Chicken Pakora Recipe
Chicken Pakora (Chicken Pakoda) is a popular Indian deep-fried appetizer that is delicious, especially in winters and monsoons. Make crispy pakoras using my easy recipe.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
To Marinate The Chicken
- 250 grams boneless chicken breasts
- 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 chickpea 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 in half
- 15-20 whole curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
Instructions
Marinate The Chicken
- Wash chicken breasts and pat them dry using a kitchen towel. Dry chicken matters here because any surface water loosens the coating later.
- 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 well to coat every piece.
- Cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate for 1 hour for the chicken to marinate.
Coat The Chicken
- Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and add chickpea flour, rice flour, cornstarch, and egg white, then mix well. You want a thick, clingy coating on each piece, not a runny batter. That thin, tight layer is what fries up crisp instead of puffy.
First Fry
- Heat oil in a kadai over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, turn the heat down to medium, around 325–340°F (165–170°C) if you’re using a thermometer. Lower heat on this first round lets the chicken cook through before the outside browns.
- Drop in half the chicken, one piece at a time, and fry for 6–8 minutes until lightly browned and cooked inside. Stir often so the pieces color evenly. Adding the pieces one by one keeps them from clumping together and stops the oil temperature from crashing.
- Drain the pakoras on a paper-towel-lined plate, then fry the rest the same way. At this stage, they’ll look pale golden.
Second Fry
- Turn the heat to high and let the oil heat up to about 375°F (190°C). Fry the pakoras in 2–3 small batches until deep golden and crisp, then drain on a wire rack. The first fry pushed moisture out of the surface, so this quick blast of heat turns the coating shatter-crisp while the chicken inside stays juicy.
Finish And Serve
- Put curry leaves in a metal mesh strainer and lower it into the hot oil. Fry until crisp, then tip them onto the pakoras.
- Fry green chilies the same way for just a few seconds.
- Sprinkle the chaat masala over the pakoras right away and toss. It sticks best while the surface is still hot and slightly oily.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Let the oil recover between batches. Every batch drops the oil temperature. Wait for it to climb back before the next batch goes in, or the pakoras soak up oil.
Never overload the pan. Too many pieces at once steam instead of fry, and they won’t turn crisp.
Cut evenly. Same-size cubes finish together, so you don’t end up with some dry pieces and others underdone.
Check one piece on the first batch. Cut it open. The chicken should be white all the way through or reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Drain on a rack if you have one. Paper towels trap steam under the pakoras, while a rack keeps the bottoms crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 436mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 496IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
