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.

29 comments:

Tom 1/8/26 14:52: ...I'd like to order some, please!
DEZMOND 1/8/26 15:09: The green pesto thing looks nice. It is 45C here right now, so no reason to bake anything when we ourselves are literally baking!
speedy70 1/8/26 15:29: Adoro questo piatto saporito, grazie!!!!
Modrina Neba - Blue sky 1/8/26 16:32: I love Angie's chicken and pesto... delicious!!!
David M. Gascoigne, 1/8/26 17:50: Looks quite wonderful, Angie. Fabulous ingredients.
DVArtist 1/8/26 18:15: Thank you so much for these recipes. It all looks so good.
Maminek kulinarny 1/8/26 19:10: An amazing blend of spices. This dish is incredibly aromatic, giving it a unique flavor. A delicious chicken dish idea!
Best regards :)
eileeninmd 1/8/26 19:29: Sounds tasty, Angie! Thanks for sharing.
Have a happy weekend.
Brian's Home Blog 1/8/26 20:03: I can almost taste the yum, I'll place my order too!!!
Christine 1/8/26 20:08: Looks so good!
Linda's Relaxing Lair 1/8/26 20:35: Looks scrumptious 😋
Lori 1/8/26 21:29: Beautiful dish and it sounds delicious.
Cooking Julia 2/8/26 00:03: The dressing on this chicken looks extraordinary!
My name is Erika. 2/8/26 01:56: This is another delicious looking summer meal. The marinade sounds delicious, and so does the sauce. Happy weekend to you Angie.
J.P. Alexander 2/8/26 01:57: Gracias por la receta. Ya volvi. Te mando un beso y gracias por tu cariño.
Ruby Rose and the Big Little Angels 3 2/8/26 04:00: Not sure about the plating with the green pesto but I am sure it tastes great
peppylady (Dora) 2/8/26 04:26: Chicken is usually not bad price.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com 2/8/26 07:29: This looks absolutely divine!
Margaret D 2/8/26 07:59: Looks great and I bet it tastes the same, Angie.
Rose world 2/8/26 10:17: Wow. That look appetizing and tasty.
Federica Simoni 2/8/26 13:26: ottimo piatto saporito!
ellie 2/8/26 14:32: Beautiful! Now could I make that this weekend? 💛💛💛💛💛 I wish!
Caitlin&Megan 2/8/26 14:34: It looks so amazing! You have a way of making me wish I cooked more! Awesome ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
Diane 2/8/26 21:09: This sounds delicious and I have most of the ingredients, I have though never heard of ginger paste. I have fresh ginger though so..... Yum yum. Hope all is well, Diane
David Scott Allen 2/8/26 21:18: I have never heard of this, Angie, and it sounds fantastic. I am always looking for South Asian snacks to serve before dinner. Thank you!
Fran @ G'day Souffle' 2/8/26 22:40: I was alive in 1965 so I can relate to this recipe! I love the green color of the sauce; must come from the cilantro and spinach. Sauce looks refreshing during our hot weather!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 3/8/26 00:56: I've never heard of Chicken 65 before, Angie, but it looks absolutely delicious! I love discovering dishes like this.
Garfield 3/8/26 08:08: Tiras de frango... eu adoro! rsrsrsrs

Nova Tirinha Publicada. 😼

Abraços 🐾 Garfield Tirinhas Oficial.
Veronica Lee 3/8/26 08:31: Such a vibrant dish .
I can almost smell the curry leaves from here.