Why order Chicken 65 from a restaurant when you can make it at home? Read on to find out how!
So you've invited your friends over and are looking to surprise them with a yummy non vegetarian platter.
Reshma Aslam tells you how to up your cooking game with these fancy restaurant-style chicken appetisers.
Hot 'n Spicy Schezwan Chicken Fingers
Photograph: jeffreyw/Creative Commons
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg chicken boneless (breast) cut into long strips
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tbsp red chilly powder
- 1 tbsp schezwan sauce
- A pinch of red food colour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour (maida)
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1/2 tbsp tomato sauce
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Method
- Wash the chicken and drain well.
- In a bowl, add corn flour and maida. Add salt, mix well.
- Beat the eggs and add to the flour mix.
- Add food colour. Mix well.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the chicken pieces one by one and fry well. Remove and keep aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in another pan. Add chopped garlic. When it turns brown in colour, add ginger garlic paste, schezwan sauce, red chilly powder, tomato sauce and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add fried chicken and toss well.
- Remove from pan and serve hot with schezwan sauce.
Chicken 65 (Dry)
Photograph: Amiyashrivastava/ Creative Commons
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg chicken breast (cut into small pieces)
- 6 to 7 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp ajinomoto
- 3 soup cubes (chicken)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp of red food colour
- 1 cup curds
- Curry leaves
- Oil for frying
- Salt to taste
Method
- Wash and clean the chicken pieces and drain them well.
- Marinate with salt and keep aside.
- Powder the soup cubes and add to the chicken.
- Add chilli powder, curd, turmeric powder ajinomoto, red food colour and mix well. Let it marinate for about four hours.
- Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the chicken pieces, few at a time.
- Heat some oil in another pan, add green chillies and curry leaves.
- When the leaves start popping add chicken pieces and tomato sauce.
- Keep on stirring till the tomato sauce gets coated on all the pieces.
- Serve chicken 65 with the sauce of your choice.
Chicken Cream Kebab
Photograph: Nadir Hashmi/Creative Commons
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg chicken minced
- 6 to 7 green chillies (ground to paste)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander and mint (optional)
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 bread slices (ground)
- 4 tbsp fresh cream
- 1 cube cheese grated
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- Oil for deep frying
- Salt to taste
Method
- Wash the minced chicken and drain well.
- Add some salt to the minced chicken and boil it in 2 to 3 cups of water for about 15 minutes.
- Drain out the water and keep aside to cool.
- In a vessel mix finely chopped mint, coriander and chicken mince.
- Add salt, ginger garlic paste, green chilly paste, garam masala powder, the ground bread slices, grated cheese and fresh cream.
- Grind all ingredients to a smooth paste. Refrigerate for an hour to marinate.
- Make small oval balls using your hands.
- Take a small bowl and beat the eggs. In a separate plate spread the bread crumbs.
- Dip each ball in egg bowl and then roll over bread crumbs. Deep fry till the balls golden brown.
- Chicken Cream Kebab is ready and can be served with naan, roti and chutney or sauce of choice.
Chicken Pahadi Kebab
Photograph: Mrudit161187/Wikimedia Commons
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg boneless pieces (preferably breast pieces)
- 1 tbsp cashew powder
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds powdered
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 tbsp curd
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
- 3 tbsp gram flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- Few spinach leaves (boil and grind to paste, do not add water it should be 4 tbsp after grinding)
- Salt to taste
- Chaat masala for sprinkling
Method
- Cut, clean and wash the chicken pieces and drain them well.
- In a vessel add chicken pieces, salt and cashew powder. Mix well.
- Add ginger garlic paste. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, fennel seeds powder, ginger garlic paste, curd, mustard oil and spinach paste. Mix well.
- Heat butter in a pan. Add gram flour. Roast till it turns golden and releases a nice aroma.
- Add this to the chicken and mix well. Add chopped coriander. Let it marinate overnight.
- The following day, arrange the chicken pieces on skewers and grill for 20 minutes.
- Brush with butter and add chat masala.
- Serve Chicken Pahadi with green chutney or sauce.
Chicken Reshmi Kebab
Photograph: Lucas Richarz/Creative Commons
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg minced chicken
- 1 tbsp green chilli paste
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp cashew powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander and mint leaves
- 3 tbsp chopped onions
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 egg
- 2 cubes grated cheese
- Oil for shallow frying
- Butter for brushing
Method
- Wash chicken. Drain well.
- Add salt, green chilli paste, cumin powder, garam masala powder, cashew powder, white pepper powder and ginger garlic paste.
- Add coriander and mint, onions, grated cheese and egg. Mix well. Let it marinate for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
- Shape into long kebabs and shallow fry in minimum oil till they become golden brown.
- Serve with a dollop of butter, chutney or sauce.
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