Curry Fried Chicken made in the air fryer are extra crispy Indian Curry spiced fried Chicken which is so delicious and tasty! Juicy meat on the inside and a crackling and crispy coating on the outside which is lightly spiced using Indian spices like curry powder, garam masala, coriander and cumin! Served with creamy ranch dressing this one is surely going to be your favorite fried chicken recipe ever!
Indian Spices have my heart! Being from India, I can proudly say that Indian food is surely all about the perfect amalgamation of spices.
From the heat of red chili to the fragrance of Garam Masala to the earthy taste of cumin to the curry powder! Indian food is surely all about the spices and for all the right reasons.
Nothing beats a good Indian curry. Be it our favorite Indian Chicken Curry or the very famous Butter Chicken Curry or even Vegetarian Curries like Butter Cauliflower Curry or Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry.
Jump to:
- What is Curry Fried Chicken?
- Ingredients needed to make Curry Fried Chicken
- How to make Indian Curry Fried Chicken
- Deep Fried Curry Fried Chicken
- Oven fried Curry Fried Chicken
- Curry Fried Chicken on Stovetop
- Variations to Curried Fried Chicken recipe
- How to store leftover fried Chicken?
- Make Ahead Steps
- Top Tips to make The Best Curry Fried Chicken
- More fried Chicken recipes
- Curry Fried Chicken (air fryer)
- Deep Fried Curry Fried Chicken
- Oven fried Curry Fried Chicken
- Curry Fried Chicken on Stovetop
What is Curry Fried Chicken?
While a trandtional Indian Chicken Curry is all about a hearty and soupy curry with fried Chicken, served with a bowl of rice.
However, this one takes the flavors of the same indian curry but turns it into quick Curry Fried Chicken.
Curry Fried Chicken is simply crispy fried Chicken which is spiced with Indian curry spices. Its not too spicy and not too sweet.
The light Indian curry spices makes the Chicken extra flavorful and yummy.
While in India, the most popular kind of fried Chicken is Tandoori Chicken.
Tandoori Chicken is exactly like this curry fried chicken. However the only difference is that it uses a lot more spices and is generally grilled in a barbecue oven. The term "tandoori" means BBQ in India
So the smokey flavors of a bbq grilled chicken is what people love in India!
Ingredients needed to make Curry Fried Chicken
List below is a quick list of ingredients you would need to make Curry Fried Chicken.
- Chicken Drumsticks - You can replace with boneless Chicken breast cubes as well
- Salt & Pepper - to season the chicken
- Egg - helps give a crispy texture
- Cornstarch - helps in forming a crispy coating
- Garam Masala - the hero of indian curries
- Curry Powder - the main ingredient
- Smoked Paprika - for a bit of spice and smokey taste
- Baking Soda - helps in forming a thick coating over the fried chicken
- Lemon Juice - balances the flavors
- Vegetable Oil - to coat over the chicken before air frying. Can use any non flavoring oil like vegetable oil, organic canola oil or avocado oil or ghee
- Corinader leaves - for garnish
See recipe card for quantities. Also watch the video for a quick visual.
How to make Indian Curry Fried Chicken
Below is the detailed description with step by step photos on how to make curry fried chicken. Find the instructions on making deep fried curry fried chicken recipe below.
Combine Chicken drumsticks with all the spices, salt, baking soda, cornstarch and eggs.
Grease with oil and place in the air fryer.
Cook @200C or 400F for 20 min. Turn the Chicken pieces after 10 min for even cooking
Garnish with freshly chopped Coriander leaves, red pepper flakes and serve. Serve with creamy ranch dressing.
Deep Fried Curry Fried Chicken
If you do not own an airfryer you can deep fry these curry fried chicken. Here's how.
- Preheat - Pour oil in a deep fryer and preheat it to 350F
- Coat - coat Chicken drumsticks with spices, cornstarch & egg
- Heat Oil - use vegetable oil or organic canola oil. Heat oil over medium high heat until it starts to smoke. Then reduce the heat to low
- fry chicken - fry the chicken pieces. Do not crowd the wok. Fry about 3 pieces at a time for 3-4 minutes, tossing evenly until golden brown.
- Serve - serve with fresh coriander leaves and red pepper flakes.
Oven fried Curry Fried Chicken
- Preheat - Preheat the oven to 400F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper
- Coat - Coat the chicken drumsticks with cornstarch, egg, oil, and spices
- Bake - place in a parchment paper lined baking dish. Bake for 20 min
- Serve - serve with freshly chopped coriander leaves on top.
Curry Fried Chicken on Stovetop
- Use a heavy bottom pot and heat oil in it to 350F
- Fry chicken until crispy. Fry for about 10-12 min, each side
- Check the internal temp of the chicken to be 165F
- Serve hot
Variations to Curried Fried Chicken recipe
Curry Fried Chicken can be made in multiple different ways. From a Thai Curry twist to Jamaican curry spices. Here are a few:
- Jamaican Jerk Spiced - add spicy Jamaican Jerk seasoning to the Chicken to make Jamaican curry fried chicken.
- Thai - add Thai red curry paste while coating the chicken to make Thai curry fried chicken. Try this Crispy Baked Thai Chicken Wings
- Korean - add gochujang paste to the chicken marinade to make Korean fried chicken.
How to store leftover fried Chicken?
I personally DO NOT like to store leftover fried chicken as it gets the crispy skin of chicken a bit soggy, even after reheating. But if you have to, here's how to:
Refrigerate: You can store leftover fried chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can refrigerate fried chicken for up to 3-4 days but not beyond that. It WILL affect the texture of fried Chicken.
Freeze: You can freeze leftover curry fried chicken in a freezer friendly zip lock bag. You can freeze it for up to 3 months
Reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the air fryer or deep fry @350F or bake @400F for 15 min or until heated through.
Make Ahead Steps
Curry Fried Chicken makes for an excellent make ahead recipe. Here's how to make ahead Curry Fried Chicken:
- Combine all the spices with cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl
- Toss with Chicken along with oil and egg
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto a week
- OR Freeze for up to 3 months
- Do not thaw before cooking
- Simply place in the air fryer or oven or heated oil in a wok and fry until crispy.
- If cooking in air fryer or oven, cook for 5-10 min longer or until crispy and visibly golden brown on the outside.
Top Tips to make The Best Curry Fried Chicken
- The best oil you can use to fry chicken is any neutral cooking oil like vegetable oil, organic canola oil or avocado oil. Donot use Olive Oil as its NOT a neutral oil. It adds a dictinct flavor to your dish. Use it only for salad dressing
- You can reuse leftover cooking oil. Cool and strain the oil and store in an airtight container
- Use an internal meat thermometer to chicken if the chicken is done
- The chicken temp should read 165F
- You can dredge chicken with all purpose flour or cornstarch
- You could also use self raising flour to dredge the chicken as it naturally puffs up when deep fried giving a cracking crust over the curry fried Chicken
- If you are deep frying Chicken on the stove top, use a heavy bottom cast iron skillet or a dutch pot (Remember, the more the surface area of the utensil you're using, the evenly hot the oil is going to get and hot oil = crispier chicken
- Eggs will guarantee that you have a perfect crispy fried curry chicken
- After the Chicken gets fried, remove from the pan and keep them on a wire rack
- Use a paper towel to soak the exvess oil from the fried chicken pieces
More fried Chicken recipes
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- Crispiest Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken
- Oven-Fried Crispy Honey Lemon Popcorn Chicken
- Tandoori Chicken Wings (in Air Fryer & in Oven)
- Crispy Baked Thai Chicken
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Sticky and Spicy Korean Chicken Wings
- Extra Crispy Cajun Dry Rub Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings (BAKED)
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Curry Fried Chicken (air fryer)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pounds Chicken drumsticks or quarters
- 1 small lemon juiced
- 3 teaspoon Curry Powder
- 2 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch can replace with self raising flour
- 2 large Eggs
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil or oil of your choice
- 1⅓ teaspoon Salt
- 1⅓ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a sharp knife to cut Chicken quarters or cut into drumsticks. Trim the excess fat
- Rinse the chicken with water. Drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel
- Combine all the spices with cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Add this over the chicken and toss to dredge and coat the chicken with the mixture
- Break in the eggs, pour the olive oil and lemon juice and coat it evenly all over the chicken
- Place in the air fryer @400F or 200C and cook for 20 min. Flip and cook after 10 min for even cooking.
- Garnish with lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve.
Video
Notes
Deep Fried Curry Fried Chicken
If you donot own an airfryer you can deep fry these curry fried chicken. Here's how.- Preheat - Pour oil in a deep fryer and preheat it to 350F
- Coat - coat Chicken drumsticks with spices, cornstarch & egg
- Heat Oil - use vegetable oil or organic canola oil. Heat oil over medium high heat until it starts to smoke. Then reduce the heat to low
- fry chicken - fry the chicken pieces. Do not crowd the wok. Fry about 3 pieces at a time for 3-4 minutes, tossing evenly until golden brown.
- Serve - serve with fresh coriander leaves and red pepper flakes.
Oven fried Curry Fried Chicken
- Preheat - Preheat the oven to 400F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper
- Coat - Coat the chicken drumsticks with cornstarch, egg, oil, and spices
- Bake - place in a parchment paper lined baking dish. Bake for 20 min
- Serve - serve with freshly chopped coriander leaves on top.
Curry Fried Chicken on Stovetop
- Use a heavy bottom pot and heat oil in it to 350F
- Fry chicken until crispy. Fry for about 10-12 min, each side
- Check the internal temp of the chicken to be 165F
- Serve hot
Jammy says
So crispy chicken!! Absolutely delicious 🤤
Racheal says
So so so crispy chicken and that curry flavour stays with you even after you’ve finished it! So yummy and healthy chicken fries recipe!