Chicken 65
A vibrant, spicy restaurant dish that's surprisingly easy to make at home!
Chicken 65
Time: 30 mins + marinating | Difficulty: 3/5 | Recommendation: Dinner or appetizer to share
This is an appetizer commonly served in Indian restaurants that has a vibrant red color, and a spicy (but not too spicy) exterior. I’ve adjusted the recipe so that you don’t have to gather 65 different spices (yes, hence the name), with the Tandoori masala doing a lot of work here! And let me tell you, this chicken is seriously TASTY! When I first made it, I thought it might be the best thing I’d ever made. The chicken itself stays really juicy thanks to the yogurt marinade, and the spiciness of the tandoori powder is really well complemented by the extra vinegary coating you give it at the end. I like to use chicken breast for this because it’s less fussy to prepare when you’re just one person at home, but you could use dark meat if you prefer. This cooking process has two steps: frying the chicken, and then quick cooking some onions and mustard seeds in a vinegary oil that you add the chicken to for a second cook. If you’re planning on leftovers, I’d hold off on the second step until you’re ready to eat them! It’ll keep the crispy exterior intact for the next day.
Ingredients/Tools:
1 chicken breast, cubed
Vegetable oil
1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced
Curry leaves (optional)
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Rice vinegar
For the marinade:
Two cups or so of plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, grated
A hunk of ginger, peeled and grated
Tandoori masala (I use this one)
Cumin powder
Coriander powder
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
For the vinegar sauce:
1 tbsp or so of rice vinegar
1/2 clove garlic, grated
Some grated ginger
Tandoori masala
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tbsp water
A big bowl
Wok or skillet
Method:
Marinate the chicken: in a big bowl, add all the ingredients together except the rice flour and cornstarch, then add the chicken and leave in the fridge, covered, for at least an hour (or up to like, five hours!)
After marinating, add the rice flour and cornstarch.
Heat about 3/4 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet, enough to cover almost the entirety of the chicken pieces. When the oil is hot enough (drop in some of the batter to test it), add in the chicken, a few pieces at a time. Let the chicken fry, turning occasionally, until it’s nicely browned and cooked through (165° for white meat if you are measuring!). Drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, make the vinegar sauce by adding all the ingredients together in a little bowl.
When the chicken is done and draining, drain the pan of most of the oil (save about a 1/2 tbsp). Add in mustard seeds and cumin seeds and heat until the mustard seeds start to pop.
Add in the onion slices and curry leaves. (Scallion greens or green garlic also would go great here!) Sauté until the onion is starting to get translucent. Then add in the vinegar sauce and let it all bubble up a bit.
Add the chicken back to the pan and stir it all to combine and coat. Serve with some raw onions, a squeeze of lemon, and some naan on the side!!