Around the holiday time period the office I work at had a pot luck lunch. A a co-worker brought in a dish for this event that was simply magical, and it was a dish that I had never heard of before – Chicken 65.

Where does this Indian dish get it’s name?  Well, there isn’t one exact answer for that one. Some say it is due to year a hotel in India started serving it, others because of a chef that may have created it… regardless of where the name came from it is a dish full of taste and eating pleasure.

The Basics of Chicken 65

The dish doesn’t call for much yet such an impressive end result is achieved. Just goes to show more isn’t always better.

Ingredients

Step one:

1. Combine the chicken, cornstarch, chili powder, paste, turmeric, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring to make the chicken slightly red (not dark, bloody red!) Let this marinate in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight.

2. Put the oil in the pot and wait until it is heated. Slowly add the chicken and fry until it is evenly – but not fully – cooked.

The start of Chicken 65

3. Once all the chicken is fried, place in in a separate container.

Step Two:

1. In the same pot, using the same oil, add the green chilies, curry leaves,  and tomato paste.

2. Sautee and constantly stir to prevent sticking to the pot. Continue stirring/mixing until the color of the paste darkens to a deep maroon color.

3. Add the chicken back into the pot and GENTLY mix into the paste mixture.

4. You can taste test at this point and add salt if needed. Cover and cook on low heat for about 15-20 minutes.

6. if desired, garnish with coriander leaves and serve over rice.

Chicken 65 over rice. YUM!

I cannot sing the praises of this dish enough. It is full of taste with just enough kick to make on wanting more. While I made 2 pounds of this yesterday (well, less that 24 hours ago) it is all gone. If you enjoy Indian food you have to give this a try.