Hyderabadi Chicken 65 Recipe

Name: Hyderabadi Chicken 65 Recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 450 grams boneless chicken thigh ( cut in ¾ inch cubes); ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste; ¾ tablespoon Kashmiri chicli powder (sub with paprika for color); ½ tablespoon red chilli powder; ½ tablespoon light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste); ¼ teaspoon ground pepper; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon curry leaves (finely chopped); 4 tablespoon corn flour; 3 tablespoon rice flour; 1 egg; Oil (to fry); 1 tablespoon oil; ½ tablespoon garlic (chopped); 2 sprigs curry leaves ((see notes)); 6 green chillies (seeds removed and slit in to slices); 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

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4.83 from 17 votes

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.

A plate full of chicken 65 on the white background.

Updated: The post was updated with photo collages and detailed methods. Few ingredients were dropped to simplify the recipe.

This is the best version of Hyderabadi Chicken 65— you’ll ever have. This super famous Indian chicken snack is spicy and aromatic bursty with curry flavors. The perfect appetizer to impress your guest.

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Why my recipe works best?
Ingredients
How to make it?
Tips and Variations:
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Chicken 65 dish is often referred to as Indo-Chinese cuisine like chicken Manchurian. It has South Indian flavors of curry leaves and spicy red chili in the seasoning. And Chinese batter frying and velveting techniques are used in cooking.

The dish was introduced first time in South India in Chennai. A.M Buhari invented and introduced this chicken 65 in Buhari Restaurant in Chennai, Tamil Naidu, India. It is often paired with rice, check Spice and life's recipe of Egg Fried Rice here.

Why my recipe works best?

This recipe makes a delicious version of Hyderabadi 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 Hyderabadi 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 to the Hyderabadi version of Chicken 65. 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 Hyderabadi chicken 65 is easy. Follow the steps precisely for crispy chicken.

Steps to prepare and marinate chicken 65.

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.
After 20 minutes, wash the chicken thoroughly.
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.
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.

Add egg just before frying the chicken and mix well.
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.
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.
Stir fry chicken in tempering for 2 minutes until fully coated and crispy. Serve it with a sweet and sour dip. Protip: Make sure you fry and season chicken just before serving as fresh and crispy chicken tastes best.

Tips and Variations:

The Hyderabadi chicken 65 is widely served in many places and has many variations so feel free to do changes and make the recipe your own.

Test the chicken: It is always advisable when trying a new recipe, that you fry a single piece of marinated chicken in oil and do a taste test. Adjust spices and salt if needed and then proceed to fry the rest of the chicken in batches
If you love the sweet and sour taste in the chicken add ketchup or chili garlic sauce to the tempering.
Mustard seeds and roasted fennel seeds can also be added for extra achari curries notes in the chicken.
Some people also add shredded coconut to the seasoning.

What can I use instead of curry leaves?

You can use cilantro or basil instead of curry leaves.

What can I use instead of rice flour?

Grind some basmati rice into a fine powder and use it. Or just use more cornflour.

How can I make chicken 65 keto?

To make keto chicken 65 switch rice and cornflour with almond flour and fry it in ghee, tallow, or beef lard.

Hungry? Try these!

Which version of the Hyderabadi chicken 65 recipe is your favorite? I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.

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