Welcome to the mysterious underworld of Indian cuisine! Have you ever heard of Chicken 65 and wondered why it’s called that?
We have all the answers for you in this article. It’s a classic dish from South India, believed to have originated in the city of Chennai in the mid-1960s. Over the years, this delicious creation has become a beloved snack of India, with a wide range of interpretations across the nation.
We delve deep into the classic Chicken 65, to bring you all the history and flavor of this dish!
Why is it called Chicken 65?
Chicken 65 is a popular Indian dish of deep-fried chicken, originating from the South Indian city of Chennai.The dish is composed of small pieces of boneless chicken marinated in spices and later deep-fried. The dish usually served with onion slices, curry leaves and lemon wedges, and is very popular as an appetizer or snack. Despite its widespread popularity, the dish’s origin is shrouded in mystery and there are a number of different theories behind its name.
Here, we discuss some of the prominent theories behind why Chicken 65 is called Chicken 6
The Chinese Connection
One of the popular theories behind the dish’s name is a Chinese influence. According to this theory, the dish was created by a Chinese cook worked in South India, who added five spices like ginger, garlic, pepper, red chilies, and vinegar to the chicken.This resulted in 65 flavoured spices, thus giving rise to the name Chicken 6
The Tamil Connection
Another popular theory claims that the dish was created at a restaurant owned by one Haji Bhaktawar in 196As per this theory, the origin of the dish is credited to a new type of chicken curry served to then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj.
Since the dish was first served in his honor in 1965, the dish got named Chicken 6