Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is a popular South Indian chicken appetizer that originated at the iconic Buhari Hotel in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in 1965. It was named after the year of its invention, 1965. Chicken 65 is flavour-packed, incredibly delicious and has just the right amount of heat. You can also serve it as the main with rice or naan.
If you can’t find fresh curry leaves, dried one would work too. Soak them for 10 minutes in water before using. Don’t feel like frying, then airfry them at 200C/400F for 6-8 minutes until cooked through.

Marinade	For Chicken	Herb Dressing
1 tbsp Garlic paste 1 tbsp Ginger paste ½ tsp Sea salt 1 tsp White pepper powder 2 tbsp Garam masala or curry powder ½ tsp Turmeric powder 1- 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 1 Lemon, juiced 2 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt 2 tbsp Ghee, melted 2 tbsp Cornstarch or rice flour	700 g Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed Ghee 1 tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Black mustard seeds 4-6 Dried kashmiri chillies, cut in half and seeds removed 10 Curry leaves 1 tbsp Garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp Ginger, finely chopped 1 Red onion, finely sliced 2 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt 1 tbsp Tomato paste	20 g Cilantro leaves A small handful spinach leaves 1 Green chilli 1 tbsp Garlic paste 1 tbsp Ginger paste 1 Lime, juiced ½ tsp Cumin powder ½ tsp Sea salt 2 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt

Cut the chicken in bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add in all the marinade ingredients and mix everything together until well combined. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Heat enough ghee for shallow frying in a deep frying pan. Shallow fry the chicken in 2-3 batches until it is crispy on all sides and cooked through. Set aside.
Once all chicken is cooked, transfer 2 tablespoons hot frying ghee to a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and black mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to spit, add the dried chillies, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and red onion and cook until the onion starts to colour and soften. Add the tomato paste and yoghurt and mix until it is a deep red colour. Stir in the fried chicken. Toss and stir until chicken is coated with the spice mixture.
To make the herb dressing, blend all of the ingredients together. Serve the chicken with herb dressing. You can either drizzle the dressing over the top or spread it in a layer and top with the chicken.