Indian Spiced Fried Chicken

Cook this on

I’ve been taking a little break.

I needed it.

Who doesn’t these days.

But I’ve been cooking. I made my Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich for my brother and his family – the first (carefully distanced, lots of COVID-19 testing) family visit since March. And I have been cooking and developing new recipes.

It’s hot. Like too hot to turn on the oven. That means I’ve been grilling and frying a lot. Mostly frying – because I don’t have a good grill setup at the moment.

Almost every culture has its version of fried chicken, and as often as not, there is a bar snack version as well. In Japan, it is chicken karaage; in the United States, it is Buffalo wings. It exists everywhere because there are few pairings better than crunchy salty chicken and ice-cold beer.

In India, bar patrons snatch up crunchy bites of spicy, highly seasoned chicken. Like many Indian dishes, it is complex and layered in its flavors. I don’t claim to be able to make or even compare to the best bar chicken in India. This recipe is not an authentic dish. It’s an approximation with spices I enjoy.

In this recipe, we take a few easy shortcuts to get those layered flavors with minimal effort. We marinate the chicken in an easy-to-prepare brine of yogurt, water, salt, and store-bought chutney before breading it in a spiced flour mixture that you can alter to your own preferences.

Indian Spiced Fried Chicken

Recipe by DrewCuisine: Indian, AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Marinade

4

Hours

Ingredients

• Fried Chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• ½ cup Greek-style yogurt, divided

• ¼ cup water

• ½ cup AP flour

• ¼ cup corn starch

• 1 tbsp coriander chutney

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp ground coriander

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• Yogurt Sauce**

• ½ cup Greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

• Fried Chicken
• Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces.
• In a non-reactive, lidded container, mix half of the yogurt (¼ cup) with ¼ cup water, 1 tsp salt, and the coriander chutney.
• Add the chicken and marinate for at least 4 and up to 24 hours.
• Mix AP flour, corn starch, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a lidded container.
• Bread the chicken with the flour and spice mixture and allow to rest on sheet pan with a rack in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to hydrate.
• Prepare your frier with oil heated to 350°.
• Fry until browned and crisp (about 6 minutes).
• Serve with spiced yogurt sauce.
• Yogurt Sauce
• Mix all ingredients and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set and allow flavors to combine.

Be sure to check out my other food project, The Weekly Menu!