In another bowl, whisk the besan, rice flour, ajwain, cumin seeds, baking soda, green chilies, cilantro, mint, kasuri methi, and salt. Add the cold water a little at a time, whisking until you have a thick, spoon-coating batter — like pancake batter. This classic gram flour batter recipe should cling heavily to the chicken; if it's thin, the coating slides off in the oil.

Pour 2–3 inches of oil into a deep, heavy pan or kadhai. Heat to 350°F (175°C). Test it: a drop of batter should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately without browning too fast. Maintaining this temperature is the heart of good deep frying — too cool and the pakoras turn oily, too hot and they burn outside while staying raw inside.

Add the marinated chicken pieces to the batter and toss until fully coated. Gently slide a few pieces into the hot oil — don't crowd the pan. Fry for 5–6 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack (not paper towels, which trap steam and soften the crust). Repeat with remaining batches.

While still hot, sprinkle the pakoras with chaat masala and a pinch of extra salt. Serve immediately with green mint chutney and lemon wedges — chicken pakora with mint chutney is the classic pairing, and the fritters start losing their crunch within 15–20 minutes of frying.

For air fryer chicken pakora, arrange the battered pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket, spray generously with oil, and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 12–14 minutes, flipping halfway and spraying again, until golden and crisp.