Popcorn Chicken – Better than KFC

Popcorn Chicken

Why it’s better than KFC?

Bite sized chicken chunks are coated with Panko ( Japanese) breadcrumbs instead of regular bread crumbs, which absorbs less oil and keeps Popcorn Chicken light and crispy.

Chicken is fried in oil instead of lard, normally restaurants fry chicken pieces in lard or shortening ( Vanaspathi).

You can flavor popcorn chicken as per your taste.

Ingredients

Chicken Thigh or breast meat – 250 gms

Red chilli powder or black pepper powder – 1 and ¼ tsp

Garlic powder – 1 tsp

Lemon juice – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Egg – 1 number

Plain flour / Maida – ¼ cup

Panko Breadcrumbs – 1 and ½ cups

Panko breadcrumbed Chicken

Method

  1. Chop the chicken thigh or breast meat into bite sized pieces.

  2. Marinade chicken pieces with 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp lemon juice and required salt for at least 20 minutes.

  3.  Lightly beat an egg with ¼ tsp red chili powder and 2 generous pinches of salt  in a bowl.

  4. Place plain flour in another bowl. and set aside.

  5. Place panko breadcrumbs in a wide bowl or plate and set aside.

  6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.

  7. First add 4 or 5 marinated chicken pieces to the plain flour mixture and coat well with flour, shake excess flour from the chicken pieces and add it to the egg mixture. Quickly shake to drip of excess egg from chicken pieces and add it to the panko breadcrumbs and coat well. Place breadcrumb coated chicken pieces on to separate plate. Continue the same process with rest of chicken pieces.

  8. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium and start adding chicken pieces to oil in batches. Fry the chicken pieces until golden brown, crispy and drain on to a paper towel.

  9. Serve hot Popcorn Chicken with sauce of your choice.

Popcorn Chicken Recipe

Chicken Seekh Kabab Recipe

Chicken Seekh Kabab

Ingredients
Minced chicken - 500 gms
Besan flour - 1/4 cup
Garlic cloves minced - 6 nos
Ginger minced - 2" piece
Pudina / Mint leaves minced - handful
Coriander leaves minced - handful
Red chilly powder - 2 heaped tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 heaped tsp
Egg( beaten) - 1 no
Salt to taste
Ghee or butter for basting
Wooden or Metal skewers - required

Minced Chicken Kebab

Method
1. Roast besan flour in a non stick pan on low heat until slightly turns pale in color and aroma rises, set aside and allow to cool.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water for 10 mins to prevent skewers catching fire.
3. Mix minced chicken, garlic, ginger, herbs, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, beaten egg, required salt and roasted besan flour to a bowl. Mix well until soft dough is formed.
4. Grease your right palm with oil, hold bottom tip of the skewer in your left hand, take a handful of chicken mixture in your right hand and shape it into ball. Place skewer in the chicken ball and start spreading the chicken mixture along skewer evenly and thinly( if you spread it thick and heavily the chicken mixture will drop from skewer). Continue same with rest of mixture.

Method to cook on tawa or pan
1. Heat tawa or flat pan, when hot place the prepared chicken skewer on the pan in a row leaving some space in between.
2. Cook them on low heat for about 10 to 12 mins, smear ghee or butter on the chicken skewer and keep turning the skewers so it evenly cooks on all sides until golden brown.

Seekh Kabab

Method to cook in grill/ oven
1. Pre-heat oven at 200c, place prepared chicken skewers on the grill in a row leaving some same in between.
2. Place the grill tray on the top rack of the oven( so direct heat falls on chicken skewer).
3. Cook for about 10 to 12 mins, bast ghee or butter with brush on the chicken skewer and keep turning the skewers so it evenly cooks on all sides until golden brown.

Seekh Kabab on grill

Simple Egg Fry - with boiled eggs

Quick Boiled Egg Fry

Ingredients

Boiled eggs - 4 nos

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 3 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp

Salt - 3/4 to 1 tsp

Oil - 4 tbsp

Water - 4 tbsp

Simple egg fry

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Method

1. Cut the boiled eggs into half.

2. In a wide pan or kadai mix red chilli powder with coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, oil and water.

3. Place the pan on medium heat and keep stirring until thick gravy is formed.

4. Lower pan heat and place halved boiled eggs down facing the pan, cover with lid and cook for 3 mins.

5. Remove boiled eggs to plate along with masala. 

Garnish with curry leaves and serve along with chapati, steamed rice or as appetizer.

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

Buffalo Chicken nuggets

Ingredients

Chicken cut into bite size pieces - 300 gms

Maida / All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Corn flour - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - less than 1/4 tsp

Oil to deep fry

Ingredients for Buffalo Sauce

Hot sauce (any brand) - 1/2 cup

Vinegar - 4 tbsp

Red chilli powder / Paprika powder - 1 tsp

Butter ( melted) - 1/4 cup

Cornflour - 1 tsp ( mixed with 2 tbsp water)

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Buffalo Chicken

Method

To make chicken nuggets

Mix in maida, cornflour and baking soda in a bowl. Dust the chicken pieces well in the flour mixture and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. 

To make Buffalo sauce

In a sauce pan mix in all the ingredients given for buffalo sauce.

Simmer the sauce on low heat for 3 mins. Finally add cornflour paste to the simmering sauce and remove pan from heat.

Toss the prepared chicken nuggets in buffalo sauce and serve immediately.

Tips

Use chicken wings instead of chicken nuggets for Buffalo chicken wings.

Any brand of hot sauce will do good, hot sauce is available in many supermarkets.

Andhra Chicken 65 - Hot and Spicy

Andhra Chicken 65

Ingredients

Chicken pieces - 250 gms

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Curd - 1 tbsp

Maida - 2 tbsp

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

Red food color - few pinch

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Masala paste ingredients

(Grind below ingredients to fine paste)

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Ginger - 2" piece

Garlic clove - 4 nos

Water - 1 tbsp

To garnish

Onion diced- 1 no

Capsicum diced- 1 no

Green Chilli Sliced- 2 nos

Oil- 1 tsp

Spicy Chicken 65

Method

Mix ground paste, turmeric powder, lemon juice, curd, salt, red food color, rice flour, maida and cornflour to a smooth paste in a wide bowl. Add chicken pieces to the masala paste, mix well and marinate chicken for atleast 1 hour. Deep fry the chicken pieces in hot oil till golden. Saute diced onion, green chilli and capsicum in 1 tsp oil for few seconds, add the fried chicken pieces to the onion mixture toss well and serve.

Chicken 65 Andhra Style

Chicken Pakoda

Chicken Pakoda

Ingredients

Chicken pieces - 250 gms

Red chilli powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Ingredients for pakoda batter

Bengal gram flour / Chickpea flour - 1/4 cup

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Cooking soda - less than 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chopped curry leaves

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Water required

Oil to deep fry

Chicken Pakora

Method

Mix chicken pieces with red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger - garlic paste, vinegar and salt, mix well and marinade chicken pieces for 1 hour.

To the marinated chicken pieces add bengal gram flour, rice flour, cooking soda, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, chopped curry leaves and salt. If required sprinkle little water, mix well until thick batter is coated on chicken pieces. Deep fry chicken pakoda in hot oil till golden brown and crispy.

Crispy chicken fritters

Golden Fried Prawns Recipe Indian Chinese Style

Lean how to make crispy Golden Fried Prawns Chinese Restaurant Style recipe at home.

Golden Fried Prawns

Ingredients

Prawns / Shrimps- 12 nos

Cornflour- 4 tbsp

Rice flour- 2 tbsp

Maida / All purpose flour- 2 tbsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

White Pepper Powder- 2 tsp

Kesar / Orange food colour- few pinch

Ajinomoto- less than 1/4 tsp

Water required

Oil to deep fry

Golden fried prawns Chinese style

Method

Remove the prawns shell but keep the tail intact, clean, wash and set aside.

In a medium bowl add corn flour, rice flour, maida flour, salt, white pepper powder, ajinomoto and food colour. Mix well, add few tbsp of water little by little until a thin and lump free batter is formed.( The batter should not be too thick or too thin, it should be thinner than dosa batter). Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot reduce to medium heat. Hold tail of prawn dip in the prepared batter, gently shake to remove excess batter from prawn and drop prawn into hot oil. Add up to 4 to 5 prawns, do not overcrowd the pan. Fry prawns for 1 or 2 minutes until golden brown and drain from oil. Place fried prawns on oil absorbent paper  Serve hot Golden Fried Prawns as starter with dip of your choice.

Golden fried prawns Indian Chinese Restaurant style

Nethili Meen 65/ Nethili Meen Varuval

Nethili Meen 65

Ingredients

Nethili Meen/ Anchovies fish- 1/2 kg

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala powder- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Corn flour- 1 tsp

Maida/ All purpose flour- 1 tsp

Oil to shallow fry

Nethili Meen 65

Method

Clean and wash the fish pieces. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except oil to a smooth paste, marinate the fish pieces in masala paste for at least 30 mins

Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry, add the marinated fish pieces and fry until crisp. Serve hot nethili 65 as starter or with steamed rice and sambar.

Chilli Chicken 65 Recipe

One regular reader requested me to post Chilli chicken 65 recipe, she said her whole family is fond of Sakthi Chilli Chicken 65. She wanted to prepare the same kind of recipe with home made masala. There is nothing unusual in preparing chilli chicken 65, its a simple chicken 65 recipe with hot kick and powdered whole spices.

Chilli Chicken 65 recipe

Ingredients

Chicken pieces- 1/2 kg( 1 pound)

Garlic powder- 1/2 tbsp

Ginger powder- 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder( hot variety)- 2 tsp

Green chilly paste- 1 tsp

Spice masala powder- 1/2 tsp(+/-)

Ajinomoto- 1/4 tsp

Red food color- few pinch

Salt to taste

Groundnut oil- 3 tbsp

Vinegar- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Oil to deep fry

Ingredients to make spice masala powder

( dry roast and grind below ingredients to fine powder, sieve and store)

Cloves- 1 tbsp

Cardamom- 5 nos

Cinnamon sticks 1" piece- 4 nos

Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp

Jathipathri/ Mace- 1 no

Sakthi masala style chilli chicken 65

How to make chilli chicken 65

Marinate chicken pieces with garlic powder, ginger powder, red chilly powder, green chilly paste, spice masala powder, ajinomoto, red food color, salt, groundnut oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least half an hour. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, carefully drop marinated chicken pieces into hot oil. Fry on medium heat until chicken pieces are cooked and golden brown. Garnish with fried curry leaves and serve.

Chilly Chicken 65

Varutha Mutton Chops/ Fried Spicy Lamb Chops Recipe

Few years back my Mutton Chops recipe got published in the Hindu Newspaper, here is what they had written and goes the recipe as well. I have also added the screen shots of the Newspaper and website links.

Spicy Lamb Chops Recipe

"This recipe, originally my great-grandmother's, was handed down to me by my grandmother. It is common to prepare mutton chops in gravy, but in this recipe it is deep-fried.

What you need

Mutton chops -1/2 kg, Ginger, chopped - 50 gm, Green chillies, chopped - 8, Eggs – 1 or 2, Red chilli powder - 1 tsp, Turmeric powder - 1 tsp, Salt - to taste, Oil- to shallow fry.

Varutha Mutton Chops

Cooking instructions

Clean and wash the mutton chops. In a mixer add ginger, green chillies, 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt and grind together to form a smooth paste.Mix the paste and the mutton chops and marinate for 10 minutes.Add the marinated mutton chops along with 1/4 cup of water in a pressure pan, and pressure cook for 20 minutes.Uncover the pan, and cook till the gravy turns dry and the pieces are well-coated.In a medium bowl beat the eggs with turmeric, chilly powder and a little salt.Heat a sauce pan, with enough oil to shallow fry. Dip each mutton chop in the beaten egg mixture and fry till golden brown. Serve hot.

Mythreyi Dilip is passionate about cooking and is working on a cookery book on international recipes in Tamil. She lives abroad."

Fried Lamb Chops

Recipe Published on The Hindu Newspaper website

Fish Manchurian Dry Restaurant Style

Fish Manchurian

Ingredients

Fish pieces cubed( I used Seer fish/ Vanjaram)- 500 gms

Onion medium diced- 1 no

Spring onions whites finely chopped- 2 tbsp

Green chilli diagonally sliced- 4 nos

Capsicum/ Green bell pepper diced- 1 no( optional)

Ginger minced- 1" piece

Garlic cloves minced- 4 nos

Spring onion greens chopped- 2 tbsp

Dark soya sauce- 2 tsp

Red chilli paste or powder- 1 tsp

Vinegar- 1 tsp

Ajinomoto- less than 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- 1 tsp

Sugar- 1/4 tsp

Oil- 3 tbsp

Restaurant Style Fish Manchurian

Ingredients for batter

Corn flour- 4 tbsp

Maida/ All purpose flour- 4 tbsp

Rice flour- 2 tbsp( optional)

Cooking soda/ Baking soda- few pinches.

Red chilli powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Ajinomoto- less than 1/4 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Kesar/ Red food color- few pinches

Water required

Oil to deep fry

Fish Manchurian Dry

Method

In a deep bowl combine the batter ingredients, add required water, mix well and make a semi thick batter. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot dip the fish pieces in the prepared batter, coat fish pieces well with batter and drop carefully into hot oil. Fry the fish pieces until golden brown and drain the fried fish pieces on paper towel( fish pieces will cook within one minute). Next to prepare sauce, heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan when hot add diced onion, chopped spring onion whites, sliced green chilli, minced ginger, minced garlic and diced capsicum. Stir fry the onion and other ingredients on high heat for a min. Now lower the heat and add dark soya sauce, red chilli paste, vinegar, ajinomoto, pepper powder, sugar and salt to the pan. Stir fry for few more seconds and add the fried fish pieces. Increase the heat and stir fry until the fish pieces are coated well with onion mixture and are dry. Finally garnish with spring onion greens and remove from heat. Serve hot restaurant style fish manchurian dry with fried rice or noodles of your choice.

Prawn 65/ Eral Bajji

Prawn 65

Ingredients

Prawn/ Shrimp/ Era- 250 gms

Cornflour- 2 tsp

Maida/ All purpose flour- 2 tsp

Ginger piece- 1 no

Garli cloves- 3 nos

Green chilli- 2 nos

Red chilli.powder- 1/4 tsp

Ajinomoto few pinch

Red food color- little

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

Era Bajji

Method

Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli together to a coarse paste without adding water. In a bowl mix cornflour, maida, ajinomoto, food color, ground paste, required salt and chilli powder. Add little water and mix everything well to form thick batter as prepared for bajji. Add the prawns to batter. Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot drop the batter coated prawns one by one into hot oil and fry for few seconds. Drain the prawns when they turn golden brown in color on to a paper towel. Serve garnished with fried curry leaves.

Prawn Bajji

Chicken Cutlets Recipe Indian Style

Chicken Cutlets Recipe

Ingredients

Potatoes large- 2 nos

Minced Chicken- 250 gms

Onion small minced- 1 no

Green chilli minced- 4 nos

Fennel seeds lightly crushed- 1 tsp

Garam Masala powder- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Maida/ All purpose flour- 1/2 cup

Water- 1/4 cup

Bread crumbs- 2 cup

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil to deep fry.

Chicken Patties

Method

Pressure cook potatoes until tender, allow to cool and finely mash the potatoes.

Pressure cook minced chicken for 5 mins, allow to cool and crumble with fingers.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan, when hot add the fennel seeds, onion,  green chilli and garam masala powder, saute for a min and remove pan from heat. In a large bowl combine mashed potatoes,cooked minced chicken, sauteed onion and green chilli mixture and required salt. 

Mix well the chicken cutlet mixture and divide the mixture into equal sized balls.

In a small bowl combine maida and water, whisk well to form smooth and thin paste. Spread bread crumbs on plate. Flatten each ball into discs, first dip the cutlets in the maida batter and then coat with bread crumbs generously. For more crispier cutlets once again dip the bread crumb coated cutlets in maida batter and again generously coat with bread crumbs( this double coating of bread crumbs makes cutlet more crispier). Once cutlets are coated with bread crumbs, refrigerate cutlets for 1 hour. Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry, drop the chicken cutlets carefully into hot oil and fry till golden brown, serve hot with tomato sauce or chutney of your choice.

Indian Chicken Cutlets

Chinese Chicken Pakora

Chinese Chicken Pakora

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken- 500 gms

Garlic powder- 1 tsp

Maggi liquid seasoning or Maggi chicken bullion powder- 1 tsp

Paprika powder or Red chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp

Cornflour/ Cornstarch- 2 tsp

Rice flour- 2 tsp

All purpose flour/ Maida- 2 tsp

Baking soda- few pinch

Water- 3 tbsp

Oil to deep fry

Spring onion/ Scallions to garnish

Chicken Pakora

Method

Cut the chicken into bite size nuggets. In a bowl combine chicken pieces, garlic powder, Maggi liquid seasoning, red chilli powder and 1/4 tsp salt, mix well and allow chicken to marinate for 1 hour. Heat oil to deep fry, to the marinated chicken add rice flour, cornflour, maida, 1/4 tsp salt and water. Mix well until a smooth paste is coated on chicken pieces. Drop chicken pieces in hot oil and deep fry until golden brown and crisp. Garnish Chicken Pakoda with green onions and serve hot with chilli vinegar and soy sauce.

Chicken Fritters

Egg 65/ Egg Pakora.

Egg/ Muttai Bajji with spicy twist.

Egg 65
Ingredients
Eggs( hard- boiled)-6
All purpose flour/ Maida- 1/2 cup
Rice flour- 1/4 cup
Cornflour- 1/4 cup
Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
Red food color- pinch
Cooking soda/ Baking soda- less than 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Water required
Oil to deep fry

Egg Pakora

Method

Remove the egg shells and cut each egg into half or quarters.

In a deep bowl add all the flours, ginger- garlic paste, red chilli powder, red food color, baking soda, required salt and water. 

Mix well to make smooth and semi- thick batter.

Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry. 

When oil is smoking hot, dip the egg pieces in the prepared batter( make sure the bajji batter is well coated on the eggs) and drop carefully into the hot oil. 

Deep fry the egg pieces until golden color and crisp. Drain the Egg pakoras on paper towel.

Garnish with few curry leaves and serve hot.

Indian Chicken lollipop with Hot garlic sauce

Ingredients
Chicken lollipop cuts- 8 piece
All purpose flour (Maida) - 1/4 cup
Fresh ginger- 2" piece
Garlic cloves- 6 nos
Green chilli- 3 nos
Soy sauce- 1 tsp
Garam masala powder- 2 tsp
Thick curd/ yogurt- 1/4 cup
Red food color- few drops
Pepper powder and Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Egg- 1 no

Method
In a mixer (blender) grind ginger piece, garlic cloves and green chilies to fine paste by adding very little water. 
Take large bowl, add ground ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, soy sauce, yogurt, Garam masala powder, food color and required salt, mix well to make smooth paste. 
Marinade the chicken lollipops in the above paste for at least 2 hours. 
Next in a medium bowl beat egg with pepper powder and pinch of salt.
Spread all purpose flour on a plate, take each marinated chicken lollipop and roll on all purpose flour.
Dip the flour coated chicken lollipops in beaten egg and once again roll in the flour (make sure the flour is well coated on the chicken lollipops). 
Heat oil in a pan to deep fry, when oil is hot, drop the prepared chicken lollipops into hot oil and fry till golden brown.

Hot Garlic Sauce recipe

Ingredients

Garlic clove- 4

Whole dry red chillis- 2

White vinegar- 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup- 1 cup

Oil- 1 tbsp

Method

Grind garlic cloves and red chilli in a mixer/ blender to a smooth paste adding vinegar. In a small pan add oil and fry the ground paste for few seconds. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool, add this mixture to tomato ketchup and mix well. Serve "Hot Garlic Sauce" with fried rice, noodles or serve a dip for chicken lollipop, cauliflower( gobi) pakora and with chips.