Chicken Pakora Recipe (Crispy Indian Fried Chicken Fritters)
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Chicken Pakora (Chicken Pakoda) is a crispy, deep-fried Indian appetizer made by coating boneless chicken pieces in a spiced gram flour batter and frying until golden and crunchy. This popular street food is especially enjoyed during the monsoon and winter seasons. I have a trick for making the crispiest chicken pakoda in under 30 minutes with simple ingredients. Make it using my easy recipe and enjoy with green chutney and masala chai.
Here are some more pakora recipes that you can make at home: Moong Dal Pakoda, Onion Pakoda, Aloo Pakora, and Paneer Pakora.
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Table of Contents
My recipe for the crispiest chicken pakora involves double-frying. The first frying cooks the chicken and removes all the moisture from the outer surface, and the second frying makes them very crispy on the outside yet juicy on the inside.
This gluten-free chicken pakora recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Just make sure to fry the pakoras in batches.
Ingredients
Chicken: This is the star ingredient of this dish. Use skinless, boneless chicken. I have used chicken breast, but you can use thighs too.
For Marination
To marinate the chicken, you will need a few spice powders, such as Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and black pepper powder. You will also need ginger garlic paste, salt, and lime juice.
For The Coating
To coat the marinated chicken, you will need chickpea flour (besan flour, gram flour), rice flour, cornstarch (corn flour), and egg whites. This mixture will make the pakora’s outer layer crunchy and crispy.
Oil – You can use any cooking oil with a high smoke point to fry these chicken fritters. Some options include canola oil, sunflower oil, and peanut oil.
Others – You will also need chaat masala, green chilies, and curry leaves. These ingredients are added at the end to enhance the flavor of chicken pakoda. You can make my homemade chaat masala to use in this chicken pakora recipe. It is very delicious and much more economical to make at home.
Add some tandoori masala powder to the chicken pakora batter for even more flavor.
How To Make Chicken Pakora
Marinate The Chicken
Step 1: Wash 250 g boneless chicken breast and pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
Step 2: Cut them into ½-inch cubes using a sharp knife.
Step 3: Add the following ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix everything well.
- chicken cubes
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Step 4: Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate the chicken.
Coat The Chicken
Step 5: Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and add the following ingredients, then mix well.
- 2 tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg white
Fry Chicken Pakoda
Step 6: Heat 3-4 cups of oil in a pan over medium-high heat for frying.
Step 7: Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.
Step 8: Drop half of the chicken pieces, one by one, into the hot oil, and fry until slightly browned and cooked through (6-8 minutes).
Stir frequently while frying so that they fry evenly from all sides.
Step 9: Drain on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
Step 10: Fry the remaining chicken pieces in the same manner.
Double Fry Chicken Pakora
Step 11: Now increase the heat to high and heat the oil until it is very hot.
Step 12: Drop the pakoras in small batches (2-3) into the hot oil and fry on high heat until they are golden brown and crispy.
Step 13: Drain on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
Serve The Pakoda
Step 14: Add 15-20 curry leaves to a metal mesh strainer and fry in hot oil until crispy. Drain on the plate with the pakora.
Step 15: Similarly, fry 2-3 green chilies (slit in half) for a few seconds.
Step 16: Immediately sprinkle 1 teaspoon chaat masala over the chicken pakoda and toss well.
Step 17: Serve hot.
Pro Tips By Neha
The oil temperature is critical for making crunchy chicken pakoras. Let the oil temperature rise before cooking the second batch.
Do not overload the pan while frying. If you overload the pan, the pakoras will not turn out crispy.
Chicken Pakora FAQs
If you don’t want to deep-fry the pakoras, you can air fry them.
Marinate the chicken and coat it with the coating ingredients.
Now, place an aluminum foil in the air fryer and grease it with oil. Leave some space on the sides for the air to flow.
Place the pakoras on the foil in a single layer and spray them with oil from above.
Air fry the pakoras for about 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
Shake the pakoras and air-fry for another 6-8 minutes, or until crispy. Serve your air fryer chicken pakora with green chutney.
Marinate for at least an hour to fully absorb the flavor. If you wish, you can keep it for up to 12 hours.
Yes, all three flours used to make these pakoras, i.e., cornstarch, rice flour, and chickpea flour, are gluten-free, making the pakoras gluten-free too.
You cannot make the pakodas beforehand, as they will lose their crunchiness and become soft.
If you are making it for a large crowd, marinate the chicken, coat it with the coating ingredients, and freeze it.
Before frying, let the marinated chicken come to room temperature.
Another tip is to fry the pakoda once. Do the second frying when ready to serve. It will speed up your process, and you can have hot, crispy pakoras for the crowd in no time.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve chicken pakora for evening snacks with Spicy Green Chutney or Sweet And Spicy Tamarind Chutney, but you can serve it with any dip of your choice. A cup of Strong Masala Chai is highly recommended.
You can also serve this crunchy chicken appetizer as a side dish with Indian meals.
Other Snack Recipes We Recommend
Global Snacks/ Appetizers
Fish Fingers
Indian Snacks
BBQ Nation Cajun Potatoes
Chaat/ Street Food
Egg Chaat Recipe
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Chicken Pakora Recipe (Crispy Indian Fried Chicken Fritters)
Ingredients
To Marinate The Chicken
- 8 ounces boneless chicken breasts (250 g)
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
To Coat The Chicken
- 2 tablespoons chickpeas flour (besan)
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg white
To Fry
- 3-4 cups oil (for frying)
- 2-3 green chilies (slit into half)
- 15-20 whole curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
Instructions
Marinate The Chicken
- Wash chicken breasts and pat them dry using a kitchen tissue.
- Cut them into ½-inch cubes using a sharp knife.
- Add chicken cubes, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, salt, and lime juice to a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix everything well.
- Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate for 1 hour for the chicken to marinate.
Coat The Chicken
- Take out the bowl from the refrigerator and add chickpea flour, rice flour, cornstarch, and egg white and mix well.
Fry Chicken Pakora
- Heat oil for frying in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.
- Drop half of the chicken pieces one by one in the hot oil and fry until slightly browned and cooked from the inside (6-8 minutes).
- Stir frequently while frying so that they fry evenly from all sides.
- Drain on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
- Fry the other half of the chicken pieces similarly.
Double Fry Chicken Pakoda
- Now increase the heat to high and heat the oil until it is very hot.
- Drop pakoras in small batches (2-3 batches) in the hot oil and fry on high heat until they are crispy and golden brown.
- Drain on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
Serve The Pakoda
- Add curry leaves to a metal mesh strainer and fry in hot oil until crispy. Drain on the plate with the pakoras.
- Similarly, fry green chilies for a few seconds.
- Immediately sprinkle chaat masala over the pakora and toss well.
- Serve hot.