This Chicken 65 Air Fryer recipe is an easy and delicious adaptation of the original deep-fried restaurant-style chicken. I love serving it as an appetizer for an Indian-themed evening, or as an appetizer. The air fryer version is a much healthier option, too! [Deep frying and oven instructions are also provided.]
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Chicken 65 is a popular recipe in Indian restaurants. It’s a delicious chicken appetizer that originated in South India and is very popular in Kerala, the part of India where I come from.
Small pieces of chicken are dipped in flour and spices and deep-fried. In some versions, it’s served dry or with a dipping sauce on the side. The boneless chicken is fried and tossed with tempered spices in other versions.
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.
Restaurant style chicken 65 tastes incredible because it’s deep-fried. No question about it, and it’s one of my favorite appetizers when I visit my family in India! If you like Indian food, you’ll love this recipe!
This chicken 65 recipe without deep frying is much healthier and less messy. This recipe is healthy, and gluten-free too.
➡ I have some other popular air fryer recipes for you to try like air fryer chicken wings, air fried cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. You may also want to try other Kerala foods such as fish molee curry, chicken korma, beef curry, South Indian chicken curry, parippu curry, and sambar.
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Chicken 65 Ingredients
Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips
Here are some tips to get the best results when you’re making air fried chicken 65:
🍗 Prevent Sticking: Use a spray mister or oil-soaked paper towel to coat the air fryer basket with vegetable oil. Coat the marinated chicken pieces with oil before air frying. Avoid canned oil sprays.
🐔 Chicken Pieces: Use boneless chicken thighs. You can use chicken breasts, but it may require adjusted cooking times. Cut the chicken into 1.5-inch even pieces for best results.
🌶️ Spices: Don’t be intimidated by the spice list. Authentic chicken 65 is quite spicy, but my version is pretty mild. Adjust heat level by substituting paprika with chili powder. Add coriander or soy sauce for extra flavor (adjust salt as needed). Try my homemade garam masala recipe for amazing flavor!
🍃 Curry Leaves: These fragrant leaves are essential to authentic flavor. Use about 20 leaves in marinade and 10-15 for tempering. They freeze very well.
🌾 Flour Mixture: Combine rice flour, cornstarch, and baking powder for crispiness. All-purpose flour can be substituted but may be less crispy.
⏱️ Marination: Ideal marination time is 2-4 hours or overnight. At a minimum, marinate the chicken for 30 minutes. Add rice flour, cornstarch, and baking powder just before air frying.
🥚 Eggs: I prefer egg white, but whole egg works too.
🔥 Tempering/Sauce: Optional but recommended. Prepare ingredients in advance and work quickly. Be ready for splatter. Add sauce to chicken immediately before serving.
🔴 Red Color: Many restaurants use red food coloring to get the red shade of this chicken appetizer. If you use more Kashmiri chili powder you can get a redder shade. I make this recipe pretty mild, so the color of the chicken is paler.
❓ FAQS
No, keep them in a single layer for crispiness. You can stack when reheating.
Use a nonstick spatula to gently move it. Letting it cook longer can help. Next time, line the basket with parchment or foil, poking holes for air flow.
Yes, marinate the chicken overnight and air fry before serving. It’s best eaten immediately, but you can reheat cooked chicken at 350°F for 3-4 minutes.
Yes, preheat at 400°F for 4 minutes before cooking.
Doubling may lead to sogginess. If needed, cook the chicken in batches.
Yes, this recipe can be made vegetarian by substituting cauliflower for the chicken.
How to Make Crispy Chicken 65
👩🍳 Air Fryer Method
- Marinate the chicken with spices
- Add flour and egg
- Air fry the chicken, turn partway
- 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.
- 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 your air fryer for 4 minutes.
- 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.
♨️ Deep Fried Method
- 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.
🔥 Chicken 65 in 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 and flip the chicken halfway through cooking.
🌿 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
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 Method (See Note!)
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) 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 Method
- 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 Method
- 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 to Finish
- 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
- Note: Every air fryer’s cooking time will vary due to wattage, capacity, and other factors. Always check on the food 2 to 3 minutes before the time is up to make sure it’s not burning or overcooking!
- * 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.
Nutrition
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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 says
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 says
Thank you, Jenna. I’m so happy to hear that your family enjoyed the recipe.