There are lesser chances of you existing than you not having heard of the popular Chicken 65. What was once a famous snack native to Chennai is now a regular feature in restaurants across the country. The proliferation of the Zomatos and Swiggys of the world have only added to its popularity.
Oh, by the way, in what section of a food menu do you usually spot this dish? Chances are, it is listed under the Chinese starters category. But did you know Chicken 65 and Chinese cuisine are only so closely related as curry leaves to Rajma or Pindi Chhole?
Chicken 65 is essentially a non-breaded fried chicken made with a range of spices. An amalgamation of flavours, it is characterized by its dry tossed tempering with chopped garlic, green chillies, and curry leaves. Yes, if it is tossed in ketchup, etc. and even borderline ventures into the Indo-Chinese starter category, it isn’t authentic.
Once the chicken is fried (coated in rice flour instead of maida, cornflour, or breadcrumbs), the chicken is tempered in a mix of garlic, green chillies, and a handful of curry leaves.
While there exist many versions of this snack today, the most well-known one is from Chennai, where this dish apparently originated.
And well, talking about origins, have you ever wondered how the name Chicken 65 came to be?
Some prominent theories:
- It uses 65 different spices: If this were true, imagine the kind of pressure you would be putting on your digestive faculties. Bet, 12th boards would appear like a cakewalk. But thank goodness, that isn’t the case.
- The chicken is cut in 65 pieces: Imagine yourself having a bad day. You make 64 or 66 pieces instead of 65 pieces of chicken. Yet you meticulously follow the recipe whipping up the perfect lip-smacking fried chicken only for the head chef to scorn at you and say, “This ain’t chicken 65 bruh!”
- A 65-day old chicken is used: Hmm, the procurement manager and delivery fellows would always be at loggerheads driving each other crazy to ensure the delivery in time.
- 65th item on the menu – Got to say this is pretty plausible.
There could be as many theories as there are people. But the most widely accepted idea is that it was created by a gentleman chef A.M. Buhari in the year 1965 at his Buhari Hotel in Chennai. He even went ahead and created newer versions of chicken items in the years 1978, 1982, and 1990. But, Chicken 65 certainly carved a niche for itself and became a legend.
So next time you bite into a crunchy on the outside but a juicy within, hot and spicy piece of chicken 65, don’t forget to say a word of thanks to Mr. Buhari for creating this culinary masterpiece.
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Cover image credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org
In-article image credits: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwj1t2dFWD3/
Bhukkad Balak 