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close-up of chicken 65 with gravy served in a white bowl.
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5 from 5 votes

Chicken 65 with Gravy

Chicken 65 with gravy with step-by-step photos and a video recipe. Chicken 65 is a spicy South Indian appetizer made with crispy fried chicken. Chicken 65 gravy is made with tossing these crispy fried chicken with a yogurt-based sauce with chili, garlic, and curry leaves tempering. Learn to make this popular restaurant-style dish easily at home. Serve it as a starter or a side dish with roti, Naan, or dal and rice. Learn to make this popular restaurant-style dish, easily at home, with step-by-step photos and a quick video tutorial.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Resting time2 hours
Total Time30 minutes
Course: snacks/starters
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 400kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak

Equipment

  • Heavy bottom pan or wok

Ingredients

For the marinade

  • 300 grams boneless and skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder used to give bright red color and is not spicy
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh curry leaves
  • 2 tablespoon full fat curd/yogurt

For the batter or coating

  • 2 tablespoon rice flour substitute corn flour or cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoon cornflour

For Yogurt Sauce

  • ½ cup full fat yogurt
  • salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper        
  • 1.5 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 tsp red chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 teaspoon cornflour (or cornstarch)
  • ½ cup water

For the chicken 65 gravy

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 spring curry leaves
  • 2 green chilies, slit
  • 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
  •  1 teaspoon vinegar

Instructions

To marinate the chicken

  • In a mixing bowl combine chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, black pepper powder, salt, lemon juice, curry leaves and yogurt. Marinate for at least 2 hours. Let the chicken soak up all the delicious flavor. Cover and keep it in refrigerator.
  • After 2 hours, take out the marinated chicken and keep it aside for 15 minutes or until it comes to room temperature. Add cornflour and rice flour to the marinade bowl and give it a quick toss. Add the flour to the marinated chicken just before frying as it makes the chicken crispy.

Frying chicken 65

  • Heat oil in a pan at medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add these marinated chicken pieces one by one to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Do not stir it immediately. Let it cook for a minute. 
  • Gently stir and fry until it is golden brown and crisp. Remove fried chicken and set this aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess oil. 
  • To make chicken 65 recipe: Want to make the classic South Indian chicken 65 recipe - In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat it over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, curry leaves and 2 green chilies, slit. Saute until aromatic, add fried chicken, and toss with this tempering. Serve it as an appetizer. For the 65 gravy version skip this step and continue with making yogurt sauce.

To make chicken 65 gravy

    Yogurt sauce

    • In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned under the yogurt sauce. Keep it aside.

    Tempering (Tadka)

    • Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin and let it crackle.
    • Next, add onions, curry leaves, green chilies,ginger and garlic. Mix and cook until onions are golden.
    • Reduce the heat to low. Whisk the yogurt mixture in the bowl and add it to the pan. Stir continuously until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. It is important to stir continuously otherwise the yogurt may curdle.
    • Add vinegar and combine. Chicken 65 sauce is ready.
    • On medium-high, add the fried chicken and toss it for 2 minutes or until the sauce coats the chicken. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

    Video

    Notes

      1. Baking Chicken 65: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper or lightly grease it with oil. Follow the recipe until you toss the marinated chicken with flour. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on the prepared baking tray in a single layer. Brush or spray a little oil over the top of the chicken to ensure they remain moist during baking. Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces halfway through cooking. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C) and slightly crispy on the edges. The baking timing may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces. 
      2. Marinate the chicken for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This is an important step, so do not skip it. The chicken will absorb all the flavors from the spices. The longer the chicken marinates the better it tastes. It keeps the fried chicken soft and juicy inside and crisp outside.
      3. Add corn flour and rice flour to the marinated chicken just before you fry them. It will make the chicken pieces crispy. Do not add the rice flour and cornflour while marinating the chicken.
      4. Do not fry the chicken pieces directly taken out from the refrigerator. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes. If it is cold then it will lower the temperature of the oil.
      5. Deep fry the chicken in medium hot oil. If the oil is very hot then the chicken will quickly fry from outside and will remain uncooked inside. Similarly, if the oil is not hot enough then the chicken will absorb oil and will become oily.
      6. To check the exact temperature, drop a small piece of batter in hot oil. If it comes up quickly without getting burnt then it is ready to fry.
      7. The use of curry leaves is an important part of making this recipe. Do not skip adding this as curry leaves give it an authentic taste and aroma.
      8. Use full-fat yogurt at room temperature. This is important because if you add yogurt that is taken straight out of the refrigerator there are chances that it will curdle.
      9. Add crispy fried chicken pieces to the yogurt sauce only when you are ready to serve. This will keep the chicken crispy coated in a flavorful sauce. If the fried chicken sits longer in the sauce it will be soggy.
      10. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days. Reheat and serve. It will not remain crisp but tastes good.
      11. Not a freezer-friendly dish. Once you thaw it the outer coating will become soggy.
      12. Storage Suggestions:
          • You can store the marinated chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 hours. If you freeze the marinated chicken then it stays good for a month.
          • Not a freezer-friendly dish. Once you thaw it the outer coating will become soggy.
          • Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days. Reheat and serve. It will not remain crisp but taste good.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 400kcal