Hyderabadi Chicken 65 Recipe

Make the most succulent and juicy Hyderabadi chicken 65 ever with an easy recipe. No long hours of marination required just 30 minutes for that velvety soft bite. I bet you'll love this quick version.

Why my recipe works best?

• This recipe makes a delicious version of chicken 65 that is reasonably spicy and has strong notes of curry leaves and garlic. What makes my version of chicken 65 best is velveting the chicken with baking soda for 20 minutes. Just like I did it in my dynamite chicken.
• Velveting is a guarded secret of a Chinese restaurant that is used to tenderize chicken breast strips. The velveted chicken is then pat dried to remove moisture. Then it is transferred into a batter which is ready to be fried immediately. Read more about velveting at Tasting Tables.
• Hyderabadi Chicken 65 is a slightly different version in which fried chicken is tempered with aromatic spices this keeps the chicken very flavorful.

Ingredients

Have a look at the ingredients of chicken 65. The Kashmiri chili is forgotten in the visual but it is used merely for its bright red color.

• Chicken: Use boneless chicken breast pieces that are cubbed in ¾ inches. This will keep the chicken pieces bite-sized and easy to cook.
• Baking powder: We will use very little baking powder to coat the chicken and let it do the velveting magic. Since we will wash it away so you do not have to skip it.
• Ginger garlic paste: This paste is easily available in Indian stores, you can substitute it with half and half ginger paste and garlic paste.
• Curry Leaves: Curry leaves are dark shiny leaves that grow on a plant. These have distinct a taste that is difficult to replicate. You can use a combo of basil and lemon zest to substitute it. But the result will not be the same.
• This specific ingredient brings a lot of flavors. The addition of finely chopped curry leaves in the batter brings a burst of flavor and aroma. In tempering, make sure to add whole twigs. As the stem is more aromatic than the leaves. Try to get it but if you can't. Just skip it, your fried chicken will still taste great.
• Lemon: Lemon juice adds both flavor and helps to tenderize. You can use thick yogurt as well.
• Seasoning: We keep the seasoning Indian with the use of turmeric and cumin. Other seasonings are soy sauce, red chili, and pepper.
• Kashmiri Chili powder: This ingredient adds color to the dish without food color. You can substitute it with paprika.
• Egg: The egg adds moisture to the chicken keeping it soft.
• Flours: We need cornflour and rice flour for making the batter in this recipe. Rice flour adds crunch to the chicken so it is recommended. But if you do not have it, substitute it with more cornflour.
• Green chili and garlic: We use chilies and chopped garlic in tempering with curry twigs. Fried chiles are less spicy and are adored by spice loves. Green chilies also have a very subtle aroma.
• Oil: Use any neutral-smelling vegetable oil to fry.
• You can also use the mustard seed in the tempering.

How to make it?

Making chicken 65 is easy. Follow the steps precisely for crispy chicken.

1. Cut chicken breast in bite-size chicken cubes of ¾ inch. Then coat the cube with baking soda. Set aside to let the soda do the velveting magic.
2. After 20 minutes, wash the chicken thoroughly.
3. Leave the chicken cube in the strainer to let the excess water drain naturally. Then pat-dry thoroughly to remove excess moisture. This step will ensure the chicken stays crispy after frying.
4. Then, mix all ingredients in a bowl to make chicken batter. You may fry immediately or marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours.

5. Add egg just before frying the chicken and mix well.
6. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry chicken on medium-high heat until golden and crispy. Fry in small batches without crowding the wok. Serve immediately. Protips: If serving a crowd, use the double frying technique. That is fry chicken until lightly golden and set aside until ready to serve. At the last minute deep fry chicken a second time on high heat until golden and crispy. Then serve.
7. Keep all ingredients of seasoning ready before you begin. To make tempered Hyderabadi chicken 65, remove all oil from the wok leaving just 1 tablespoon. Add garlic, chilies, and curry twigs. When garlic is light golden add Kashmiri red chili. Stir and add the fried chicken.
8. Stir fry chicken in tempering for 2 minutes until fully coated and crispy. Serve Chicken 65 with a sweet and sour dip. Protip: Make sure you fry and season chicken just before serving as fresh and crispy chicken tastes best.