Name: Air Fryer Chicken 65
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 500g chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 5cm/2 inch pieces; 1 to 2 tbsp chilli sauce, I use Franks; 1 tbsp lemon juice; FOR THE SPICED BATTER; 1 egg white; 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp chilli powder; 2 tsp tandoori masala; ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch); 2 tbsp rice flour; FOR THE TEMPERING; 1 to 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil; ½ tsp black mustard seeds; ½ tsp cumin seeds; 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves; 2 green chillies, sliced lengthwise down the centre; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 5cm (2in) piece of ginger, peeled and julienned; 2 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped

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You won’t believe how good this air fryer chicken 65 is!

Chicken 65 has to be one of my favourite Indian starters. It’s also good as a main course. The air fryer chicken 65 might be simple but the flavour is incredible.

Authentic chicken 65 is usually made by deep frying battered chicken and then stir frying the crispy chicken with aromatic spices and herbs. This air fryer chicken 65 recipe is not only lighter but pacts the same punch as those cooked using traditional methods.

About this recipe.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if this air fryer chicken 65 recipe would work but I’m happy to report that it worked incredibly well. Air fryers don’t do well with food that has a thick batter on it so I reduced the batter from my more traditional chicken 65 recipe and the chicken crisped right up!

Then it was just a matter of air frying the aromatic ingredients and mixing it with the chicken. Recipes don’t get much easier than that.

Chicken 65 is often bright red on colour. This is done with red food colouring and I decided not to add it this time. If you are looking for a bright red chicken 65, just rub about 1/2 to 1 tsp red food colouring into the chicken when you add the batter ingredients.

Can you work ahead?

Yes and I recommend doing so. You can marinate the chicken up to 24 or even 48 hours before you begin cooking. Although you could go straight to cooking, marinating the meat for a good few hours does have its flavour benefits.

You can also prepare and set out all the spices and aromatic ingredients. In fact, you could temper the spices and aromatic ingredients in the oil and transfer to a bowl to keep in the fridge.

Then just add it to your cooked chicken and air fry for a few more minutes until heated through.

Which cut of chicken is best for this recipe?

Traditionally, chicken 65 is made with pieces of chicken breast. Chicken breast is white meat so it looks prettier when served.

I like to use chicken thighs which are more red in colour but juicier and also have more flavour. You can decide which you prefer.

Do you need to use both cornflour (corn starch) and rice flour?

No. You could just use cornflour (corn starch) but the rice flour gives the chicken a crispier exterior.

Is this air fryer chicken 65 just like the original deep fried and stir fried version?

In my opinion, it’s close enough. You still get all the amazing flavours. We are talking total deliciousness here!

What you don’t get is more crispy batter on your chicken but that really is not missed. It just isn’t needed to make a good chicken 65! The chicken is still very crispy and nice.

Can you store leftovers in the fridge?

Yes! When you are ready to eat them, just place it all back in your air fryer at 200°C/400°F to heat it through again.

You could also place it all in your microwave but the results are no where near as crispy and good.

Can you freeze air fryer chicken 65?

Yes but you will lose some of the crispiness of the ginger and the chicken may not be as juicy as it was right out of the air fryer. You might want to add some fresh julienned ginger just before reheating.

To reheat, let it defrost completely and then place in your air fryer at 200°C/400° for a few minutes until crispy and hot.

Top tips.

Cutting the chicken: You need to cut the chicken into larger bite sized pieces as you want the chicken to be crispy on the exterior while still nice and juice inside.
Use what you have: If you happen to have an air fryer with two cooking chambers, you can air fry the chicken and temper the aromatic ingredients at the same time. This is not essential but it does reduce the cooking time and brings it all together at the same time.
Keep it crispy: I often simply toss the cooked chicken with the tempered ingredients in a bowl and find that works well. If you find that the chicken is not hot and crispy by the time you go to mix it all up, simply toss and place it all back into your air fryer to heat and crisp through.

Step by step photographs.

Get all of your ingredients together before you start. It’s easier and a lot less fussy that way.

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and add the egg white, garlic and ginger paste and the ground spices. Rub this marinade right into the flesh of the meat. Marinate for minutes to 24 hours.

The marinated meat in a bag with the flours ready to be shaken and coated with the flours.

Pour both flours into a large bag and add the marinated chicken. Shake well to coat.

Preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F and spray the basket with cooking oil spray. Place the chicken in one layer in the basket and air fry for 20 minutes.

Turning the chicken for a more even cook.

Halfway through cooking, turn the chicken pieces for a more even cook. Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl and keep hot.

Tempering the whole spices and aromatic ingredients in oil.

Now place a cake tin or another suitable metal pan and add the oil, using 2 tbsp of oil if you want your chicken 65 to be closer to the traditional version.

Tempering the spices and aromatic ingredients.

This step takes needs some specific instruction. You need to heat the oil for about 4 minutes first in a metal cake tin or other metal pan that fits into your air fryer.

Then add the mustard seeds and let them fry for a minute. Stir in the cumin seeds and curry leaves and let them infuse their flavour into the oil for another minute. Stir in the garlic, ginger and half of the spring onions and fry for another minute or two to soften but be careful not to burn the garlic.

If you are on a calorie reduced diet, you can spoon out any excess oil but the oil is required to get the flavour right and is also best left in.

Tossing the chicken with the tempered ingredients.

If you chicken is still hot, simply mix it with the tempered ingredients. If not, add the chicken to the pan and mix well to cook for 2 minutes.

Season with salt to taste and stir in the hot sauce and lemon juice, also to taste.

Enjoy!

If you like these air fryer chicken 65, you might like to try some of these air fryer recipes too.

Air Fryer Shrimp

Air Fryer Whole Tandoori Chicken

Samosa

Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma

Bang Bang Chicken

Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

Air Fryer Onion Bhajis

Have you tried this Air Fryer chicken 65 recipe?

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Yield: 2