So many cultures have fried chicken recipes, and most of them are really good. While India is no exception, I was curious about the origin of Indian fried chicken Was it just a riff on American fried chicken, just with “Indian” spices? Turns out, that’s not the case.
Here’s an excerpt from the June 29, 2022 Eater article, which gives some good background info:
“‘There’s always been a context of a fried chicken in India,’ says chef Pandya. There’s halal fried chicken, sometimes cooked whole, at stands in Delhi. There’s chicken pakora in Mumbai and Kolkata. There’s red chicken fry in Hyderabad. Fried chicken is part of the region’s culinary fabric. There’s sesame seed-sprinkled Dhaka fried chicken in Bangladesh. There is chicken 65, chile chicken, and chicken lollipop, the latter two mainstays of Indian Chinese cuisine.”
Suffice it to say, Indian fried chicken has Indian origins.
This is a pretty easy recipe. I strongly recommend marinading the chicken overnight, and not just for a couple of hours. It will be more flavorful.
What you’ll need for the chicken and marinade:
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1T Kashmiri red chili powder or Hungarian hot paprika
- 0.5t teaspoon ground coriander
- 1T lemon juice, plus more as desired
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 one-inch piece of ginger, grated
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
What you’ll need for the seasoned coating and yogurt sauce:
- 4T cornstarch
- 2T rice flour (I recommend skipping this and using more corn starch)
- 2T all-purpose flour (I recommend skipping this and using more corn starch)
- 1.5t Kashmiri red chili powder or Hungarian hot paprika, divided
- 0.25t salt and fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 egg, beaten, in a small bowl
- Neutral oil, for deep-frying
- 0.25 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 0.5t ground cumin
- 0.5 clove garlic, crushed
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
What to do:
Cut the chicken into small pieces and place them in a shallow container or one-gallon freezer bag.
For the marinade, whisk the chili powder, ground coriander, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Adjust any ingredient amounts to your liking. Rub into the chicken pieces and marinate for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Doing this in a freezer bag works well.
When the chicken is done marinading and you’re ready to cook. Make the seasoned coating: in a small bowl, thoroughly mix the cornstarch, regular and rice flours (if using), 1t chili powder, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
Now make the yogurt dipping sauce in a small bowl by whisking together the yogurt, cumin, the remaining 0.5t chili powder, garlic, and salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you serve the chicken.
In whatever cooking vessel you’ll be using, heat the oil to 375º F. As it’s heating, piece by piece, remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge the pieces in the beaten egg, then through the seasoned coating. Carefully deep-fry the pieces, four to five at a time, for 3 – 5 minutes.
Remove the cooked pieces from the cooking oil with a slotted spoon or spider strainer, and drain a rack.
Serve hot or warm with the yogurt dipping sauce.
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