Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
These little crispy, spicy bites of chicken are so good and amazingly crispy.
Forget about serving them as a starter. In fact, forget about the rest of dinner. I’ll just have a plateful of these dipped in sweet chilli sauce or with a drizzle of mango chutney.😋
Ingredients
6 chicken thigh fillets chopped into bite-size pieces (approx 500g/1.1lb)
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp dried coriander leaf
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp ground fenugreek
vegetable oil for deep frying approx. 3-4 cups (720-960ml)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic salt
100 g (1 1/4 cups) gram flour also known as chickpea flour or besan
1 tbsp cornflour cornstarch
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
180 ml (3/4 cup) water
To serve:
fresh coriander
sweet chilli sauce
Instructions
✅Place the chicken thigh pieces in a bowl.
✅Add the minced ginger, chopped chilli, cumin ground coriander, dried coriander leaf, chilli flakes, and ground fenugreek. Mix together to coat the chicken, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
✅Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy-based pan over a medium heat. You need at least 3 inches of oil but do ensure the pan or wok is less than half full of oil as you don’t want it to bubble over.
✅Take the chicken out of the fridge and sprinkle on the salt, garlic salt, gram flour, cornflour, and baking soda.
✅Mix together to combine, then add in the water a splash at a time until you have a batter about the thickness of double (heavy) cream. You may not need all of the water.
✅Test the heat of the oil by dropping a little blob of the batter in the wok. It should sizzle and rise to the top.
✅Add the chicken into the oil, one piece at a time, using a set of tongs. You will need to work in 2 batches to ensure the pan isn’t overcrowded.
✅Fry for 4-5 minutes until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
✅Keep the first batch warm in a warm oven (approx. 130C/250F (fan)) whilst the second batch is cooking.
✅Once all of the chicken pakoras are cooked, place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
✅Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
These little crispy, spicy bites of chicken are so good and amazingly crispy.
Forget about serving them as a starter. In fact, forget about the rest of dinner. I’ll just have a plateful of these dipped in sweet chilli sauce or with a drizzle of mango chutney.😋
Ingredients
6 chicken thigh fillets chopped into bite-size pieces (approx 500g/1.1lb)
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp dried coriander leaf
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp ground fenugreek
vegetable oil for deep frying approx. 3-4 cups (720-960ml)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic salt
100 g (1 1/4 cups) gram flour also known as chickpea flour or besan
1 tbsp cornflour cornstarch
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
180 ml (3/4 cup) water
To serve:
fresh coriander
sweet chilli sauce
Instructions
✅Place the chicken thigh pieces in a bowl.
✅Add the minced ginger, chopped chilli, cumin ground coriander, dried coriander leaf, chilli flakes, and ground fenugreek. Mix together to coat the chicken, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
✅Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy-based pan over a medium heat. You need at least 3 inches of oil but do ensure the pan or wok is less than half full of oil as you don’t want it to bubble over.
✅Take the chicken out of the fridge and sprinkle on the salt, garlic salt, gram flour, cornflour, and baking soda.
✅Mix together to combine, then add in the water a splash at a time until you have a batter about the thickness of double (heavy) cream. You may not need all of the water.
✅Test the heat of the oil by dropping a little blob of the batter in the wok. It should sizzle and rise to the top.
✅Add the chicken into the oil, one piece at a time, using a set of tongs. You will need to work in 2 batches to ensure the pan isn’t overcrowded.
✅Fry for 4-5 minutes until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
✅Keep the first batch warm in a warm oven (approx. 130C/250F (fan)) whilst the second batch is cooking.
✅Once all of the chicken pakoras are cooked, place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh coriander.
✅Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
