemon Juiced
• ¾ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ¼ tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp White Pepper
• ¼ tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
• 1 large Egg whipped
• 2 tbsp Corn Starch heaped
• 3 tbsp All-purpose flour heaped

Glaze for Tempering

• 3 tbsp Neutral Oil
• 1½ inch Ginger finely chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• ¼ tsp Red Chili powder
• ¼ tsp Cumin powder
• 2 tbsp Chilli Sauce
• 3-4 Dry Red Chillies
• 3-4 Thai Green Chillies Sliced in halves
• 5-6 Curry Leaves
• ¼ cup Yogurt whipped and at room temperature
• ¼ tsp Red Food Coloring

For Garnish

• 2-3 Thai Green Chillies sliced
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 1 Lime or Lemon cut in wedges

Instructions

 

• Start by measuring out your ingredients.
• Wash and clean chicken, pat dry with a paper towel and marinate with lemon juice for 30 minutes.
• Now mix all that marinade ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Do a taste test for salt and add chicken.
• Marinate chicken for 30 minutes.
• While chicken is marinating. Prepare your ingredients for the glaze.
• Heat oil in a dutch oven or a wok. The amount of oil will depend on how big your vessel is. Chicken should be sumberged in oil.
• Set heat to medium and when oil starts to shimmer , using your favorite tongs add chicken individually in 2-3 batches.
• Using a spider or tongs, pull chicken out when golden brown and set over a wire rack to drain oil.
• Once chicken is fried. Heat another wok with oil.
• Start adding all ingredients in order except yogurt while mixing in between for a few seconds.
• Set heat to low and mix the food color in the yogurt.
• Add yogurt and mix. Toss the chicken with yogurt glaze.
• Garnish with Green Chillies, Curry leaves and a wedge of lime or lemon.

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@cherishtheflavor

Watch till the end for the most beautiful Chicken65. Full recipe on my blog. ##foodtiktok ##foryou ##fyp ##foryoupage ##Bye2020

♬ Paradise – Bazzi

Keyword Chennai, Chicken, Chicken 65, Fried Chicken, Hyderabadi, Indian, IndoChinese