This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy
Watch the recipe
Confession time: I’ve never had a chicken pakora in my life until the time of writing this.
Yup. I’ve had vegetarian pakoras in the past, but never a chicken one. Not even at a restaurant! I love pakoras, they’re super hot and crispy and are the perfect appetizer, but because I was raised in a vegetarian household, we never made pakoras with chicken at home. Why have I never had them at a restaurant? Honestly I’m not sure why not!
But today things are going to change, and I’ve finally opened my eyes to the awesome deliciousness of chicken pakoras! For those of you who are subscribed to me on YouTube (and if you’re not then please do so! I release all the recipe videos at the same time as the written recipes go live, and I do find that video recipes can give you a great visualization of how to prepare the dish!), you know that I’ve been hosting an open YouTube collaboration throughout the month of August 2021 which I called #mycookingjourney2021. I decided to host this collab in honour of India’s 75th Independence Day on August 15th! The objective for this collaboration is to have home cooks who have never delved into the exciting world of Indian cooking brush aside the excuses and finally get in the kitchen and start creating! Even if you’re not a newbie, you can benefit from the collaboration by creating some new extravagant fusion recipes! I took on the challenge too, and it’s been so much fun! I’ve made some new fusion recipes, and I really have been perfecting some classic recipes that I never gave much thought to have. This sure was an eye-opener to me!
This is my last entry for the collab, and I have to say that the time just flew by! Really, we could be going on forever and ever, but that would defeat the purpose of dedicating the month to getting out of our comfort zones with Indian foods, right? To be honest with you, there were still so many stones I’ve left unturned for the collab! For instance, I didn’t get the chance to try making a biryani or a recipe with mutton, to name a few. I also would have liked to have made another type of pulao or try a new bread, such as bhature. However, I did explore a lot, such as making THREE desserts in a month (more than I ever have in a year I think!) - those would be Carrot Halwa, Rice Kheer, and Vermicelli Kheer to be exact - and I’ve finally shared a fish curry - South-Indian Inspired Salmon Curry to be precise! I also explored making a Five-Dal Mix in the Instant Pot and I’ve come to terms with egg curries and made an incredible Egg Masala Curry!
I think an exciting way to end this collab with a bang though was with something I’ve been craving for quite some time - pakoras! I had been seeing so many pakora recipes lately, and I just had to finally satisfy that craving while learning something new! Even though I couldn’t make everything I wanted, it just goes to show that cooking really is a journey, and there’ll always be time to keep experimenting and keep learning! The journey never ends, and an open mind and the desire to learn is what makes cooking fun, as is the motto for this blog! We live to cook!
Pakoras are commonly prepared during the monsoon season. If you’re browsing Instagram during this time, you’ll see tons of posts with a cozy plate of pakoras and some chai! That wasn’t a tradition in my household to be honest with you, but we did occasionally prepare some vegetarian pakoras. Maybe now I’ll have pakoras more often! These were so easy to prepare and so satisfying! If you want a quick and crunchy appetizer or snack, then these Crispy Chicken Pakoras are for you! Don’t forget to watch the video to follow along as I prepare our awesome Indian chicken fritters! Let’s get to the recipe!
Tips for the Perfect Crunchy Indian Chicken Pakoras!
- Keep a close eye on the thickness of the meatballs, ensuring not to make them too thick. The more even each meatball is to one another, the more consistent your results will be.
- Make sure the oil does not get too hot, the best range is between 175 C to 200 C. If it is any hotter, you will risk having raw chicken inside and an overcooked batter outside.
- Using a wok is convenient and safer since you can use the slope of the wok to slide the pakora to the hot oil.
- Wait until the oil is hot before frying to ensure your pakoras don’t absorb excess oil.
- Serve these immediately for the best experience, these won’t hold too well.
Ingredients for Crispy Pakoras with Chicken
Let’s go over the ingredients we’ll need for the most amazing pakoras! We’ll break down what we’ll need to make our chicken mixture and how to make our batter.
For the Chicken
- Minced chicken: We’ll use minced chicken for our pakoras. This will work best to ensure the pakoras remain juicy and have the most flavour chicken can give.
- Green chilies: Optional, but if you want to make your pakoras on the spicy side, then I recommend you add it. I use Thai green chilies, but you can also use Serrano chilies or a jalapeño pepper.
- Essentials: Ginger, garlic, and fresh cilantro will make the patties fresh and fragrant. We will also include some spinach in our pakoras. If you want, you can also add a touch of lime juice to add even more tanginess to the patties.
- Ground spices: We will be using a combination red chili powder (Kashmiri mirch), ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala and salt to taste.
For the Batter
- Besan: Besan is also known as chickpea flour or gram flour.
- Seasonings: Turmeric and salt.
- Water: As needed.
We’ll also need oil for frying the pakoras. You can use ghee or any kind of neutral oil with a high smoke point. For this recipe, I used peanut oil.
How to Make the Best Chicken Pakoras Recipe
To Prepare the Chicken Mixture
- Prepare the mince by combining all ingredients for the chicken mix except the oil for frying. If using lime juice, add it to your mixture.
- Mix well and then portion the mince to small balls, around 1 inch in diameter.
- Set aside and prepare the batter.
To Prepare the Chicken Pakora Batter
- Measure besan flour in a large bowl and add water, 1/4 Cup at a time. Whisk to combine until the batter reaches a thick, smooth consistency.
- Add turmeric and salt and whisk well to combine.
To Make the Crispy Chicken Pakoras
- In a wok or pot, add peanut oil or ghee and preheat to fry.
- Ensure the oil is not too hot, around 175 Celsius to 200 Celsius works the best. If it is any hotter, you will risk having raw chicken inside and an overcooked batter outside.
- Check if the oil is hot enough by adding a few drops of the batter in the hot oil. If it floats on top with some bubbles, the oil is hot enough.
- Repeating this step for one meatball at a time, take a meatball, dip in the thick besan batter and gently slide into the hot oil. Repeat the same for as many meatballs but ensure you don't overcrowd the wok/pot.
- Gently cook for 7-10 minutes or until the pakoras are a light golden brown outside. Around the 7 minute mark, take one pakora out and cut down the middle to ensure the chicken is no longer pink.
- Once the chicken is cooked, take all of the pakoras out and place on a piece of newspaper or paper towel.
- Serve hot with your favourite sauce or chutney.
Can You Make ChickenPakoras Ahead of Time?▼
These pakoras need to be served hot and fresh, so the answer is no! However, if you’re making this for a dinner party, or you just want to have everything ready for a snack later on, you can prepare the batter and the chicken mixture ahead of time. You can also have your oil measured out in your pan or wok until you’re ready. Store the batter and the chicken mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
Serving Suggestions for Chicken Pakoras
Pakoras of all varieties are commonly served with chai! As mentioned earlier in this post, if you browse Instagram during the monsoon season, you’ll see a ton of folks sharing cozy pictures of them enjoying their pakoras with a warm cup of chai. However, chicken pakoras are not only a snack, but they can be a great appetizer for a dinner party! Here are some dishes that would be great to follow up your piping hot pakoras!
Serve any of those dishes with rice or bread. For rice options, here are my recommendations:
And here are my favourite breads to serve to make a fancy and complete meal!
- Homemade Tandoori Naan
- Rumali Roti
- Punjabi Lachha Paratha
- Classic Homestyle Roti/Chapati/Phulka
- Classic Layered Paratha
You may want to dip your pakoras! I would recommend Cilantro-Mint Chutney (which is how I served my pakoras here!) or even Tamarind Chutney. In fact, you could also serve them with Cucumber Raita!
If you want a beverage with your pakora, it’s iconic to have them with some Masala Chaiduring the monsoons! Chai and pakora go hand in hand. However, if you want something cold, then I recommend a Mango Lassi!
Comments
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts!
Leave a comment