Chicken 65 (South Indian Deep-Fried Spiced Yogurt Chicken)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Buhari Hotel in Chennai is usually credited with introducing this South Indian fried chicken in 1965.
Read more
Stories about the name point to a 65th menu item, among other theories, and none is settled. Thigh pieces marinated in yogurt, chili, garlic, and ginger get a sticky coat of egg and cornstarch and are fried twice, which gives a firm, deep-golden outside and a juicy inside. It spread across India as a bar snack with beer. Many restaurants finish it with fried curry leaves, but this version skips that step.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Pat 400g boneless chicken thigh dry and cut it into 3cm pieces.
Mix with 80ml plain yogurt, minced garlic, minced ginger, and chili powder until every surface is coated, then refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- 2
Set the marinated chicken at room temperature for 10 minutes before frying so it cooks evenly.
Beat in 1 egg, then add 3 tbsp cornstarch in portions and massage until the coating turns sticky and clings well.
- 3
Pour 500ml cooking oil into a deep pot and heat it over medium-high heat to 170C.
If a small drop of coating rises right away, add the chicken in batches of 5 to 6 pieces.
- 4
After adding the chicken, leave it undisturbed for 20 seconds so the coating can set, then separate the pieces gently.
Fry each batch for 4 to 5 minutes, until the outside is deep golden and firm.
- 5
Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack and drain for 1 minute.
Raise the oil to 180C, then fry the pieces again for 1 minute so the crust crisps without drying the center.
- 6
After the second fry, cut open one of the largest pieces and check that the center is opaque with no pink.
Drain the chicken on a wire rack and serve immediately.
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Yuja Saenggang Baked Donuts (Yuja Ginger Baked Donuts)
plain yogurt, minced ginger
Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl
boneless chicken thigh, egg
Khao Man Gai Tod (Thai Fried Chicken Rice Bowl)
boneless chicken thigh, minced ginger