Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is a spicy, deep-fried chicken dish originating from Chennai, India, as an entrée, or quick snack. The flavor of the dish can be attributed to red chillies but the exact set of ingredients for the recipe can vary. It can be prepared using boneless or bone-in chicken and is usually served with onion and lemon garnish. While the name "Chicken 65" is universally used to refer to the dish, there are many different theories claiming its origins.

Origins

Chicken 65 was a dish introduced in 1965 at the Buhari Hotel restaurant in Chennai by its founder A.M.Buhari. They also offer Chicken 78, Chicken 82 and Chicken 90, introduced in 1978, 1982 and 1990 respectively. Amitabh Bachchan's Kaun Banega Crorepati (Season 1), featured Chicken 65 as a Buhari invention as did Siddarth Basu's Quiz Time on Doordarshan in the 1990s. A report in The Hindu in 2013 mentions this too.

Another account claims that it is a dish containing 65 chilli peppers devised by an enterprising hotelier.

As explained by food enthusiast Mr. Aniruddha Chande [Mumbai], " The dish was at 65th number on the menu of the hotel, thats why the name."