Chicken Pakora (Fritters)
Chicken pakora is a delicious versatile Indian snack suitable as a snack, light lunch or as a starter. Chicken pakoras are little chicken pieces dipped in spicy besan batter (gram flour) and deep fried until crispy from outside and soft and moist inside.
Chicken pakora generally served in cocktail parties, but it could be prepared any time as a snack, children love them. Pakora's are usually deep fried, but chicken pakora could be baked in the oven like chicken nuggets or shallow fried in the frying pan. Chicken pakoras are very easy and quick to make, serve them with tomato sauce or ketchup or tamarind chutney.
Chicken pakora generally served in cocktail parties, but it could be prepared any time as a snack, children love them. Pakora's are usually deep fried, but chicken pakora could be baked in the oven like chicken nuggets or shallow fried in the frying pan. Chicken pakoras are very easy and quick to make, serve them with tomato sauce or ketchup or tamarind chutney.
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Ingredients:
½ Pound chicken cutlets or boneless breast or boneless thighs 2 Cup of gram flour (Besan) 2 Teaspoon red chili powder 2 Teaspoon cumin powder 1 Teaspoons carom seeds (Ajwaiin) 1 Pinch of asafetida (Hing) 1½ Teaspoon salt or to your taste 1½ Cup water or as needed Vegetable oil for frying the pakoras Cooking measurement conversion Measurement converter |
 Chicken pieces
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Besan Flour (Gram flour)
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Carom seeds (Ajwaiin)
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Directions:
1. In a bowl place gram flour and add 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon
cumin powder, carom seeds, asafetida and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix them well.
2. Now add little water at a time in the flour and with the hand mixer beat it for a
minute or until it become a smooth batter, or whisk slowly, stir in the water to
form a smooth batter. Keep it aside.
1. In a bowl place gram flour and add 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon
cumin powder, carom seeds, asafetida and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix them well.
2. Now add little water at a time in the flour and with the hand mixer beat it for a
minute or until it become a smooth batter, or whisk slowly, stir in the water to
form a smooth batter. Keep it aside.
Mix spices in Besan
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Add water and mix
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3. Using a sharp knife trims off excess fat or cartilage from the chicken and
discard the pieces.
4. Wash the chicken and squeeze all the water out.
discard the pieces.
4. Wash the chicken and squeeze all the water out.
Trim off the fat or cartilage
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Wash chicken in running water
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5. Place the chicken on the cutting board and with the knife cut thin slices.
Place the chicken on cutting board
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Slice the chicken with the knife
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6. Place the plastic wrap or a wax paper on the top and bottom of chicken slice
and with the mallet pound it to make the chicken slices thin and smooth. (if
you do not have mallet then you can pound the chicken with any pot)
7. Cut the pounded chicken into 2" long and 1" wide thin slices or the preferred
size.
and with the mallet pound it to make the chicken slices thin and smooth. (if
you do not have mallet then you can pound the chicken with any pot)
7. Cut the pounded chicken into 2" long and 1" wide thin slices or the preferred
size.
Place the plastic wrap on the chicken
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With the mallet pound the chicken
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8. Spread the chicken pieces on the cutting board or a plate.
9. Sprinkle cumin powder, red chili powder and salt over the chicken pieces.
Keep the pieces aside.
9. Sprinkle cumin powder, red chili powder and salt over the chicken pieces.
Keep the pieces aside.
Chicken pieces sprinkle with spices
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Heat the oil
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10. Heat 2 to 3 cups of oil in frying pan or a kadhi. For 5 to 6 minutes keep the
heat to high then turn it down to medium high, so that oil heats up quickly. In
7 to 8 minutes oil will heat up then turn the heat down to medium. The correct
temperature is important.
11. To test the oil to see if it is ready, drop a little batter if it rises immediately to
the surface and sizzles, the temperature is correct, if it get brown quickly it
means it is too hot then turn the heat down, if it is sink to bottom and do not
simmer it means it is not hot enough, and the pakoras will absorb too much oil
and remain greasy, adjust the heat accordingly.
heat to high then turn it down to medium high, so that oil heats up quickly. In
7 to 8 minutes oil will heat up then turn the heat down to medium. The correct
temperature is important.
11. To test the oil to see if it is ready, drop a little batter if it rises immediately to
the surface and sizzles, the temperature is correct, if it get brown quickly it
means it is too hot then turn the heat down, if it is sink to bottom and do not
simmer it means it is not hot enough, and the pakoras will absorb too much oil
and remain greasy, adjust the heat accordingly.
Drop little batter in oil to check
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Batter for pakora
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12. With the spoon mix the batter and drop few chicken pieces in the batter. Take one after another piece of chicken making sure they are well coated with the batter drop into hot oil.
Drop few chicken pieces in the batter
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Drop batter coated chicken pieces in oil
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13. Let the chicken pakora's fry for 1 minute then with the spatula turn the
pakoras around and let them fry, after 1 minute turn them back again. Keep the
heat on medium high. If the oil is too hot then the chicken will remain raw
from inside.
14. With the spatula keep flipping the pakoras upside down for 3 to 4 minutes
or until the pakoras become golden brown. Do not fry the pakoras for too
long otherwise chicken will overcook and become hard.
pakoras around and let them fry, after 1 minute turn them back again. Keep the
heat on medium high. If the oil is too hot then the chicken will remain raw
from inside.
14. With the spatula keep flipping the pakoras upside down for 3 to 4 minutes
or until the pakoras become golden brown. Do not fry the pakoras for too
long otherwise chicken will overcook and become hard.
Turn the pakora’s around
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Chicken pakoras become golden brown
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15. Once pakoras become golden brown with the spoon take them out from the
oil and place them on the plate over paper towel so that excess oil is
absorbed.
oil and place them on the plate over paper towel so that excess oil is
absorbed.
Take the pakora’s out of the hot oil
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Place the fried chicken pakoras over paper towel
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16. Once you take all the pakoras out of the oil, turn the heat down to low,
because oil is hot and when you drop another batch of pakoras in the oil they
will fried quickly from outside and inside will stay raw.
17. Drop another batch of pakora in the oil, and then raise the heat up to medium
high. Repeat the process until all the pakoras are fried.
18 Serve pakoras hot with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.
Tips:
1. Instead of gram flour, bread crumbs could be used to make chicken pakoras. Whisk an egg in the bowl, dip a chicken piece then roll into bread crumbs then deep fry or shallow fry them in the frying pan or bake them in the oven.
because oil is hot and when you drop another batch of pakoras in the oil they
will fried quickly from outside and inside will stay raw.
17. Drop another batch of pakora in the oil, and then raise the heat up to medium
high. Repeat the process until all the pakoras are fried.
18 Serve pakoras hot with coriander chutney or tomato ketchup.
Tips:
1. Instead of gram flour, bread crumbs could be used to make chicken pakoras. Whisk an egg in the bowl, dip a chicken piece then roll into bread crumbs then deep fry or shallow fry them in the frying pan or bake them in the oven.
Chicken Pakora's
Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.
Thank you
Geeta Seth
Other recipe:
Aloo pakora (Potato fritters) Gol gappas (Pani poori)
paneer pakora (Fritters) Pyaz ka pakora (onions fritters)
Cauliflower & vegetable fritters Moong dal cheela(Moong dal pancake)
Aloo pakora (Potato fritters) Gol gappas (Pani poori)
paneer pakora (Fritters) Pyaz ka pakora (onions fritters)
Cauliflower & vegetable fritters Moong dal cheela(Moong dal pancake)
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