I come from South India and I have grown up eating Chicken 65 all my life. That was the only fried chicken I knew until I was introduced to the KFC’s and the McD’s. I bet this Chicken 65 is way better than any fried chicken in the world.
Chicken 65 is deep-fried chicken which is crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Boneless chicken is marinated with a bunch of spices, yogurt and curry leaves and then it is deep fried until it’s perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside.
Why is it called chicken 65?
Certainly this question has a lot of answers and each answer is quite bizarre. Chicken 65 was invented and served in a hotel in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the year 1965. Some people say it is named after the year it was invented and that’s why it is called Chicken 65. However, some others say that 65 spices are added to marinate the chicken and that is why it is called chicken 65.
Although this recipe has quite a lot of variations and it tastes different in every restaurant, however, it tastes good in all of them. Today I am going to show you guys the most authentic way of making this recipe and also with the most easily accessible ingredients.
Ingredients you will need to marinate the chicken
- Boneless Chicken cubes 500g ( I used 2 large chicken breasts, you can either use breast or thighs whatever works for you)
- yogurt 1/4 cup
- Black pepper powder 1 tsp
- Cumin powder 1 tsp
- Salt 1 tsp ( adjust as per your needs)
- Red chili powder 1.5 tsp ( add more or less as per your liking)
- Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
- Lemon juice 1/2 lemon
- chopped curry leaves handful
- Rice flour 1/4 cup
- Oil for deep frying
Ingredients you will need for tempering
- 3 tsp Oil
- 4 slit green chillies
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- curry leaves handful
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
Marinating the Chicken
In a bowl add boneless chicken and all of the ingredients needed for marination except the rice flour. Mix everything well and let the chicken marinate for about 2 to 4 hours or even longer if you have time. Once the chicken is well marinated and just when you are ready to fry add the rice flour and mix everything well. Make sure to not skip the rice flour, that is what makes chicken 65 so crispy and unique.
Deep frying the chicken
In a wok add enough oil for deep frying and turn the flame to high. Once the oil is hot enough add the chicken pieces and fry until it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This process usually takes about 8 to 12 minutes. Once the chicken is fried to perfection remove it out and place it on the plate with a Kitchen towel. A kitchen towel or tissue paper helps soak the excess oil.
Make sure you fry the chicken in batches to avoid over crowding.
Tempering the fried chicken
There are different ways of doing this, some people like to add sauces to the tempering but the most authentic way is to keep it simple. Heat 2-3 tsp oil in a pan and then add the chopped garlic, slit green chilies, and a handful of curry leaves. Fry the tempering for a couple of minutes and the toss in the fried chicken. Lastly sprinkle a teaspoon of fresh pepper powder, mix well and you are done.
Chicken 65
Chicken 65 is deep-fried chicken which is crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Boneless chicken is marinated with a bunch of spices, yogurt, and curry leaves and then it is deep-fried until it's perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside.
Ingredients
- Ingredients to marinate the chicken
- Boneless Chicken cubes 500g ( I used 2 large chicken breasts, you can either use breast or thighs whatever works for you)
- yogurt 1/4 cup
- Black pepper powder 1 tsp
- Cumin powder 1 tsp
- Salt 1 tsp ( adjust as per your needs)
- Red chili powder 1.5 tsp ( add more or less as per your liking)
- Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
- Lemon juice 1/2 lemon
- chopped curry leaves handful
- Rice flour 1/4 cup
- Oil for deep frying
- Ingredients for tempering
- 3 tsp Oil
- 4 slit green chillies
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- curry leaves handful
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
Instructions
In a bowl add boneless chicken cubes, yogurt, chopped curry leaves, black pepper powder, cumin powder, salt, red chili powder, ginger garlic paste, and lemon juice. Mix everything well and let the chicken marinate for about 2-4 hours.
Once the chicken is marinated and you are ready to fry, add rice flour and mix everything for one last time.
In a wok heat enough oil for deep frying. Once the oil has reached its boiling point, deep fry the marinated chicken until it's beautifully golden and crispy. This process usually takes 8-12 minutes. Once the chicken is done keep that aside preferably on a tissue paper to soak excess oil.
For the tempering heat 2-3 tsp oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic, slit green chilies, curry leaves and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Toss the fried chicken well.
Finally, sprinkle a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper powder, mix well and the Chicken 65 is ready to enjoy
