This Chicken 65 Air Fryer recipe is an easy and delicious adaptation of the original deep-fried restaurant style chicken. Chicken 65 is a boldly spiced appetizer of bite-sized chicken that’s crispy on the outside and tender inside. The air fryer version of chicken 65 is a much healthier option too! [Deep fry and oven instructions also provided.]
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chicken 65 is a popular recipe in Indian restaurants. It’s a deep-fried chicken appetizer that originated in South India and is very popular in Kerala, the part of India where I come from. It’s one of my best chicken appetizers to order at South Indian restaurants.
Chicken 65 was invented in the state of Tamil Nadu as a simple meal for Indian soldiers in 1965. Hence the name Chicken 65. There are many versions of Chicken 65, especially in South India.
In some versions, it’s served dry or with a dipping sauce on the side. In other versions, the boneless chicken is fried and then tossed with tempered spices.
Tempering is also known as tadka in Hindi. It’s the process of heating spices and aromatics in hot oil or ghee till fragrant and adding them to a dish as the final step.
Chicken 65 tastes amazing when it’s deep-fried. No question about it. But I think making chicken 65 in air fryer is just as tasty and it’s much healthier. Making it in the air fryer is less messy too.
I usually use my Cosori air fryer, but I’ve also used my Instant Pot air fryer to make this recipe. Both work well but the Cosori has a larger capacity.
Airfryer chicken 65 can be served with a side dish like air fryer roasted cauliflower, or air fryer roasted potatoes. Be sure to check out my Indian tandoori chicken recipe too.
You may also want to try some other South Indian food such as fish molee curry, chicken korma, beef curry, and sambar.
Tips for Success
How to Prevent Sticking
To keep the chicken 65 from sticking, apply a generous spray of oil to the air fryer basket with vegetable oil.
You can either spray the oil on or apply it using a paper towel. If using a spray, don’t use the canned oil spray, but instead use an oil spray mister that can be filled with oil. [Read More: Go to the section Air Fryer Tips in my guide on how to use the Instant Pot Duo Crisp].
Also, coat the boneless chicken pieces with oil before starting the air fry process. You can either spray the oil on or rub oil over the chicken after adding the flour.
Chicken Pieces
I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe because they cook perfectly in the air fryer. You can use chicken breast if you wish to.
I like to cut the chicken into small 1.5-inch pieces. You can use bigger pieces of chicken, but you may need to increase the air frying time.
I like having smaller pieces because they are more flavorful due to the decreased surface area. Make sure the chicken is cut into evenly sized pieces, to prevent overcooked or undercooked chicken.
Spices
Don’t be put off by the number of Indian spices used in this recipe. The spice level in this chicken 65 recipe is quite moderate.
Authentic chicken 65 is a pretty spicy dish. To make the recipe spicier, substitute some of the paprika with chili powder, to your taste. The more red chili powder you add, the redder the chicken will be.
I don’t use coriander powder in this recipe, but you can add ½ teaspoon of coriander if you wish.
You can also replace the salt with soy sauce. It adds another layer of flavor to the chicken.
Curry Leaves
Curry leaves are amazingly fragrant. They are used extensively in South Indian cooking. The smell of frying curry leaves reminds me of home! 1 sprig of curry leaves may yield about 10 leaves. I used 2 sprigs in this recipe, or about 20 leaves, for the marinade and another 10 to 15 for the tempering.
If you can find curry leaves at a local Indian grocery store, you can freeze them and take them out right before you’re ready to use them. It’s definitely worth trying them at least once. You can use curry leaves in my fish curry recipe too.
Marination
This recipe is best if you can let the chicken marinate for a bit. 2 to 4 hours is good, overnight is ideal, but 30 minutes will suffice.
Don’t add the rice flour, cornstarch (referred to as corn flour in some parts of the world), and baking powder until you’re ready to air fry the chicken.
You can use a spoon to stir up the ingredients or your hands. I prefer to use my hands. Be sure to either use gloves or thoroughly wash your hands afterward!
Eggs
I’ve made the chicken 65 with beaten egg or egg white. I prefer using egg white. The video and photos for the recipe show the whole egg because that’s what I happened to use while filming and photographing the recipe.
Flour Mixture
The chicken is coated with rice flour, cornstarch, and a pinch of baking powder. You can omit the cornstarch and double the rice flour or you can replace both flours with all-purpose flour. Rice flour and cornstarch make more crispy chicken than all-purpose flour does.
Tempering/Sauce
Tempering is the final step in many Indian recipes. Tempering is when you heat aromatics in oil and add them to the final dish. Chicken 65 can be served with or without tempering. I prefer to do the tempering, but it tastes good without it too!
To make the tempering, make sure you have all ingredients at hand, ready to go. You’ll have to work fast. There will be splatter, so have a lid ready too.
While the last batch of chicken is cooking, prepare the tempering:
- Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add whole cumin, whole curry leaves, ginger, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Saute till the curry leaves are crispy but not burnt.
- Stir in water and ketchup, and allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add chicken to the sauce and turn to coat.
- Serve immediately, with lemon wedges on the side
See more details in the recipe card below.
FAQS
No, the chicken should be in a single layer. This allows the air to circulate to crisp up the pieces. The larger the air fryer capacity, the more pieces you can fit. You can stack the pieces when reheating the chicken.
I have not had an issue with the chicken sticking to the bottom. If it happens, use a nonstick spatula to gently move the pieces. Sometimes letting the chicken cook for a few more minutes to caramelize it allows it to loosen.
You can also line the basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil to prevent sticking next time. You can purchase parchment rounds with pre-cut holes but if you don’t have them, make sure you poke holes in parchment or foil to allow for circulation.
You can marinate the chicken ahead of time, up to overnight. It tastes best when you air fry the chicken and eat it immediately. However, you can air fry the chicken in batches and then reheat it in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes when you’re ready to serve. There may be a slight difference in texture.
I don’t always preheat the air fryer but for this recipe, you should preheat the air fryer for 4 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit before putting the chicken in.
Overcrowding the air fryer can result in soggy or undercooked food. It depends on the capacity of your air fryer. Some air fryers can accommodate more food.
If you need to air fry double the quantity, you can do it in two batches.
Air Fryer Chicken 65 – Ingredients
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Turmeric
- Salt
- Cumin powder
- Pepper
- Garam masala powder
- Fennel powder
- Chicken
- Lemon juice
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Yogurt
- Cilantro
- Curry leaves
- Rice flour
- Corn starch
- Egg white (preferable)
- Baking powder
Ingredients for Tempering
- Vegetable oil
- Cumin seeds
- Curry leaves
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Pepper
- Salt
- Ketchup
- Water
Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to make chicken 65 in the air fryer (step by step instructions)
- Marinate the chicken with spices
- Add flour and egg
- Air fry the chicken, turn partway
Marinate the chicken with spices
- Mix all marinade ingredients: chili powder, paprika, turmeric, salt, cumin, pepper powder, garam masala powder, fennel, ginger, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro, and curry leaves. (You can also substitute ginger garlic paste).
- Stir together chicken and marinade.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 4 hours, or overnight.
Add flour and egg
- Coat the chicken with beaten egg white.
- Add the rice flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
- Stir to coat completely.
- Coat the air fryer basket with a little oil.
- Preheat the air fryer for 4 minutes.
Air Fry the chicken, turn partway
- Place the marinated chicken pieces in the air fryer basket.
- Program the air fryer to 400F for 13 minutes.
- After 8 minutes, use tongs or a spatula to turn the chicken pieces over.
- Continue air frying till cooked through.
Stovetop and Oven Instructions for Chicken 65
To make this recipe on the stove by deep-frying:
- Stir together spices.
- Marinate chicken and refrigerate.
- Add egg, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
- Heat oil.
- Deep-fry chicken pieces.
- Drain chicken 65 on paper towels.
- Add the tempering.
To make this recipe in the oven:
- Stir together spices.
- Marinate chicken and refrigerate.
- Preheat oven.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add egg, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder to chicken.
- Place chicken pieces on a baking sheet.
- Bake chicken, turning once.
- Add the tempering.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Air Fryer Chicken 65
Equipment
- Large Nonstick Frying Pan for tempering
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon fennel powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cilantro minced
- 20 Curry leaves finely minced- about 2 sprigs
- 1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
Coating
- 1 egg whites only, beaten
- 1 ½ tablespoon rice flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch baking powder
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Tempering
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil – more, as needed
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 12 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika), to taste *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoon water
Deep Frying Option
- vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
Marinade
- In a small bowl, stir together chili powder, paprika, turmeric, salt, cumin powder, black pepper, garam masala, fennel powder, ginger, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro, and curry leaves to make a paste.
- Marinate the chicken pieces with the spice mix.
- Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, or at least 30 minutes. Overnight marination will add even more flavor.
Batter
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking.
- Thoroughly coat the chicken with the egg white.
- Mix together rice flour, cornstarch and baking powder and sprinkle on the chicken.
- Stir to coat the chicken thoroughly with the flour. You might need to use your hands.
Air fry Option
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 minutes.
- Coat the floured chicken with oil either by spraying or using your hands.
- Oil the air fryer basket and place the chicken pieces in the basket without overcrowding.
- Working in batches, air fry the chicken for 13 minutes, turning the chicken after 8 minutes. **
Deep fry Option
- Heat the oil to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C)
- Fry the chicken pieces in batches, being sure not crowd the oil.
- Deep fry until golden and crisp.
- Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
Bake in Oven Option
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or till cooked through, turning once.
Tempering
- Heat oil in a large frying pan.
- Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and sauté till the curry leaves are crispy but not burnt.
- Stir in ginger, garlic, chili powder, pepper, salt and fry till fragrant, without burning the spices.
- Add water and ketchup.
- Heat through till slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and stir to coat or serve as a sauce on the side.
Notes
- * Chicken 65 is traditionally a spicy recipe but as written, this recipe is not too spicy. To make it spicier, replace the paprika with chili powder and/or add a sliced chilis (serrano or jalapeno) to the tempering.
- ** Cooking time can vary based on the air fryer model. At the 11-minute mark, check the chicken to make sure it isn’t burning or overcooking.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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jenna
This recipe is spot on! Cooked this for the family last weekend and it was a big hit! I reduced the chili powder as the little ones can’t take the heat. Thanks for sharing!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Jenna. I’m so happy to hear that your family enjoyed the recipe.