Chicken Pakora Recipe

a bowl of chicken pakoras with lemon wedge

Crispy, crunchy golden-brown chicken pakoras are the perfect snack or party appetizer! An easy, authentic recipe that is flavorful and stays crispy for long

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Servings pieces

Calories 83kcal

Author Shinta

Equipment

Ingredients

500 grams chicken pieces boneless thighs or breast fillets
4 tbsp Besan Gram Flour
3 tbsp Rice Flour
1 tbsp Corn starch
¾ tbsp Chili Powder
½ tbsp Garam Masala
½ tbsp Cumin
½ tbsp Coriander powder
¼ cup Curry Leaves dried or fresh
1 egg
¾ tbsp Ginger garlic paste
Salt to season
Oil – for deep frying

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Cut the chicken pieces into approximately 1-inch sized pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, break in the egg. Add salt and ginger garlic paste. Beat lightly.
Add in the spices (cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili powder) and mix with a fork.
Crush the dried curry leaves in your palms and add them (or use finely chopped up curry leaves).
Add the salt to season and then the chicken pieces. Using a fork, gently mix the chicken pieces in the egg-mixture.
In a small mixing bowl, add the gram flour and rice flour and mix together. Add this flour mixture to the chicken in the mixing bowl.
Now using your fingers, mix the chicken in the batter to coat the chicken properly. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the batter gets too dry (add a little water and check - batter should be thick, not runny).
Prepare your frying pan - add the vegetable oil to the wok or a frying pan with high sides. The oil should be around 2 inches deep. Heat the wok on the stovetop.
Once the oil is hot enough, add a drop of batter to the oil to see if it bubbles and rises to the top. The oil is now hot enough for deep frying the chicken pakoras.
Add the chicken pieces one at a time with your fingers, carefully, without spattering the hot oil.
Do not overcrowd the oil. Fry in batches, frying each batch of pakoras for 5-6 minutes (timing will vary by the size of the pakora) until pakoras are golden brown.
Drain the pakoras with a slotted spoon onto a kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.
Garnish the pakoras with a drizzle of lemon juice and more crushed dried curry leaves and serve hot.

Notes

Rice flour is key to the crispness of the chicken pakoras. For a crispy batter, follow the ingredient proportions as mentioned above.

Always fry your pakoras in hot oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the pakoras will soak up the oil. Test a little amount of batter to see if it bubbles to the surface before you add your chicken pieces to the oil.

Nutrition