Craving some fried chicken? Switch it up with some chicken pakora! These deep-fried nuggets of chicken made with besan (chickpea flour) are packed with spices that deliver a punch of flavors that takes fried chicken to another level!
Chicken pakora are delicious crispy chicken fritters, loaded with spice which give these crispy bite-sized snacks/appetizers lot of amazing flavors. If you like any kind of fried chicken then I urge you to try this spectacular Indian dish.
This dish is surprisingly very easy to make, and the batter is very forgiving which means it’s easy to adjust to the right consistency to get it to a wonderful crispy texture. Did I mention how flavorful it was?
If you love Indian food or chicken pakora is something you order frequently for takeout or when you eat out, here’s your chance to make a huge batch at home to indulge on and share with your friends!
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN PAKORA
- Chicken – I highly recommend using dark meat for this recipe because it makes a juicier and more flavorful chicken pakora. If you prefer white meat, it will also work well but it may not be as flavorful and juicy.
- Curry Leaves – Fresh curry leaves add a lot of great flavors but may be hard to find, but in most cases, these will be available at a local Indian grocery store. I have not found a good substitute for curry leaves, so if you cannot find it, you can omit it.
- Chickpea Flour (Besan/Gram flour) – Chickpea flour gives this dish a nuttier and slightly sweeter batter that’s soft and spongy on the inside. You can substitute the chickpea flour with all-purpose flour but you will miss out on the texture and flavor it provides.
- Ginger/Garlic/Lemon Juice/Cumin – These ingredients are essential for this recipe to give it the robust flavor and should be omitted.
- Corn Starch/Potato Starch – For a crispier batter, use potato starch. Corn starch will work, but will not stay as crispy for as long.
- Chilli Powder – This is used purely to increase the spiciness. If you cannot find this, you can substitute this with cayenne pepper. Do not use Chili seasoning, which is a mix of spices (cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder etc) which is made to make Tex-Mex chili.
INGREDIENTS FOR CREAMY COCONUT DIP
- Coconut Cream – For this dip, I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk. Coconut cream is creamier and a lot more flavorful than coconut milk. Coconut cream is also a lot thicker, especially when chilled in the fridge, it becomes almost butter-like. If you cannot find this, you can use coconut milk in its place but you will lose a bit of the coconut flavor and the texture may be a bit runny but you can add 1-2 tablespoons of dried unsweetened coconut to absorb the excess liquid to thicken up the sauce and give it a bit of texture.
- Dried Shredded Coconut – Completely optional, but add 1 tablespoon of dried unsweetened coconut to add a bit of texture! It is also great to use a thickener if the dip is too runny.
- Soy Sauce/Fish Sauce – You can use soy sauce or fish sauce as the salt element when making this dip. Adjust this to your taste.
CHICKEN PAKORA CHICKPEA BATTER
When you are ready to deep fry the chicken pakora, add the egg, corn/potato starch, and chickpea flour and water directly into the bowl of chicken with its marinade. Use your hands to mix everything until everything is very well mixed together.
The batter should have the consistency of a thick paste so that the onions and chicken can stick together in clumps. If your batter feels too runny, add some more chickpea flour (a tablespoon at a time) and mix until it is thick, but if your batter feels too dry and the chicken and onions are not sticking together in clumps then add water to it, 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until everything sticks to together.
HOW TO GET CRISPY CHICKEN PAKORA
Whenever I deep fry anything, I like to use the Korean method of deep frying and double fry everything extra crispiness. To double fry, remove it out of the oil 1-2 minutes earlier and let it sit for 30 seconds, and then put it back into the oil to re-fry it for 1-2 minutes.
Cooking Time: The smaller you make the fritters the less time you need to cook them. My fritters were about golf ball sized which cooked fully in 8 minutes. You may need to adjust your cooking time if you are making them smaller or larger.
This post was a joint collaboration with my friends to bring you snack ideas for the Academy Awards show! We each picked a movie and made a themed recipe after it! Here are some more snacks for you to try!
- Double Thyme – Pomegranate Ginger Red Carpet Cocktail
- K&R Adventures – Arroz Con Pollo Rice Balls with Spicy Cilantro Dip
- Oatmeal With a Fork – Flourless Muffin Cup Potato Latkes
- Femme Fraiche – Galaxy Whoopie Pies
- Flour Arrangements – Espresso Star Cookies
- The Honour System – Texas Glazed Pecans
- Dining With Alice – New England Clam Chowder
- Pickles Travel – Chocolate Dipped Fruit “Spaceship”
- Cheap Recipe Blog – Spicy Buttermilk Chicken Bites
MORE FRIED CHICKEN RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE!
DID YOU MAKE THIS CHICKEN PAKORA RECIPE?
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Crispy chicken pakora made with besan (chickpea flour) and packed with spices that deliver a medley of flavors that takes fried chicken to another level!
Ingredients
- 6–8 boneless chicken thighs
Chicken Marinade
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 lemon (juiced, approximately 2-3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder (add more if you like it spicier)
- 20 curry leaves (chopped)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Chicken Pakora Batter
- 1 egg
- 5 tablespoons potato starch (or corn starch)
- 1 cup chick pea flour (besan/gram flour)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon water
Coconut Dip
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup (or 1 1/2 tablespoon honey)
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon dried unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon onion seeds (optional)
Instructions
Chicken Pakoras – Preparation
- Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put it in a large bowl
- Slice up the onions and add it to the bowl
- Add in the cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chopped curry leaves, garlic and ginger into the bowl
- Add the lemon juice and fish sauce into the bowl
- Mix well and marinate in the fridge for 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Chicken Pakoras – Deep Frying
- When you are ready to start cooking the chicken, add in the egg, corn starch, chickpea flour, and water into the bowl with the chicken (including the marinade and sliced onions) and mix until the batter is a thick consistency. You want the batter to stick to the chicken and onions. If the batter is too runny- add some more chickpea flour 1 tablespoon at a time, if the batter is too thick and hard to mix – add in water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Pre-heat oil to 350F (176C). If you are doing it on a stove-top, set the oil to medium heat.
- Add in the chicken mixture into the oil gently, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, careful to not overcrowd else it will drop the temperature of the oil. (Note: Try to refrain from making too big of a spoonful of chicken. I use a 1/4 cup to measure out the chicken. If your pakoras are too big the middle will not cook through and the outside will come out burnt.)
- Cook for approximately 8 minutes.
- Enjoy fresh with the coconut dip!
Coconut Dip
- Combine all ingredients together and enjoy with pakoras!
- (Optional) Adding 1/2 tsp of onion seeds adds a bit more spice and flavor to the dip.
Notes
Chicken Pakoras
- I highly recommend using dark meat for this recipe, for a juicier and more flavorful chicken pakora.
- The batter should be thick. The chicken and onions should be able to clump together easily. If the batter is too runny, add more chickpea flour, 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the batter is thick. If it is too thick and hard to mix then add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it is easy to mix but still thick enough that the chicken and onions can clump together.
- I highly recommend marinating this overnight but if you’re in a rush you could marinate it for a minimum of 4 hours.
Coconut Dip
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of water or milk to thin out the dip if it is too thick.
- Add additional dried unsweetened shredded coconut to give the dip a bit more texture and thicken it.
- Chilling this dip in the fridge will make it thicker before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 614 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 1213 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Protein: 53 g
Keywords: chicken pakoras, chicken pakoras recipe, Indian appetizer recipes
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Beautiful pictures. And I liked your coconut dip. I usually make vegetable pakoras.
Yum! I always love ordering pakoras when we go out to eat, but I’ve never made them myself. Can’t wait to try this!
These chicken pakoras are the perfect new thing for fried chicken! And that dip??? <3 Such a creative dip with ingredients I never would have thought to put together! I can't wait to try this on many things . . .
I’ve been dipping veggies with it…haha! But yea, the spice in the pakoras is definitely an awesome flavour upgrade to regular fried chicken! 😀
Yum, I have got to try both this recipe and the movie you chose! That dipping sauce looks to die for too! Pinning for later.
Thank you Riva! 🙂
I love the idea of doing a recipe roundup for the Oscar films! And your recipe is fantastically creative! I’ve seen pretty much all the Oscar nominated films this year EXCEPT for “Lion”, but it’s on my list and your recipe definitely makes me want to see it even more! Love that creamy coconut dip– yummmmm! I’ll have to check out the other recipes too, once I’m done making (and eating!) yours. Thanks for sharing!
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haha Thanks Alyssa! 🙂 Definitely check out the movie it was quite touching. You can use the dip on almost anything, I’ve been using the leftovers on fries haha 🙂
I love this Oscar theme post and the other recipes sound delish too! Your chicken pakoras looks absolutely amazing! I love all the spices used and the addition of onions is awesome; its like pakoras and onion bhajis married each other to make the perfect snack!
Yes! haha I was aiming for that! I wanted an onion bhaji but my heart was telling me chicken pakoras so I must have unintentionally just created this Frankenstein haha 🙂
I’m award show obsessed so I am loving this Oscar viewing party snack! Pinning for later!
★★★★★
Thanks Jamie! 🙂
Yum! I love Pakoras but only ever have them when I’m out to eat. Now I can make them at home, and I love all the tips about the coconut sauce, that way it can be exactly how we like it!
I know right? I am so picky with my sauces. Sometimes I like some a bit thinner, and some a bit thicker etc so I always want to leave that option out there for people to make it the way they like it 🙂
This looks absolutely perfect. I cannot think of one thing I would change. I love pakoras. The style around here tends to be just the chicken in a spiced bejan batter. Adding the onions is a great idea. I’ve never seen them done like this before but this is my new go to chicken pakora recipe. Really impressive!
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Wow I feel so honored to be receiving this compliment from you! I always like putting spins on things for fun and I’m so glad it is enjoyed! 🙂 YAY hope you enjoy it! 😀
Wow, this recipe for chicken pakoras looks amazing! Thanks for such a detailed tutorial and beautiful photos!
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Thank you Erica! 🙂 I had a lot of fun with this post!
These look so yummy! I did not even know that chickpea flour was a thing!! Thanks for introducing me to a new ingredient, now I can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Thank you Kara! I didn’t either until I started actually learning about it! It’s a pretty awesome flour! Definitely flavourful! Hope you have fun with it!
this looks so crispy and delicious! love that you did your own twist on coconut chutney and went with a coconut dip instead (i’m convinced that fish sauce is underrated and wrongly maligned.
Thanks Heather! 🙂 I love coconut and I really wanted to showcase the creamy and sweetness of it and it worked out awesome with the pakoras! I so agree, fish sauce is under rated. I pretty much use only that or soy sauce instead of salt now haha 🙂
So much goodness here! Double fried, lots of spices – and that coconut sauce!
(By the way, I love Jhal Muri too! I had to look it up. I’ve eaten it before, but it had a different name at one restaurant I went to)
You rock. Thanks for participating and please come back next year!
I’m so glad I did this Haley! I had a lot of fun! 🙂 Thank you, you’re awesome! I definitely will be trying more indian snack foods because I love snacks!
Love the combination of flavors here! Perfect small bites for a party! Can’t wait to dunk these tasty morsels in that yummy coconut dip!
Thanks Suzanne, honestly I think I was dunking that coconut dip in everything haha. 🙂
Thee look delectable! The chickpea batter sounds so unique and love coconut anything. Fun to have you aboard this year! Welcome. 🙂
Thanks so much Sharon! I had a lot of fun playing with new ingredients for this post and I am so happy to be invited to this! 🙂