Make this chicken pakora recipe if you are craving a homemade savoury snack or starter. These deep-fried pakoras or fritters are truly crispy with a light crunch, and they are packed with flavour. Tested to perfection!
Serve these pakoras with ketchup or even better, this coriander chutney.
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What is chicken pakora?
For the uninitiated, chicken pakora or murgh pakora (murgh - chicken) is a popular Indian or Pakistani snack made by coating boneless chicken cubes in a thick batter and deep-frying them until crispy and golden brown. It is slightly spicy but not overly so.
That is an informative (but boring) definition of pakora. I'll make it better. Imagine you are holding a warm golden nugget in your hand that feels crisp and crunchy on the outside. Break it open and it crackles gently, releasing the aroma that's trapped inside. Put it in your mouth, and it releases all the juiciness of tender chicken and spices on your tongue. Now, that's what a pakora is, if you ask me!!
Okay, back to some more info!
The star of the show is gram flour or besan, as it is known in common lingo. (And yes, it is slightly different from chickpea flour). The supporting cast is made of the usual suspects of Indian cooking that add flavour: minced ginger and garlic plus spices like chilli, turmeric, and cumin. There's also cornflour, a very important ingredient, because it contributes to the crispiness of the pakoras.
And finally, I'll let you in on a secret to make the chicken in the pakoras soft and moist. Hint: it's a special technique that once you adopt, you will never let go of! Keep reading.
If you like savoury chicken snacks/sides high on the taste quotient, you must try chicken puff pastry, chicken bread, and chicken malai tikka.
What makes this chicken pakora recipe special?
Not all pakoras are made equal, as we all know. Tell me you haven't eaten those soggy, chewy or just plain uninspiring and meh pakoras some time or the other.
What makes a pakora really shine are these 4 things:
A crunchy exterior: those crispy edges are what give pakoras their oomph!
Tender insides: when you bite into a pakora, the meat should still be moist and soft, not tough or stringy.
Lots of flavour: a pakora is not meant to be bland. Period.
Light and fluffy: who wants to eat dense and heavy pakoras, pray?
So, in my quest to make the perfect chicken pakoras (or chicken pakodis as they are also called), I tweaked and tested this recipe until it met all the criteria listed above. Today, I bring to you the final result of my experiments in Pakoraland, and I'm happy to say that I'm quite excited about it!
Check this chicken 65 recipe as well if you like chicken snacks.
🥘 Ingredients
Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down the post.
Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken cubes. I used chicken breasts, but you can absolutely go with chicken thighs, if you prefer darker meat. Thighs also have the inherent advantage of being more moist and juicy to start with.
Oil for deep frying: You can use any neutral oil like canola or sunflower. I have not specified the quantity of the oil in the recipe card, but you will need approximately 3-4 cups, depending on the size of your pan.
Gramflour or Besan: This is a gluten-free flour and much healthier than all-purpose flour. It is used in a wide variety of Indian recipes and is easily found in Indian stores. This is the go-to flour for making any kind of fritters in Indian cooking.
Cornflour: Ah, cornflour! You mustn't skip this, as this is the ingredient when combined with besan makes for that crispy exterior.
Spices: Red chilli, turmeric, and cumin are pretty regular, but chaat masala may be new for some people, especially if they are not familiar with Indian cooking. Chaat masala is a blend of many spices and has a characteristic tangy flavour. It is available easily in Indian and Pakistani stores, and even hypermarkets like Walmart in their international aisle.
Baking soda: Contributes to making the pakoras light and fluffy.
Sea salt: Since you will be brining your chicken, you don't need as much because the chicken is already salted. You definitely need to keep this in mind. That said, do not go to the other extreme and skimp on the salt. Less salt is usually the culprit when it comes to bland tasting meat.
Ginger and garlic pastes: You can mince your own or use the store-bought, bottled ones. I usually have a batch of homemade ginger-garlic paste lying around in my fridge, but I was flat out when I was making these pakoras, so I used the bottled versions. You don't need a lot anyway.
Finely chopped green chillies and cilantro (coriander leaves): To be honest, they're not strictly necessary but they do add to the flavour quotient. It's nice to have a bit of heat from the green chillies in your mouth as you're eating the pakoras.
Water (for making the batter): You need about ¼ cup water to start with, then more as needed.
Brining: The special technique for soft chicken
Before we go on to the actual how-to, let me share with you a technique to make the meat in the pakoras tender and succulent: brining. Brining is not an unknown method, to be sure, but lots of people skip this step and then wonder why their meat is not as soft as they would like it to be.
All you have to do is put the chicken in a salt and water solution or brine. Here's how:
- Take 3 cups of cold water in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons sea salt to it. Stir to dissolve the salt completely.
- Add the chicken breasts to the salt water and let them sit in it for 40 minutes. Make sure the meat is fully submerged in the water. Keep the bowl in the fridge if you want to, but do not let the chicken soak in the brine for more than an hour, otherwise the chicken will become too salty.
- After 40 minutes, take out the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Proceed with the instructions to make chicken pakora.
🔪 How to make chicken pakoras
Step 1: PREPARE
Brine the chicken as outlined above under 'Brining'.
Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
Mince the ginger and garlic if making at home. Peel both and put in a small blender along with a few tablespoons water. You can grind them separately or together for convenience. Use the amounts mentioned in the recipe and store the excess in a small bottle or jar with a tight lid and keep in the refrigerator.
Step 2: MAKE THE BATTER
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl except the oil, chicken and water.
Add about ¼ cup cold water (not warm) to start with and whisk to form a smooth paste. You will need to add more water, but add it in very small amounts (a tablespoon at a time) since you DON'T want a runny batter. It should be thick enough to coat the chicken pieces as shown below.
Add the chicken pieces to the batter, making sure all the pieces get coated evenly.
Step 3: FRY THE CHICKEN
Put a deep and heavy-bottomed wok or karahi on the stove-top and crank up the heat to high. Add the oil and allow it to become hot, but not smoking hot.
Tip #1: To check whether the oil is hot enough or not, drop a small amount of batter in the oil. It should immediately sizzle and rise to the surface without getting burnt.
Tip #2: Before you drop the chicken into the hot oil, take a tablespoon of hot oil from the wok, add it to the batter, and mix it in well. This helps to keep the chicken moist and crisp.
Once the oil is hot, use a pair of tongs to slide in the chicken pieces very carefully.
Allow the chicken to cook for 6-8 minutes. Try not to move it around too much, especially in the first 2 or 3 minutes.
Take the chicken out with a big slotted spoon onto some absorbent kitchen paper. It should be cooked through and golden-brown on the outside.
Serve immediately with a sauce of your choice.
💭 Top Tips
The ratio for the besan and cornflour is 2:1. If you remember this ratio, you won't go wrong with the quantities.
The batter for coating the chicken should be thick and not runny, as mentioned above. This is important, because if the batter is runny, the pakoras will become soggy.
Fry the chicken in hot oil. if it is not hot enough, the chicken pieces will absorb a lot of oil and will not be crispy. If it is smoking hot, the chicken will brown on the outside too quickly and remain under-cooked inside. Important to strike a balance!
Do a test run before cooking a whole batch of chicken. Slide in only one piece at first in the hot oil. The oil should sizzle and the piece of chicken should rise to the top. Let it fry until it is golden-brown on all sides, then do a taste test. If everything is fine (salt, seasonings), go ahead and fry the rest of the meat.
Don't crowd the wok with too many pieces at one time, or the oil temperature will fall. Fry in small batches for best results. I used to disregard this tip when I was new to deep-frying, but it does make a lot of difference, so be patient!
Finally, do not make the batter with the chicken in advance. I know it's convenient to prep things before actually cooking them, but in this case, if the batter sits on the countertop or fridge for too long, the chicken will release its juices and the batter will become runny...not something you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
While deep-frying is traditional and yields the best results, you can also bake or air-fry chicken pakora for a healthier alternative. Note that it will have a different texture and taste slightly different from the deep-fried one.
I wouldn't! Cooked chicken has already lost most of its moisture in the process of being cooked, and if you further deep fry it, it will turn quite dry and stringy.
Fry the chicken until it turns golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. The frying time for bite-sized chicken breast is typically about 6-8 minutes.
Maintain the oil at the right temperature to achieve a crispy texture. If the oil is not hot enough, the chicken will absorb a lot of oil and become heavy and soggy. However, if the oil is too hot (smoking), the chicken will burn and not be cooked through.
Chicken pakora pairs well with plain ol' ketchup, coriander or mint chutney, and tamarind sauce. Take your pick.
Tried this recipe? Please consider giving it a star rating and a comment below. If you're on Instagram, feel free to tag me so I can see your gem. I'd love to hear from you! Thank you:)
📖 Recipe
Chicken Pakora
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl for brining the chicken
- 1 medium-sized glass bowl for the batter
- 1 whisk for mixing the batter
- 1 large karahi or wok for deep frying the pakoras
- 1 pair of kitchen tongs for sliding in the chicken in the hot oil
- 1 large slotted spoon for removing the pakoras from the oil
Ingredients
For brining
- 2 chicken breasts skinless, boneless
- 3 cups cold water for brining
- 2 tbsp sea salt for brining
For the batter
- ½ cup besan chickpea flour
- ¼ cup cornflour
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon Thai green chillies chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- ¼ cup water cold
For deep-frying
- 4 cups cooking oil neutral oil like sunflower or corn oil
Instructions
Brine the chicken
- Take the water in a large bowl and dissolve the salt.
- Add the chicken breasts to the salted water and let them sit undisturbed for 40 minutes.
- Take them out of the water and pat them dry. Now, they are ready to be used.
Cut the chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes, going with the grain of the meat.
Make the batter
- Put all the dry ingredients listed under 'For the batter' in a bowl and mix them well (besan through baking soda). Then add the remaining ingredients (ginger paste through cilantro). Add ¼ cup water and whisk. The batter will be very thick, so add more water, but little by little, not all at once. The technique is to add a tablespoon of water, then whisk slightly, then add another tablespoon, then whisk again...until you get the perfect thick batter.
Add the chicken cubes
- Add the chicken pieces to the batter and make sure they are evenly coated.
Fry the chicken
- Put a large karahi on the stovetop and add the cooking oil. Crank up the heat to high. Allow the oil to become hot, but not smoking hot. To check whether the oil is hot enough, drop a small amount of batter into the oil. It should immediately sizzle and rise to the top without getting burnt.
- Before you drop the chicken into the hot oil, take a tablespoon of hot oil from the wok, add it to the batter, and mix it in well. This helps to keep the chicken moist and crisp.
- Once the oil is hot, use a pair of tongs to slide in the chicken pieces carefully, a few at a time. Don't crowd the karahi with too many pieces, however.
- Allow the chicken to cook for 6-8 minutes. Try not to move it around too much, especially in the first 2 or 3 minutes.
- Take the chicken out with a big slotted spoon onto some absorbent kitchen paper. It should be cooked through and golden-brown on the outside. Serve immediately with ketchup or chutney.
Notes
- The ratio for the besan and cornflour is 2:1. If you remember this ratio, you won't go wrong with the quantities.
- The batter for coating the chicken should be thick and not runny. If the batter is runny, the pakoras will become soggy.
- Don't crowd the wok with too many pieces at one time, or the oil temperature will fall. Fry in small batches for best results.
- Finally, do not make the batter with the chicken in advance. If the batter sits on the countertop or fridge for too long, the chicken will release its juices and the batter will become runny.
Dee says
Absolutely love this!! A nice compliment to Daal Chawal, or as a cool appetizer!
Saima says
Thank you Dee!