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Chicken 65
Serves 4 Prep 1 hr 20 min Cook 25 min Total 1 hr 45 min Type Side Origin Indian

Chicken 65

Hyderabad's fierce chilli chicken: yogurt-marinated thigh cubes double-fried crisp, then tossed in a sputtering tempering of curry leaves.

Serves 4 Prep 20 minutes (plus 1 hour marinating) Cook 25 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Chicken thighs cube small; marinate for 1 hour in yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala and cornflour. Deep-fried in two stages, first to cook through, second to crisp. While the chicken rests, a hot tempering of curry leaves, garlic, dried chillies, soy and vinegar sputters in a wok. The fried chicken tosses through the tempering for 30 seconds and goes straight to the plate.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 600 g boneless chicken thighs (cut into 2-3 cm cubes)
  • 4 tablespoons natural yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red food colour (optional - for the signature deep red)
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour
  • 3 tablespoons plain flour
  • 1 egg (large, lightly beaten)

To fry

  • 1 litre vegetable oil

Tempering

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (from the fryer is fine)
  • 3 dried Kashmiri red chillies (broken)
  • 6 garlic cloves (very finely chopped)
  • 2 green chillies (slit)
  • 1 large sprig fresh curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (Hyderabad-style addition)
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or palm vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

To finish

  • 1 red onion (small, sliced thin)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (chopped)
  • 2 limes (cut into wedges)

Method

Stage 1 - Marinate

  1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl with the chicken cubes.
  2. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.

Stage 2 - First fry

  1. Heat the oil to 165°C.
  2. Fry the chicken in batches of 10-12 pieces, 3-4 minutes per batch, until cooked through and lightly coloured. Lift onto a rack.

Stage 3 - Second fry

  1. Heat the oil to 185°C.
  2. Return all the chicken; fry another 2-3 minutes until deep gold and crisp. Lift onto a rack.

Stage 4 - Tempering

  1. Lift out a wok or wide pan; heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add dried chillies and chopped garlic; sizzle 20 seconds until garlic just turns gold.
  3. Add green chillies and curry leaves (stand back - the curry leaves spit hard).
  4. Add soy sauce, vinegar, chilli powder and pepper; sizzle 5 seconds.

Stage 5 - Toss

  1. Add the fried chicken to the wok; toss hard 30 seconds to coat in the tempering. The chicken should be glossy red.
  2. Remove from heat immediately - longer and the chicken goes soggy.

Stage 6 - Serve

  1. Tip onto a plate. Scatter sliced raw onion and coriander.
  2. Eat immediately with lime wedges.

Notes

  • Double-fry: Single-fried chicken 65 goes soggy in seconds when it hits the tempering. Two-stage frying gives the crisp shell that holds against the sauce.
  • Food colour: The signature blood-red colour comes from food colour. Skipping it is fine - the dish is still red from Kashmiri chilli, just less neon.
  • Toss fast, serve fast: Don't let the chicken sit in the wet tempering. It's the wet-meets-crisp contrast that defines the dish.

Storage

  • Best fresh, eaten immediately.
  • Refrigerate (cooked) 2 days; re-crisp at 200°C 8 minutes - it won't be the same.

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