Chicken 65 – A dish that originated from Chennai, South of India. The origin of this dish is still being debated but if stories are to be believed then this was one of the 65th dish on the menu of a restaurant and hence the name.

Small pieces of chicken are marinated in a select of spices and then deep fried till crisp. I have seen the use of red food color to give that deep red color to the dish. Here I have not used any food color but instead went with kashmiri red chili powder and smoked paprika. For best results, its ideal to marinate the chicken overnight making the chicken pieces more succulent and while frying make sure you keep the flame on medium heat else the chicken will brown on the outside to quick n inside might not be cooked through.

You need –

• Chicken breast – 500 grams, cut into bite size pieces
• For the marinade –
  • Ginger-garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
  • Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
  • All purpose flour – 2 tablespoons
  • Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Kashmiri chili powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Smoked paprika – 1.5 teaspoon
  • Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
  • Egg – 1
  • White vinegar – 2 teaspoons
  • Salt to taste
• Curry leaves – 1 twig
• Oil for deep frying

How to –

In a mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients under “for the marinade”. Add the chicken pieces and mix well till the chicken is well coated with spice mix. Let it Marinate overnight or at least for 3 hours.

In a deep frying pan heat the required oil for deep frying. Tip the curry leaves and fry till they are crisp. Remove and set aside. Now fry the chicken pieces in batches till they are done and crisp. Remove and drain on the paper towel. Make sure you cook the chicken pieces over medium heat otherwise they will brown on the outside quickly and the inside will not be cooked through.

Garnish with the fried curry leaves and serve warm.