Chicken 65 is an immensely popular chicken starter from the Southern region of India and one of the tastiest too! Tangy & spicy, chicken 65 is one of our favorites of all time!
India is a country of diversity which is so unique in nature that it amazes me at times! I doubt if the saying “Unity in Diversity” applies so aptly for any other country other than ours.
All our states are different in terms of languages, customs, rituals and of course cuisine!
I’m sure it would take a lifetime to learn about all the different regional cuisines that exist in today’s date from North to South and East to West.
When I moved to South India, I first came to know about this dish called Chicken 65. The name is intriguing enough to invoke some curiosity in me.
What is the mystery behind this unusual name? Why on earth a chicken starter will be named “chicken 65”!
What is chicken 65?
To describe this dish simply, chicken 65 is a bite-sized boneless chicken fry dish coated in a crispy batter and sprinkled with crunchy curry leaves and green chillies!
Sounds simple, right? But being a food blogger (and that too with a curious mind!), I had to dig deeper into it to gain more insight about its naming history!
So I did some googling and finally got to know quite a few interesting stories! Out of many anecdotal theories, the most believed one is about the Buhari Hotel chain!
It is believed that Chicken 65 was first introduced in 1965 at the famous Buhari Hotel restaurant in Chennai by its founder A. M. Buhari, a pioneer in the South Indian food industry and that’s how it got its curious name “Chicken 65” [Source: Wikipedia].
Another account claims that the dish emerged as a simple meal for Indian soldiers in 1965; while there is also a claim that it is a dish containing 65 chili peppers devised by an enterprising hotelier!
Whatever the story may be, we really got a keeper here and once you learn to make this, I can bet you will make it on repeat!
Ingredients for Chicken 65
Chicken breast: This chicken fry is made with boneless & skinless chicken breasts. If you are worried that it would turn out hard, then let me assure you it won’t!
The amazing batter does the trick and retains the tenderness of the chicken breast meat keeping it soft & juicy!
Aromatics: To ensure your chicken 65 turns out super flavorful, use a generous amount of the aromatics that is ginger and garlic paste. Use freshly made pastes for best results!
Powdered spices: Like any other Indian style chicken fry recipe, this one is also a flavor-bomb thanks to all the beautiful powdered spices that we typically use in most of our Indian dishes!
Turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder – add all these powdered spices to your batter and witness the magic!
Corn flour and Rice flour: When I first tasted chicken 65, I was genuinely surprised by its superbly crispy bite coming from the outer coating!
As I eventually became a food blogger/recipe explorer, I decoded the secret behind this insane crispiness! And thankfully, it’s quite simple!
Plus, the good news is that both the ingredients are easily available in Indian kitchens which are nothing but corn flour and rice flour!
Combination of both these flours creates that incredible crispy coating of chicken 65!
Red food color: This one is optional! Add a good quality food color to your batter only if you want to get that vibrant red color to make a restaurant style chicken 65.
Lemon: Juice of the lemon will help break down the fiber of the chicken breast making it tender. It would also add a tang that compliments the spices beautifully.
Egg: If you wonder how the chicken breasts would produce soft and juicy fried chicken, then the answer is egg!
This is a magic ingredient that makes chicken meat unbelievably soft, also preventing it from becoming dry!
Oil: This is a deep fried chicken recipe which is why you will need a good amount of oil.
You can use any flavorless oil like sunflower or canola or any other oil of your choice; just ensure that you use one with a high smoking point.
Curry leaves and Green chilies: Here comes the most attractive part of this classic South Indian fried chicken recipe!
Crispy fried curry leaves and fried slit green chillies sprinkled over the crispy fried chicken pieces are the key attractions of an authentic chicken 65! Do not skip them!
Seasoning: You should lightly season your chicken cubes with salt and also season the batter while mixing. This way both the outer coating and the chicken inside will be well-seasoned and not bland!
How to make chicken 65?
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Cut each chicken breast into small bite sized pieces, about 1-inch in length.
Step 2: Take a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients except chicken, oil, curry leaves and green chillies.
Step 3: Using a wire whisk, mix all the ingredients thoroughly to make a smooth, homogeneous and lump-free batter.
Step 4: Take some time here to whisk the ingredients nicely. Your chicken 65 batter is ready.
Step 5: Now drop the chicken pieces into the above prepared batter and either using your hand or a spatula start mixing the chicken cubes in it.
Step 6: Each piece of chicken should be coated evenly on all sides with the chicken 65 batter. Once done, leave it at room temperature for at least 2 hours to allow the chicken to tenderize.
Pro tip: You may prepare upto this step a night before and chill the marinated chicken 65 in the refrigerator overnight. Just take them out at least 2 hours before frying and you should be good to go!
Step 7: When you are ready to fry your chicken 65, heat a deep frying pan or preferably a deep wok. Once the pan is hot, add about a cup of oil for deep frying.
Step 8: First, flash fry the curry leaves and green chillies in the hot oil for just a few seconds. You can use a spider to fry these small ingredients.
Step 9: Once the curry leaves and chillies crisp up, take them out and set aside for later use.
Step 10: Now it’s time to fry your chicken. Take out one coated chicken piece at a time and drop it carefully into the hot oil.
Step 11: Fry about 6 to 7 chicken pieces at a time leaving enough empty space around the chicken cubes so that they turn out crispy and not soggy.
Pro tip: If you overcrowd your wok with too many chicken pieces at a time, firstly the oil temperature will drop significantly and chicken will not get enough heat to become crispy.
Secondly, with no space left around each piece, it will not get enough room to float; instead when pressed together all the chicken pieces will release too much water into the oil making it cold & watery eventually ending up with soggy chicken 65!
Step 12: Fry the first batch of chicken 65 until they become reddish brown on all sides; it would take about 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame.
Pro tip: Chicken breasts cook very fast. Plus 2 hours of marination would soften them even further. Hence do not overcook them for too long in the hot oil.
Step 13: Take the fried chicken 65 out using a spider allowing all the excess oil to drip off. Place them on a plate.
Step 14: Repeat the frying process with remaining marinated chicken pieces. Once done, pile them all up in a large mixing bowl.
Step 15: Sprinkle the crispy fried curry leaves & crispy green chillies over the fried chicken pieces and give them a gentle shake.
Step 16: Your takeaway style chicken 65 is ready to devour! Serve them with onion slices and lemon wedges! Enjoy!
More delicious chicken snack recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Chicken breast – 500 grams, boneless & skinless
- Ginger paste – 1 tsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Red chili powder – 3 tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Cumin powder – ¼ tsp
- Corn flour – 2 tsp
- Rice flour – ¾ tsp
- Red food color – ¼ tsp, optional
- Lemon juice – 1 tbsp (juice of 1 & ½ to 2 lemons)
- Egg – 1
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
- Curry Leaves – 8 to 10
- Green chilies – 2, halved lengthwise
- Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Cut each chicken breast into small bite sized pieces, about 1-inch in length.
- Take a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients except chicken, oil, curry leaves and green chillies.
- Using a wire whisk, mix all the ingredients thoroughly to make a smooth, homogeneous and lump-free batter.
- Take some time here to whisk the ingredients nicely. Your chicken 65 batter is ready.
- Now drop the chicken pieces into the above prepared batter and either using your hand or a spatula start mixing the chicken cubes in it.
- Each piece of chicken should be coated evenly on all sides with the chicken 65 batter. Once done, leave it at room temperature for at least 2 hours to allow the chicken to tenderize.
- When you are ready to fry your chicken 65, heat a deep frying pan or preferably a deep wok. Once the pan is hot, add about a cup of oil for deep frying.
- First, flash fry the curry leaves and green chillies in the hot oil for just a few seconds. You can use a spider to fry these small ingredients.
- Once the curry leaves and chillies crisp up, take them out and set aside for later use.
- Now it’s time to fry your chicken. Take out one coated chicken piece at a time and drop it carefully into the hot oil.
- Fry about 6 to 7 chicken pieces at a time leaving enough empty space around the chicken cubes so that they turn out crispy and not soggy.
- Fry the first batch of chicken 65 until they become reddish brown on all sides; it would take about 5 to 6 minutes on medium flame.
- Take the fried chicken 65 out using a spider allowing all the excess oil to drip off. Place them on a plate.
- Repeat the frying process with remaining marinated chicken pieces. Once done, pile them all up in a large mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle the crispy fried curry leaves & crispy green chillies over the fried chicken pieces and give them a gentle shake.
- Your takeaway style chicken 65 is ready to devour! Serve them with onion slices and lemon wedges! Enjoy!
Secondly, with no space left around each piece, it will not get enough room to float; instead when pressed together all the chicken pieces will release too much water into the oil making it cold & watery eventually ending up with soggy chicken 65!
They look great and I think they would adapt perfectly to the Philips Airfryer.