Easy chicken pakora recipe (without eggs)

Name: Easy Chicken Pakora Recipe (without eggs)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 300 gram chicken (boneless, cut into small bite-size pieces); salt to taste; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 1/2 tsp black pepper powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda ((optional)); 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder ((optional)); ½ tsp spicy red chili powder ((add as per taste)); 1/2 tsp cumin powder; 1 tsp tandoori masala powder ((substitue with garam masala powder)); 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves; 1 tbsp chopped curry leaves ((optional)); 2 tbsp curd ((substitute with 2 tbsp of egg white)); 4 tbsp Besan (gram flour or chickpea flour); 2 tbsp rice flour ((substitute cornstarch/cornflour)); 1 tsp vinegar ((substitute lemon juice))

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Chicken Pakora is a popular Indian chicken fritter made with chicken, gram flour batter, spices, and herbs. You can be made quickly within 30 minutes. See my tips on how to make the pakora batter crispy. These chicken pakora is made without eggs and are gluten-free. Here's how to make this easy chicken pakora recipe.

Table of Contents

If you like this recipe, you may also like these amazing chicken appetizers Chili chicken, Chicken 65, Popcorn chicken, Chicken Sandwich, and Healthy chicken nuggets.

What is Chicken Pakora?

Pakora means “fritters”. Chicken pakora means chicken fritters made by coating the boneless chicken pieces with spicy gram flour batter and deep-fried until crisp.

It is a popular Indian starter or snack that you can find in Indian restaurants and street stalls. You can serve these crispy chicken fritters with your favorite dips like green chutney or sauce.

The recipe differs in many regions across India. It is made with slight variations in the basic ingredients. You can make Andhra style, Punjabi style, or Hyderabadi style chicken pakora. But the basic cooking process and ingredients are the same.

Why do you need this recipe?

Quick and easy - Make it quickly within 30 minutes with simple ingredients.
Easy to customize -You can make it easily with whatever ingredients you have in the kitchen pantry. Do check out the ingredients notes for substitutes.
Tandoori flavor - This is slightly different from other pakora recipes. The addition of tandoori flavor to it makes it super delicious.
Gluten-free
Egg free - No eggs are used to make these pakoras

In this post, I am sharing the chicken pakora recipe flavored with tandoori masala. These chicken pakoda are super crispy outside, juicy inside, and taste yum. The aroma and flavors are amazing. Do give this recipe a try, you will love to make it again.

Chicken Pakora Ingredients

Chicken - I have used boneless chicken breast to make the pakoras. You can use boneless chicken thighs.
Flavoring - Salt, ginger-garlic paste, and vinegar. You can substitute vinegar with lemon juice.
Spices - turmeric powder, black pepper powder, and cumin powder.
Chili powder - I have used a combination of Kashmiri red chili powder and spicy red chili powder. Kashmiri red chili powder adds a bright red color and is not spicy. So, to balance the flavor added spicy red chili powder. If you do not have Kashmiri red chili powder, skip it.
Baking soda - Helps to make the pakoras light, fluffy and crispy. If you do not have it, skip it. You can make pakoras without it that tastes equally good.
Tandoori masala powder - Gives a beautiful tandoori flavor to the fried chicken. It is easily available in the stores or you can also purchase it online. You can substitute it with chicken masala powder or garam masala powder.
Herbs - Fresh coriander and curry leaves adds fresh aroma to these spicy chicken bites. If you do not have curry leaves you can skip it.
Curd/Yogurt - Use thick curd or hung curd. If the curd is runny then it will make the pakora batter thin or runny. You can substitute it with egg white.
Flour - Besan (gram flour or chickpea flour) and rice flour. You can substitute rice flour with cornflour or cornstartch.
Oil - I have used sunflower oil to deep fry the chicken.
Garnish - I have fried some green chilies and curry leaves at the end. This is how street-style chicken pakoda are served.

Tips to make crispy chicken pakora

Dab the chicken pieces with a clean kitchen tissue to dry them.
The addition of rice flour is important to make the pakoda crispy.
Make a thick pakora mixture using less water. If the pakora mixture is thin or runny, the pakoras will not be crisp.
If your pakora batter is thin or runny then add some more rice flour to it.
The temperature of the oil to fry pakoras should be perfect. It should not be too hot or cold. To check, drop some batter in hot oil. If it comes up quickly without getting brown the oil is ready to fry.
Fry the pakoras in medium hot oil. If the oil is very hot then it will get fried quickly outside but will remain uncooked from inside.

How to make chicken pakora with step by step photos

Preparations

Dab the chicken breast with a clean kitchen tissue to dry it.
Cut the chicken pieces in uniform size so that the chicken gets fried evenly.
In a small bowl, combine the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under 'marinate the chicken' (in the recipe card).
Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Making chicken pakoda

After 2 hours, add besan (gram flour), rice flour, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water. Combine it well.
Make sure the mixture is thick and not watery. If needed, you can add one more tablespoon of water. Do not make the batter runny or else the pakoras won't be crispy.
Finally, add 2 tablespoon of oil and combine. Set this aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a deep bottom pan.
When the oil is medium hot, start frying the chicken. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry chicken in small batches.
Do not stir immediately. Let it fry for a minute.
Gently stir and fry it until golden and crisp.
Chicken pakoda is ready to serve.
Sprinkle some chaat masala on top. Serve hot with your favorite dip.

step by step image collage of frying chicken pakora.

Expert Tips

Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours or overnight. When you will fry, the chicken pieces will not be dry. They will be juicy inside and crisp outside. Also, the chicken will absorb all the delicious flavor of the spices and becomes more flavorful.
You can substitute curd with egg white in the same quantity. So, if the recipe says 2 tablespoon of curd then replace it with 2 tablespoon of egg white.
The addition of either curd or egg white is important. They keep the chicken juicy inside after frying them.
Add some chopped green chilies to make it spicy. I have skipped this step for kids.
Pakoras tastes best when served warm. Immediately serve the pakoras. It will not remain crisp after some time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is used to make pakoras crispy?

The addition of rice flour with gram flour (besan) helps to make the pakoras crisp. You can substitute rice flour with cornstarch (or cornflour).

What oil is best for frying pakoras?

You can use any oil that has a neutral flavor and a high smoking point.

Why are my pakoras oily?

Pakoras may soak oil if the oil is not hot enough. So make sure the oil is medium hot to fry the pakoras. Test the oil temperature by putting some batter in it. If the batter rises immediately without getting brown quickly, the oil is ready to fry.

Can I make it ahead?

No, these pakora tastes best when served immediately. It won't remain crispy after some time.

Does chicken pakora contain gluten?

No, it is gluten-free. It is basically made with besan (Gram flour). Gram flour is made from ground chickpeas. So, it is gluten-free. In this recipe, we have added rice flour to make it crispy. Rice flour is also gluten-free. So, it is definitely a gluten-free recipe.
But there are few recipes that use maida (all-purpose flour). In that case, the pakoras made will contain gluten. It is better to always check the ingredient list.

Serving suggestion

Serve it warm with some onion slices and lemon wedge.
Street style chicken pakoda is served with some fried green chilies.
Want to make it more appetizing, sprinkle some chaat masala on top.
Serve it with any dip like green chutney or sauce.

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Crispy Chicken Pakora Recipe Card