Chicken 65 (Gluten & Dairy free!)

This Chicken 65 recipe has taken me forever to perfect! I’ve tried it without the coating and with several different gluten free flours. But I’ve finally found one that worked! The result, crispy nuggets drenched in the spicy sauce signature to this dish! 

So with that said, let’s make it! 

So what exactly is chicken 65?

Well as the story has it, Chicken 65 is actually a creation of a restauranteur from Chennai, India. It is a spicy deep fried, flour coated chicken dish that was originally created as an appetizer. 

I first had it at a friend’s place and have been hooked ever since! But now that I eat a gluten free diet,  I had to make it gluten and dairy free so here’s my version. 

what you will need:

Chicken  Having tried this with all cuts of chicken, (breast, bone in thighs, tenders and boneless thighs) I would highly recommend that you make this dish with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Cut them into bitesized pieces for even frying. 

Flour and eggs We are keeping it gluten free and keto approved with arrowroot flour. The recipe is pretty close to my Gluten free Chicken Nuggets recipe with a few exceptions.

Spices  Red chili powder, turmeric, salt and garlic powder.

Curry leaves and green chilies  These are key to get the authentic Chicken 65 flavor.

Mustard seeds  These are optional but great for aesthtic purpose.   

Tomato sauce  Not ketchup:)

Ginger and garlic  Minced or paste. Essential in all South Asian cuisine.

How to make it

• Begin by marinating the chicken in red chili powder, salt and garlic powder. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

• Meanwhile prepare the coating and the rest of the ingredients.

• Whisk the egg and measure out the arrowroot flour. Slice the green chilies and have the curry leaves handy. 

• Take out the chicken from the fridge and add the whisked egg to the bowl and mix to combine and coat the chicken pieces. Next add the flour and do the same thing. 

• Heat some neutral oil on medium high heat ( about 3 tablespoons if you want to shallow fry ) in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan. Once the oil is heated, work in batches to fry the chicken. Each side takes about 4 minutes to cook through. Flip once browned and fry the other side. Drain on a cookie sheet lined with a rack or paper towel. 

• Once all the chicken is fried, heat a shallow stir fry pan and add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the curry leaves and green chilies. Saute till they are both browned. Using a slotted spoon, take them out and drain next to the chicken pieces. 

• Now add the mustard seeds and saute for about 20 seconds. You may need to use a splatter guard as they can pop all over the place. 

• Next, add the minced ginger and garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds till aromatic and then add the red chili powder, salt and turmeric. Saute for 20 seconds and finally add the tomato sauce. Mix to combine. 

• Once the sauce is ready ( the oil will rise to the top) simply take the chicken, curry leaves and green chilies and add them to the pan. Toss them in the sauce and your Chicken 65 is ready! Enjoy on its own as an appetizer/snack or serve with daal and rice for dinner! 

More snack recipes to try:

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Quesadillas

Club Sandwiches

If you try this recipe I'd really appreciate you rating it below! And let me know in the comments how it worked out for you. And if you take a pic, tag me on Instagram @eatdrinkure, I love seeing your creations!