My Mum's Authentic Chicken Bhajyas Recipe

Oooooh, just thinking about Chicken Bhajyas fills me with nostalgia. I remember as a child growing up, my mum would always serve them in Ramadan and send them to family and friends.
While she stands in the kitchen just before Iftar, deep frying them – the minute the sound of the adhaan (call to prayer) goes, we literally pounce on these chicken bhajyas. It takes ages to fry them, yet 2 seconds to devour them.
Of course, she still makes them but now, I love to try to follow on with her cute food tradition every ramadan, with a phone call straight after, “Mum, were they nice? Was it tasty? What did you think?” I don’t think my mum did that. They just get on with it. Haha xD
I am grateful to my beloved mummy for sharing this recipe with me, and I am honoured to be able to continue the tradition of making it for my own family.
This recipe is a family heirloom that my mum learned from my grandmother after she got married. My grandfather (may Allah grant him Jannah) was particularly fond of these, and my grandmother would often make them at night as well.
WARNING: Not for the faint-hearted. Once you start, you can’t stop.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade:
NOTE: I used baking spoons and cups to help give you an exact measurement. I hope this makes it easy for you.
Marinate overnight and leave in the fridge or minimum 1 hour prior to frying and serving.
- 2 chicken breast cut into bite sized cubes
- 2 eggs
- 2 tblsp semolina
- 1 tsp Lila Masala – to taste (recipe here)
- 1 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
Add to the marinade before frying:
- 2 diced onions
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 bunch chopped fresh coriander
- 4 tblsp gram flour
- Oil for deep frying
How to cook it
Get your hands messy:
- Clean the chicken breast. Chop into small to medium cubes (approx 1 inch).
- Wash and place in a colander to drain the excess water.
- Marinate the chicken with the above marinade ingredients.
- Wrap the bowl with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
Now for an extra touch of glam:
- Gather all of the ingredients listed in the section “Add to the marinade before frying.”
- Note: This step as it consists of onions should only be added to the marinade before frying. If you add them to the marinade and then store it in the refrigerator, the onions will release liquid and the marinade will become watery. I prefer doing this step 1 hour before eating to ensure everyone can enjoy warm Chicken Bhajyas. Because then you seriously can’t stop!
- Add the ingredients to a bowl.
- Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
- Mix all the ingredients together properly.
- In a pan, add enough oil to deep fry the bhajyas.
- Test the oil – its hot when you add a little mixture and it begins to sizzle straight away.
- Deep fry each chicken cube individually, ensuring that all of the coating is included as you slide it out of the bowl.
- Drop it into hot oil while turning continuously until golden brown.
- Add a few at a time.
- Place in a tray lined with kitchen tissue. This allows the excess oil to be absorbed.
- Once cooled down, Close your eyes and continue eating.

Once you start, you can't stop!
It would make me so so happy if you share your makings or your version of this recipe. It probably looks difficult, but its just a few basic ingredients that delivers a big bowl of unique flavours. And honestly, there are no rules for food. You can always tweak it to your preference.