Chicken 65

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 4 Servings

Chicken 65, a popular dish on many Indian restaurant menus, comes with an origin story as murky as many other great recipes that owe their creation to many people. Some say it originated in Chennai at a small Indian restaurant. It was supposedly the 65th item on the menu and was frequently ordered as “Chicken 65.” Many other theories, like 65 chillies in the recipe or 65 spices in the dish, also persist. The 65th item on the menu sounds the most feasible.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Hot sauce (optional)
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil, such as grapeseed, avocado, or sunflower
18 to 20 fresh curry leaves, patted dry if wet
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 fresh green Indian or Thai chiles, halved or cut into quarters
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Make the first marinade:
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, make the second marinade.
Make the second marinade and fry:
Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl.
When the chicken is ready, place the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, quickly fry the chicken pieces until golden-brown and crispy, but not completely cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the ketchup marinade. Repeat cooking the rest of the chicken as needed.
Toss the chicken and ketchup marinade together; set aside while you make the tempering oil.
Make the tempering oil:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, and chiles. Be careful — the oil will sputter when the leaves are added.
When the oil stops popping and you can smell the mustard seeds, drain the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan. Stir-fry the chicken until the pieces are almost dry, cooked through, and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes.
Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the chicken.