Chicken 65 recipe. – Learn how to make chicken 65 recipe at home. Chicken 65 is a popular spicy, delicious and hot South Indian restaurant style boneless chicken starter. There are so many ways a chicken 65 is made. All totally different from one another with different styles Andhra style or hyderabadi style, Madurai style, restaurant style etc.
I have tried quite a lot and ended up concluding this as one of the best chicken 65 recipe. It makes an amazing party appetizer & is a crowd-pleaser.
This recipe is a keeper and I have lost count of how many times I have made this. It has never turned me down even when I make for a crowd.
The unique flavor & delicious taste to this dish comes from my special homemade garlic chili seasoning which I have shared below.
What is chicken 65?
Chicken 65 is a popular deep fried spicy chicken appetizer that originated in Hotel Buhari in Chennai.
This immensely popular South Indian appetizer is made by marinating & frying chicken bites coated with flour, curry leaves and spices.
There are a lot of variations to this dish. The recipe shared here is done by tossing fried chicken bites in a spicy chilli garlic seasoning. Curry leaves & garlic are the key ingredients in this dish.
Variations
To make a hyderabadi chicken 65, you can use yogurt for marination as well for seasoning.
To make it street style, you can use egg. But I prefer not to use it since it makes the chunks soggy and smelly once cooled down. This recipe can be made even without yogurt and egg if you desire. The result will still be juicy and soft chicken.
If you make the chicken 65 without egg, then it can be kept for few hours. While there will be no change in the taste and flavor. It can be refrigerated for later use and heated as well. But eating reheated chicken often is not a good idea.
For more Indian chicken recipes , check
Indo chinese chilli chicken
Chicken pakoda
tandoori chicken
Hot garlic chicken
Andhra or hyderabadi chicken majestic
chicken tikka
Preparation for chicken 65 recipe
1. Marinate chicken with ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, lemon juice or yogurt , pepper powder or garam masala, turmeric and very little salt.
2. For a restaurant flavor, you can also add very finely chopped curry leaves. Keep it aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Overnight makes the chicken chunks super soft.
3. Add corn flour and maida or rice flour.
4. Mix well using very little water or egg. (one egg for half kg chicken. ) If you have used yogurt no need to use egg. But if you have not used yogurt, i suggest using egg since it will locks the meat juices and prevent it from becoming hard when fried. Since i have used yogurt i did not use egg.
Frying chicken
5. Heat oil in a pan. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of batter. It must rise without browning too quickly. Then slide the chicken pieces to hot oil and deep fry until golden. When the chicken is cooked fully, bubbles will reduce.
6. Drain them on a kitchen tissue. You can also fry 1 sprig curry leaves for garnish.
How to make chicken 65 recipe
7. This step is optional and you can also add them directly to the pan. Add garlic paste, red chili powder, salt, very little sugar and yogurt or vinegar with 2 tbsp. water to a bowl.
To remove the pungent taste of garlic very little sugar is used but that doesn’t sweeten the dish. Some restaurants use yogurt, some use vinegar. To make andhra style chicken65 use yogurt.
8. Transfer the oil to a bowl from the pan and retain just 1/2 to 1 tbsp. oil. Add garlic, when it is lightly fried add cumin, chilies and curry leaves.
9. When the curry leaves turn crisp, add the mixture we just made above. You can also add all the ingredients directly – garlic paste, red chilli powder, salt, sugar & vinegar with 2 tbsps water. Or skip vinegar & water, just use curd.
10. Allow it to thicken a bit.
11. Add the fried chicken and saute for 2 to 3 minutes to coat the mixture well. Taste test and add more salt and half teaspoon ground pepper if needed for extra heat.
Delicious, juicy chicken starter is ready, serve with onion wedges.
Serve with Chinese fried rice, South Indian style Ghee rice, Andhra style coconut milk pulao or South Indian coconut rice.
Related Recipes
Restaurant style chicken 65 recipe
Chicken 65
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 250 grams chicken boneless & tender
- 1 egg white (optional, refer notes)
- 2 tbsp Corn flour
- 1 tbsp rice flour or cornflour
- oil for deep frying
marination
- ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 ½ tbsp curd or yogurt (don’t use sour curd)
- ½ tsp pepper powder (ground black pepper)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- 1 sprig curry leaves finely chopped
- Salt to taste (about 1/8 tsp)
Seasoning for chicken 65
- ½ tsp cumin (jeera)
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- ½ tsp garlic chopped
- 2 green chilies sliced
- ¾ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic paste or grated
- ¼ tsp Salt – use as per your taste
- 2 tbsp curd or 1 tsp vinegar with 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp pepper powder (ground black pepper, optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Add curd, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, salt, turmeric, pepper powder & chopped curry leaves (optional) to a mixing bowl. Mix & taste it. Add more salt if needed.
- Then stir in the cubed boneless chicken. Mix well. Set aside for at least 45 mins to 1 hour. You can also marinate overnight & pop it in the fridge for best results.
- Sprinkle the dry flour over the marinade. If you chose to use egg, you can add it now. Mix well. If not using egg the marinade may turn dry so sprinkle some water if needed to bind the flour well.
How to make chicken 65
- If using yogurt for seasoning, whisk it well with a fork or whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a deep pan until hot enough. Test if the oil is hot by dropping a small portion of the batter to the hot oil. The batter must rise without burning a lot.
- Slide in the chicken pieces one by one. Fry on a medium high flame until crisp & golden. When the chicken is done cooking, the bubbles will begin to cease. Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
- Wipe off any moisture on the curry leaves & fry them in the hot oil & set aside for garnishing.
- Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil. Add cumin, chopped garlic, curry leaves & green chilies. Fry till the leaves turn crisp. Then add garlic paste, red chilli powder, sugar, curd & salt. You can also skip curd & just add 1 tsp vinegar with 2 tbsp water.
- Quickly stir everything well. When the mixture bubbles well & turns thick, add fried chicken and toss well.
- Fry on medium heat till it absorbs all the moisture & coats the chicken. This just takes 2 minutes. Over frying can make the chicken hard. So turn off in time. Taste test and add more salt and half teaspoon ground pepper if needed for extra heat.
- Serve chicken 65 with sliced onions & lemons. Garnish with curry leaves.
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
The flavor was good but the coating fell off. I was hoping for more.
If the flour does not bind well with the chicken it is likely to come off while or after frying. My instruction says “If not using egg, the marinade may turn dry so sprinkle some water to bind the flour well.” Also frying the chicken on a low heat for longer can cause that.
Hello Chef,
Can I substitute a pinch of curry powder instead of the curry leaves (that are difficult for me to find)?
Thank you!
Hi Joe,
Not sure how it will taste with curry powder. It’s just fine to skip the curry leaves if you don’t have
Hi
Instead of deep frying can I bake it in the oven?
Hi Sreya
Yes you can. To bake it is best to marinate the chicken overnight otherwise it can become hard.
Hi Swasthi,
This recipe looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
I just have one question, if I want it to stay crispy and If I want to make it a little more saucy, should I just double the sauce quantity and only add the sauce just before serving?
Thank you
Hi Amal
Add to the sauce only when you are ready to serve. Yes you can double or even triple the sauce.
I made it today and It was yummy – one quick question Swasthi – do we have to add ground pepper again during seasoning (two mentioned 1/2 tsp ground pepper twice under ingredients but under method you did not mention it)
Thank you for the yummmmy recipe xx
Hi Mona,
Glad to know! Yes it is optional & can be added while seasoning for extra heat. I updated it. Thank you
YUMMY ????
Thank you
Can we keep fried chicken 65 in fridge a day before ,and sauté in another day with sauce
Will that a good idea , or will that turned out hard .. as I m making large deep tray ..
Utilization of time
Yes the texture changes if refrigerated. It can be marinated and kept in the fridge.
Making it a few hours ahead is just fine
Delicious
Thank you
do you have a book with all the recipes?Where can i buy the book?
Thanks Vasundhara
I don’t have a cookbook
🙂
Tried your Chicken 65 recipe for the first time, turned out really well, my kids loved it, thank you
Glad to know Sandra
Thank you
What is the maximum time I can marinate??
Like overnight??
Yes you can marinate overnight & rest in the fridge.
Hi swasthi,
I tried this recipe today and it came out perfectly- juicy and so soft . I wanted to know if I wanna make for a crowd what prior preparation can I make ? As frying took lot of time. I today made this recipe with 500 gm chicken chunks
Hi Nehal
Glad to know. Other than marination I don’t suggest anything to be done in advance as the texture of chicken changes.
Hi Swasthi,
How much is 250 grams of chicken? Would that be like 2 boneless chicken breasts? Thank you.
Hi Samia,
It depends on the size. I think you can keep checking the step by step photos at every stage and adjust the ingredients like adding more spices, more yogurt etc. Hope this helps
Hi Swasthi! I love all of your recipes! I am cooking a lot of Indian food in quarantine! What oil do you usually use for frying?
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much! I use peanut or coconut oil.
Hi,
I just wanted to know how much lemon juice we have to use instead of curd since I am out of it.
Regards,
Shradha
Hi Shradha
Skip it in the marinade & seasoning. Pour 2 tbsps water for tempering/seasoning. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice just before serving.
Foolproof recipe! Tastes just like or better than restaurant style chicken 65! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! We all loved it !
Welcome Sana
Hi I love chicken 65 and can’t wait to try the recipe but is there a possible substitute for the rice flour/corn flour? Could I just use all purpose flour?
Hi Hiba
Yes you can use all-purpose flour
Thank you!!!
Hi Swasthi, I like all your recipes. Can you please share the recipe of chicken dum pukht..
Hi Saher, Glad to know! Thank you. Here are the links for hyderabadi biryani and chicken dum biryani .
I’m so excited to find your blog! We ordered some Chicken 65 for my birthday – it’s one of our favorites and my kids are excited to try to make some. I enjoy Indian food and I’m going to try some of your recipes.
Hello Jessica,
Thank you! Hope you all enjoy the recipes.
🙂
By far the best chicken 65 recipe I found. Made it several times, loved it each time. Thank you.
Hi Tanya
You are welcome! Glad to know. Thank you
Hi Swasthi,
l’ve just found your recipes and find that your chicken 65 is easy to cook. Hopefully, l can try it later.
Can you please share the recipe for ‘chicken varuval’…..a very popular dish in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?
Kenny TP Lim
Hello Lim Teck Peng,
You can check the recipe of chicken varuval here
I am addicted to the Chicken 65 from my local restaurant and have been looking for similar recipes. It looks like this one hit the spot! As I am new to Indian cooking, I am not familiar with all of the ingredients. What type of green chile was used? Is it jwala? Is the red chili powder kashmiri? Sorry for all of the questions!
Hi Nancy,
Thank you! I used a Thai green chili. You can use any chilies that are low in heat. You can skip it as well. Yes it is kashmiri chilli powder. You can use any kind you have. Hope you like it.