Air Fryer Chicken 65 is made from crispy, fried pieces of chicken tossed a hot and zesty yogurt sauce. Slather it in the sauce and enjoy a taste of India.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Marinade Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1poundboneless chicken breast or thigh
Marinade
2tablespooncornstarch
3tablespoonrice flour
1teaspoonginger rootminced
1teaspoongarlicminced
2tablespoonsplain yogurt
1sprig of curry leaveschopped
1teaspoonblack pepper powder
1teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonschili paste or 2 teaspoons chili powder and 1 teaspoon oil
Sauce
1tablespoonoil
3tablespoonsyogurt
½teaspooncornstarch
1egg whiteoptional
1tablespoongarlicchopped
1 ½teaspoonwhole cumin seeds
2sprigs of curry leaveswhole
2whole dried red chiliesor more
1tablespoonchili paste or 1 tablespoon chili powder
½teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonblack pepper powder
Instructions
Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces.
1 pound boneless chicken breast or thigh
In a bowl combine all the marinade ingredients and stir. Add the diced chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoon rice flour, 1 teaspoon ginger root, 1 teaspoon garlic, 2 tablespoons plain yogurt, 1 sprig of curry leaves, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons chili paste or 2 teaspoons chili powder and 1 teaspoon oil
Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F. Spray or brush a little oil on the basket, and put the marinaded chicken pieces in it. Spray or brush the top with a little oil. You might need to fry the chicken in batches.
1 tablespoon oil
Air fry at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes. Then pull out the basket and flip the chicken over. Air fry at 350 F for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy and the edges are browned. Set the air fried chicken aside while you make the sauce.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add the oil. While you wait for the oil to heat get all the sauce ingredients measured and place them right next to the stove, because the sauce cooks very quickly.
Stir the cornstarch into the yogurt and set it aside. If using the optional egg white stir it into the yogurt also. The egg white helps make the sauce thicken.
3 tablespoons yogurt, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, 1 egg white
Add the cumin and garlic to the hot oil and saute for a few seconds.
1 tablespoon garlic, 1 ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
Add the whole curry leaves and whole dried red chilis to the frying pan. Stir and let them fry for 30 seconds.
2 sprigs of curry leaves, 2 whole dried red chilies
Stir in the yogurt/cornstarch mixture and the chili paste or chili powder. Then add the salt and pepper. Mix until everything is combined and let it heat for a minute or two to thicken slightly.
1 tablespoon chili paste or 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
Add the chicken and toss so that it is coated in the sauce.
Serve as an appetizer garnished with lemon and onion. Or use it as a main dish with rice, dal another Indian dish.
Notes
Add more chili powder, chili paste or dried red peppers to increase the spiciness of this dish for your preferences.
You can add red food coloring to the marinade if you want to enhance the red color of the final dish.
Cut the chicken pieces evenly so they air fry at about the same rate.
Don't eat the dried red peppers unless you are looking for extra spiciness.
Don't use commercial spray oils, they contain preservatives which can damage the air fryer basket. Use a pastry brush or buy an inexpensive oil sprayer.