Chicken Pakora is a crispy and flavorful Indian snack dish. This pakora is also called Chicken Pakoda and is usually prepared with simple ingredients like boneless chicken pieces, Indian spices, herbs, and flours. Especially the besan/chickpea flour used in the recipe gives an authentic taste and flavor to the dish. This Chicken pakora is a gluten-free, kid-friendly, and crowd-pleasing fried chicken dish that is perfect for tea time, as a starter or appetizer for iftar, birthday party, or even for a regular day meal.
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What is Chicken Pakora?
Chicken Pakora is a crispy, tasty and flavorsome snack dish that has its origin in the Indian subcontinent. It is nothing but a fried chicken fritter dish that is prepared with Indian spices, herbs, and flour. Not to mention, the onions, green chilies, and chaat masala that are used along with other ingredients deliver a unique taste and flavor to this traditional dish.
Chicken pakora is also known as murgh bhaji or bhajiya in Hindi while it is pakoda in Tamil and Pakodi in Telugu. And it is also one of the famous snacks like Pav Bhaji that one could find in restaurants, street food stalls, and other eateries of the country. Whether its north or south Indian style, these chicken pakora has a special place in the nonveg menu list of most wedding buffet, iftar or similar other parties.
This chicken pakora is easy to make a dish and it tastes best when it is hot. You could also serve this as a simple snack for your evening tea or as a side for your lunch or dinner meal. And most importantly, skip the green chilies in the recipe to turn them into the ultimate kid's favorite chicken snack dish that can be served for their lunch box, kids' party, or a simple snack to munch around.
Ingredients
The chicken pakora recipe is a delightful starter or snack that requires only minimal ingredients. Yes, the ingredients are straightforward and they should be easily available in most Indian grocery stores around. Let's see what you will need to make this crunchy chicken pakora easily at home.
Spices and herbs for marination
- Turmeric Powder - Yellow color spice that gives a golden color to your dish
- Chili Powder - You can use regular chili powder that has a medium spice level. You could also use Kashmiri chili powder to achieve bright red color for your chicken pakora
- Garam Masala Powder - I usually get a lot of questions when it comes to garam masala. So garam masala powder is nothing but a powder with a combination of Indian whole spices. And it should be either in the name of garam masala powder or allspice powder in most Indian grocery stores
- Mint, curry, and coriander leaves - These Indian herbs give an exotic flavor to the dish especially the mint used here will make you feel the fresh aroma in every bite
Other main ingredients
- Chicken - Chicken Breast or thighs works best for this recipe and make sure to cut them into small bite-size pieces
- Ginger Garlic Paste - This paste gives a whole lot of flavor to most nonvegetarian dishes. And it helps in removing the raw smell of the meat
- Onion - Adding some chopped onions gives a slightly sweet taste and flavor to this chicken pakora
- Green Chili - It gives a unique flavor and taste to the dish
- Oil - You can choose your favorite frying oil of your choice
- Chaat masala - Sprinkling some at the end gives a tangy flavor and taste to the dish
For coating the chicken
- Egg White - It helps to bind the chicken with the flour and also helps in holding the coating during the frying process
- Besan/chickpea flour - A light creamy yellow color flour mostly used for making Indian Bajjis and other snack recipes.
- Corn starch - It helps to achieve the crispy and crunchy chicken pakora and you could also use cornflour instead of starch.
How to make Chicken Pakora?
The recipe I have shared here is an easy Indian street style Chicken pakora that will make you snack over and over again. And the quantity yields to 4 people. So let us see how to make/prepare this crispy finger-licking snack dish from scratch.
So give a clear idea, the process of making chicken pakora has 3 steps.
- Marination of chicken pieces
- Frying the chicken pieces
- Seasoning the Chicken Pakora
1. Marination of Chicken
- To marinate, add the chicken pieces, ginger garlic paste, green chili, onion, salt, chili, garam masala, coriander and turmeric powder, coriander, curry, and mint leaves in a bowl
- Now mix everything well and allow it to rest for 15 minutes
- After 15 minutes, add the corn starch, besan, and egg white and give a nice mix
- Now the mixture for chicken pakora is ready for us to fry in oil.
2. Frying the chicken
- To fry the chicken, heat the oil in a deep bottom pan until it reaches high heat, and then drop the chicken pieces one by one
- Now switch the heat to medium and cook the chicken pieces until both sides turn golden brown in color
- Once it is a nice brown in color, remove them from the oil and reserve them in a bowl
- Once all the chicken pieces are fried, add 1 sprig of curry leaves, green chili(make sure to slit), and fry until both turn crisp
- Remove and reserve them for seasoning
3. Seasoning the Chicken Pakora
- Seasoning is the final step in making this chicken pakora which gives the extraordinary taste and flavor to the dish that exactly one could enjoy in the street food joints and restaurants
- So to make that, add a teaspoon full of chaat masala, fried curry leaves, and green chili to the chicken pakora that is reserved from the earlier step
- Give a good mix in such a way it coats on all the chicken pieces
Viola! Now the delicious chicken pakora is ready for you to taste and enjoy. Believe me, this chicken pakora is one of the addictive snack dishes that you will make over and over again. And I hope you will try and enjoy this dish with your family and loved ones.
Variations
Chicken Pakora is one of the flavorful and addictive snack dishes that have a lot of variations. You can find many variations from north to south and across India. And the most popular one is the street-style version where chaat masala is used at the end to spruce up the crunchy meat pieces. And chaat masala is a popular seasoning mix that one can find in most North Indian snack dishes.
While in South India, people use more curry leaves, green chilies, and fried onions before serving this delicious chicken pakora. And the recipe I shared here is the combination of both which gives an amazing output as a whole.
Even though chicken pakoras are basically fried in oil, you could also bake them in the oven if you really want to avoid the fried ones. To do that, bake the marinated chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15- 20 minutes or until it is done on both sides(note you have to flip and cook on each side). You could also broil in low settings for 2 to 3 minutes to get smoky and crispy chicken pakoras.
You can also make this chicken pakora with Chinese sauces like soy, and chili sauces. Just add a dash of them while marinating the chicken pieces which gives a unique taste and flavor to the dish. There are also other variations based on the region and to name a few,
- Hyderabadi/Andhra-style chicken pakora - It's a spicy version where people use a lot of red chili powder or green chili.
- Bengali chicken pakora - The ingredients are similar to the recipe shared below but some people prefer to add ajwain while marinating the chicken pieces.
- Laccha chicken pakora - It is a unique style of pakora where the outer covering looks like a coil.
Tips
The key to making a perfect and tasty chicken pakora is to use the right amount of ingredients. Especially marinating the chicken with the suggested ingredients for at least 15 minutes will helps the chicken to absorb all the flavors from it. Another important fact is to fry the chicken in batches in high medium heat. This helps the chicken pakora to cook evenly. At the same time, it also delivers a crunchy and crispy pakora that you always love.
Storage Suggestions
This Chicken Pakora tastes best when it's hot. And it may not deliver its crunchiness when it is stored for long hours. So I suggest you serve this dish warm to enjoy the real taste and crispiness of the dish.
Serving Suggestions
This Chicken Pakora tastes great on its own with simple ketchup or mint chutney. And it also tastes great with a cup of tea/ coffee. This is a kid-friendly snack and it can also be a perfect starter for any party, get-together, or potlucks. To enjoy it as a nonveg platter, serve it with Chicken Biryani, raita, and cucumber salad. To make a combo meal, serve it with hot white, Sambar, and Rasam.
You could also find similar recipes below and more at Chicken and Fried Chicken Recipes.
More similar Snack Recipes
Looking for different chicken recipes to cook for your next meal or a party? Then you could also check this collection of Indian Chicken Dry and Semi Gravy Recipes to enjoy with your family and loved ones.
Chicken Pakora Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of a chicken pakora recipe below that I hope will help to make an Indian snack dish at home. For a quick reference, you could also find this recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Pakora (Chicken Pakoda)
Ingredients
- 1.2 lb Chicken Breast, cut into small chunks
- ¼ cup Onion, chopped
- 3 Green Chili, chopped
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 Egg White
- 2 sprig Curry Leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt, as needed
- ¼ cup Coriander Leaves
- ¼ cup Mint Leaves
- ¼ cup Chickpea Flour, Besan
- 2 tbsp Corn Flour
- 3 Green Chili, sliced for frying
- 1 tsp Chaat Masala
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
To Marinate Chicken
- In a bowl add chicken, ginger garlic paste, chili, turmeric, garam masala powder, salt, onion, coriander, curry, and mint leaves
- Mix everything well and cover with the lid and rest for 15 minutes
- After 15 minutes, open the lid and add egg white, chickpea flour, cornflour and give a nice mix(we have to fry immediately)
To Fry the Chicken Pakora
- In a deep bottom pan, pour oil and allow it to reach high heat. Now add the marinated chicken one by one
- Allow the chicken pieces to fry until it turns golden brown in color. and drain them from oil. Repeat the process for the remaining marinated chicken pieces
- Now in the same pan add 1 sprig of curry leaves and sliced green chili and fry until it turns crispy. Remove them and keep them for later use(the oil may splutter so be cautious while doing this)
- In a bowl, add the fried chicken, chaat masala, fried curry leaves, and green chili, and give a nice toss. Now the delicious chicken pakora is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this Chicken Pakora with a hot cup of tea/coffee for an evening snack or as a starter for any meal
Video
Notes
- Resting the marinated chicken for at least 15 minutes will help the chicken to absorb all the flavors from the masalas
- Adding chickpea flour(besan), rice flour, and egg white before frying the chicken will deliver crispy and crunchy pakoras
- I have added mint leaves(pudina) which give an exotic flavor and taste to the chicken pakoras and I recommend it to achieve the same
- Always heat the oil in high flame initially and then reduce it to the medium flame which helps the chicken to cook evenly
- I have added chaat masala to the chicken pakora before serving which elevates its taste and flavor
- This Indian street-style chicken pakora is usually served as a teatime snack, starter for any party, or regular day meal
Nutrition
FAQ
Chicken pakora is a crispy Indian street-style snack dish. In other words, it is a crispy chicken fritter prepared with Indian spices, herbs, and flour. This chicken pakora is one of the common snack dishes served in most street food outlets, restaurants, and households of the country.
The besan(chickpea flour) and corn starch are the main ingredients that deliver a crispy and crunchy chicken pakora. But the chicken pieces do not stay crispier for long hours and it is best to serve them immediately when it is hot and crisp.
Chaat masala can be replaced with dry mango powder or even with lemon juice. Both the ingredients are the best substitutes for chaat masala that delivers a similar taste and flavor to the chicken pakora dish.
Chicken pakora tastes great on its own with simple ketchup and green chutney. It also tastes great with a cup of tea/coffee or even as a starter for party meals.
Chicken pakora stays good for a day but it is best to serve and enjoy immediately to feel the real crispy, juicy and flavorful pakoras.
I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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