Air fryer recipe · Starters
Hyderabadi Chicken 65 (Dry Style)
A fiery curry-leaf and red-chilli chicken tossed dry so each piece stays crackling, not saucy.
- 22 minTotal time
- 200°CAir fryer
- 5Serves
- Non-vegetarianDiet
Nutrition per serving
- 95kcal
- 12.2 gprotein
- 5.6 gcarbs
- 2.9 gfat
- 0.6 gfibre
Per serving, about 5 servings. Figures are estimates from standard ingredient databases, not medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice.
Ingredients
- Boneless chicken thigh300 g
- Thick curd3 tbsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder1.5 tbsp
- Curry leaves2 sprigs
- Corn flour2 tbsp
- Ginger-garlic paste1 tbsp
Method
Marinate the chicken
Cut the thigh meat into bite-sized cubes and fold them through the curd, Kashmiri chilli, ginger-garlic paste and a pinch of salt. Let this sit for at least thirty minutes so the curd tenderises the meat and the chilli stains it a deep red.
Dust with corn flour
Just before cooking, sprinkle the corn flour over the marinated pieces and toss until each cube wears a thin dry coat. This coating is what forms the signature crackly shell once the air heats it.
Crisp the curry leaves
Strip the curry leaves from their stems and toss them lightly in a teaspoon of oil. You will scatter these over the chicken at the end for that smoky South-Indian aroma.
First spread in the basket
Lay the chicken cubes apart in a single layer so hot air circles every side, brushing the tops with a little oil. Crowding the basket here is the difference between steamed and seared.
Air-fry and finish
Air-fry at 200C for 16 minutes, shaking the basket twice and adding the oiled curry leaves for the final three minutes. The chicken is done when the edges are charred-red and the curry leaves have gone glassy and fragrant. The chicken is done when it is opaque all the way through with no pink at the centre.
