Chicken 65

Chicken 65

A fiery, deep-red Chennai bar snack of bite-size marinated chicken, deep-fried until crisp, then tossed with curry leaves and slit chillies in hot oil. Serve hot as a starter or with drinks.

Prep

25 min

Cook

20 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2.5 cm / 1 in bite-size pieces
• •120 g (½ cup) plain yoghurt, full-fat, whisked smooth
• •15 g (1 tbsp) ginger paste, freshly grated ginger
• •10 g (2 tsp) garlic paste, freshly grated garlic
• •15 g (1 tbsp) Kashmiri red chilli powder, for colour without harsh heat
• •3 g (1 tsp) regular red chilli powder, adjust to heat preference
• •5 g (1 tsp) ground coriander
• •3 g (½ tsp) turmeric powder
• •5 g (1 tsp) garam masala
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, or to taste
• •1 g (¼ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• •40 g (¼ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
• •20 g (2 tbsp) rice flour, gives the signature craggy crispness
• •1 large egg, helps the coating cling; omit for egg-free
• •500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil, for deep-frying (groundnut or sunflower)
• •15 g (2 sprigs) fresh curry leaves
• •30 g (2–3) fresh red chillies, slit lengthwise; Thai or Indian finger chillies
• •5 g (1 tsp) Kashmiri chilli powder, for the final red colour
• •1 g (2 pinches) salt, for the tempering
• •2 g (½ tsp) ginger, julienned, optional, for the tempering

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken pieces very dry with paper towels; surface moisture prevents a crisp fry.
2. 2 In a large bowl combine the chicken, yoghurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, Kashmiri and regular chilli powders, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, ideally 3–4 hours.
3. 3 Add the egg, cornflour and rice flour to the marinated chicken and mix until every piece is coated in a thick, sticky batter. Rest 10 minutes so the flours hydrate.
4. 4 Heat the 500 ml oil in a deep, heavy pan to 170 °C / 340 °F (a small drop of batter should sizzle and rise steadily). Line a tray with paper towels.
5. 5 Fry the chicken in small batches, without crowding the pan, for 3–4 minutes per batch until deep golden and cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken must reach 74 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer. Drain on the paper towels.
6. 6 Once all chicken is fried, raise the oil temperature to 190 °C / 375 °F and flash-fry the pieces a second time for 30–45 seconds for an extra-crisp shell. Drain again.
7. 7 In a small separate pan, heat 30 ml / 2 tbsp of the hot frying oil. Add the curry leaves (stand back — they will spatter), the slit red chillies and the optional julienned ginger, and fry for 20–30 seconds until the leaves are crisp and the chillies blister.
8. 8 Stir in the extra 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder and the pinch of salt off the heat; the residual heat blooms the spice into a vivid red oil.
9. 9 Tip the double-fried chicken into a large bowl, pour the hot tempering over it and toss quickly so every piece is coated in the red chilli oil. Serve immediately.
10. 10 Safety note: Chicken must reach 74 °C / 165 °F internally. If unsure, cut a piece in half — there should be no pink flesh and juices should run clear. Reheat any leftovers to 74 °C / 165 °F before serving.