I haven’t met anyone yet, who doesn’t like fried chicken and this spicy chicken 65, takes it to another level, altogether. This is seasoned batter fried chicken pieces, tossed thereafter with garlic and curry leaves. Sounds yum, right? This Indian style fried chicken is a very popular party appetizer and pairs great with drinks, as well. On the personal front, the chicken 65 has always been a favourite with both me and my husband. When we were in India, we never made it at our respective homes. That’s because, we didn’t need too. Almost every restaurant selling Indian food there would have it on their menu. It is that popular and delicious a snack/appetizer. Now, are you wondering the why it is named the way it is?
The name chicken 65 raises a lot of curiosity. There are many stories attached to it. Some say that it was first made in the year 1965, some say it was the 65th item on the menu etc. But, nobody really knows how the name was coined. The fact, however is that it originated in Buhari restaurant in Chennai, thereafter it became a very popular street food locally. And such was the popularity of the spicy chicken 65 that it didn’t take long for the whole country to take notice of it. Although, this is a dry chicken recipe, a lot of versions of the same exist. Some recipes toss the fried chicken in chili and tomato sauces, some in yoghurt based sauces etc.
In my recipe, I have stuck to how it originally is made. So, mine works great as a finger food, party snack and it also is a great side dish along with dal and rice.
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Quick and easy recipe
My recipe of the spicy chicken 65 is such a life saver when you want a quick, yummy snack. Not only easy, this will take you all of 3o minutes, even lesser, to make. When I have time at hand, I like to keep the chicken marinated for 30 minutes. And when not, I fry the chicken pieces directly after applying the spices. My preferred cut is always chicken thighs and that’s what I have used here as well. That’s because even with deep frying and eating at a later point in time, they still remain succulent and juicy. And that’s exactly what makes fried chicken delicious, a crispy exterior and tender meat inside. But if you prefer chicken breast, by all means you could use that as well.
So, what makes my chicken 65 spicy? I love adding both, ground black peppercorns as well as fresh chilis. The punch that the combination of these along with the copious amounts of garlic, makes this totally lip smacking. However, you could always adjust the chilis and the pepper as per you heat tolerance. Another bit is, if you can try using fresh curry leaves for this recipe. The flavour of the fresh leaves is unmatchable. The frozen and/or the dried ones don’t succeed in imparting the same fragrance. And along with the chilis and garlic, even curry leaves are an integral part of the recipe. In fact, they are used twice – once in the marination and second, when flavouring the fried chicken.
Serving suggestions
The best way to enjoy these yummy Indian style fried chicken is when it is fresh and bursting with flavours. You could serve it hot, along with some ketchup and/or chili sauce. The chicken 65 besides being a fantastic party food, is also a great snack on a chilly, rainy evening along with your chai/coffee. And that’s actually how the Mr. and I enjoyed it one rainy London evening. After all, aren’t those the times when we are craving something spicy, fried and yummy?
So, I hope you are going to give this easy chicken recipe a try sometime soon. And if you do, I’d love to hear back from you. You could drop me a line with your feedback below in the comments section. Or you could share your food pictures with me on Instagram, too. I’d be thrilled to know how you enjoyed my recipe, this or any other that you’ve tried.
Eat hearty!
Spicy chicken 65
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken thighs cut in 1 inch chunks
- 2 tbsp yoghurt
- 1½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 tbsp black peppercorns crushed
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder for the colour (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 10-15 fresh curry leaves
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp pink salt
- 2 tbsp garlic finely chopped
- 4-5 fresh chilis slit
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, chili powder, salt, cumin powder, lemon juice, turmeric powder, 1½ tbsp pepper powder and half of the curry leaves (chopped). Set aside for 30 minutes, at least
- Thereafter, add the flours and mix throughly. Simultaneously, keep the oil to heat in your cooking pot
- Once hot, turn the flame to medium and drop the marinated and flour coated chicken in it, in batches. Fry until they turn golden brown all over
- Drain and remove on an absorbent kitchen towel. Sprinkle the remaining pepper powder and the pink salt. Give it a good toss
- Heat another shallow cooking pot and add a tbsp of oil (you could use the same oil in which the chicken was fried). Add the garlic and chilis in, when fragrant, add the fried chicken pieces, remaining curry leaves. Mix well and cook for only two to three more minutes, over medium heat
- Remove your yummy and spicy chicken 65 in a serving dish and serve along with some ketchup. Enjoy!
Notes
- You could also use chicken breast, but thighs make for a much tender and juicer meat
- You can adjust the amount of chilis and pepper powder in the recipe to suit your taste
- The chicken 65 can be served both you chai/coffee as well as with alcoholic beverages
- g - grams
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
It was nice to go through your post. Thanks for sharing the recipe here. Keep up the good work.