The interesting story of Chicken 65 and its name | The Times of India (2024)

If you are a chicken lover, then you must have had Chicken 65 which is a lip-smacking dish that is often served as a starter or with a roomali roti. This deep-fried chicken dish is quite popular all across India and people have even come up with different versions of it. But have you ever wondered why is there a number in the name of the dish? Read on to know the interesting story behind the origin of Chicken 65 and an easy recipe to make it at home. (image credits- istock)

Many people have a misconception that the name of Chicken 65 is because of the ingredients used in the dish. Its origin story suggests otherwise. Chicken 65 was actually invented by A.M. Buhari in the year 1965 in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The dish was part of the menu of Buhari Hotel, which later also came up with other versions like Chicken 78, Chicken 82 and Chicken 90.

Chicken 65 and Chicken 90 are still sold at Buhari Hotel, priced at Rs 305 and Rs 340, respectively.

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If you are wondering why the dish is called Chicken 65, it is simply because it was invented in the year 1965. Many people also say that the chicken was chopped into 65 pieces or was marinated for 65 days, that’s why the dish got its unique name.

Some people also say that soldiers in the Chennai canteen were presented a long menu that had this dish against the serial number 65 and that’s why the dish was linked to the number 65. It is believed that since there was a language barrier in the Cantt, associating the chicken dish with the number was the easiest way for the soldiers to remember the dish.

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Ingredients required- 1 cup chopped boneless chicken, ½ cup curd, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp chopped curry leaves, 1 tbsp coriander leaves, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp roasted cumin powder, 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 3 tbsp rice flour, 2 green chillies, 5 garlic cloves, 1 stalk of curry leaves, salt as per taste and oil for frying.

Method-

• Take chicken pieces in a bowl. Add curd, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, coriander leaves, black pepper powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and salt as per taste.
• Use your hands to mix well and coat all the chicken pieces properly. Now cover the bowl with a lid, set it aside and let it marinade.
• Once the chicken has marinated well, add rice flour to the bowl and again mix well to coat the pieces.
• Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying. Drop the chicken pieces one by one in the hot oil and fry until crisp in texture. Fry all the chicken pieces in small batches to prevent overcrowding.
• Once fried, take out the chicken pieces on a plate.
• For the tadka, heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add sliced green chillies, minced garlic and curry leaves. To this tempering, add the fried chicken pieces and toss for a few minutes.
• Your Chicken 65 is now ready to be served.

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