Iftar and tea-time snack · Crispy

Chicken Pakora Recipe (Crispy Besan Fritters)

Marinate. Thick batter. Hot oil.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Chicken pakoras are spiced chicken pieces in a gram flour batter, fried crisp. They turn soggy or oily when the oil is not hot enough or the batter is too thin. The fix is a thick batter with a little rice flour and oil at 175 to 180 C.

Prep20m
Cook15m
Servings4
kcal / serving380
LevelEasy
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of crispy pakora

Why this recipe works

Marinate

Plain chicken

15 minutes of marinade seasons the inside.

Thick batter

Runny batter

It should coat and cling.

Hot oil

Warm oil

175 to 180 C stops oil soaking in.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings
Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Chicken

Batter

The NineFoods oil gauge

Is the oil ready?

Drop a little batter into the oil. Tap what happens.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

1

Marinate

No heat · 15 min
  1. Mix chicken with ginger garlic, lemon and salt.
  2. Rest 15 minutes.
Look for: chicken coated.
15:00
2

Make batter

No heat · 5 min
  1. Mix besan, rice flour and spices with water.
  2. It should be thick and coating.
Look for: thick, clinging batter.
05:00
3

Fry

175 to 180 C · 6 min
  1. Coat chicken and fry in small batches.
  2. Turn once until deep golden.
Look for: deep golden and crisp.
06:00
4

Drain

No heat · 2 min
  1. Drain on a rack, not paper.
  2. Sprinkle chaat masala.
Look for: crisp all round.
02:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Oil not hot.

Fix next time

Fry at 175 to 180 C and in small batches.

Why

Batter thin or drained on paper.

Fix next time

Thicken the batter, add rice flour and drain on a rack.

Why

Pieces too big or oil too hot.

Fix next time

Cut smaller and fry on medium-high.

Why

Chicken wet.

Fix next time

Pat the chicken dry before coating.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
BesanBatterPlain flour plus cornflour
Rice flourCrunchCornflour
Boneless chickenMainPrawns, fry 3 minutes
Deep fryingCrispAir fryer, 200 C for 12 minutes, sprayed

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Imli chutney, mint chutney or ketchup with tea.

Store

Fridge 2 days.

Reheat

Air fryer or oven at 200 C for 5 minutes.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Farwa Zeeshan

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

  • Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
  • Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
  • The doneness check (is the oil ready) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
  • Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

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Quick answers

Chicken Pakora FAQ

Why are my pakoras oily?

The oil was not hot enough. Keep it at 175 to 180 C.

Can I make pakoras in an air fryer?

Yes, spray with oil and cook at 200 C for about 12 minutes.

What makes pakoras crispy?

A little rice flour, thick batter and hot oil.

Can I prepare them ahead?

Marinate ahead, but mix the batter just before frying.