Chicken tikka at home: boneless chicken in a two-step yogurt marinade, threaded on skewers and charred on a hot grill or broiler, with mint chutney.
Chicken tikka is boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and roasted on skewers in a tandoor. Tikka simply means pieces or bites. It is a Punjabi favourite and the base of chicken tikka masala.
A clay oven reaches temperatures a home kitchen can’t match, but a backyard grill on a warm Arizona evening comes surprisingly close.
Why two marinades?
The first, acidic marinade of lemon, ginger, garlic and salt seasons the meat right through. The second, thick yogurt marinade clings to the surface, carries the spices and chars in the heat. Strained yogurt matters: watery yogurt slides off and steams instead of charring.
Thighs, not breasts
Thigh meat stays juicy at the high heat that charring needs. If you prefer breast, cut larger pieces and take them off the grill as soon as they reach 165°F.
Tikka, kebab or tandoori?
Tandoori chicken is usually bone-in pieces. Tikka is boneless. “Kebab” covers almost anything grilled or roasted on a skewer. On our menu you will find tandoori chicken, hariyali and malai kebabs, and tikka in wraps, dosas and the classic tikka masala.
In the Arizona heat
Keep marinating chicken in the fridge, not on the counter, and take the skewers out only when the grill is ready.
Recipe
Chicken tikka on the grill
Ingredients
First marinade
- 1½ lb (700 g) boneless chicken thighs, in 1½-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp salt
Second marinade
- ½ cup thick, strained yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed
- 2 tbsp mustard oil or another neutral oil
To cook and serve
- 1 red onion and 1 green pepper, in chunks (optional)
- Melted butter for basting
- Chaat masala, lemon wedges, sliced onion
Quick mint chutney
- 1 cup mint leaves and 1 cup coriander leaves
- 1 green chilli
- ½ cup yogurt
- ½ tsp salt and a squeeze of lemon
Method
- First marinade. Toss the chicken with the lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Leave for 20 minutes.
- Second marinade. Mix all the second-marinade ingredients. If using mustard oil, heat it until it just smokes, then let it cool before mixing it in. Coat the chicken thoroughly and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Skewer. Thread the chicken onto metal skewers (or wooden ones soaked for 30 minutes), alternating with onion and pepper if you like. Leave a little space between pieces so the heat can reach every side.
- Grill. Cook over a very hot grill, or under a broiler 4 inches from the heat, for 10–14 minutes, turning every few minutes and basting with butter near the end, until charred at the edges and cooked to 165°F (74°C).
- Make the chutney. Blend the mint, coriander, chilli and a spoonful of water to a paste, then stir it into the yogurt with the salt and lemon.
- Serve. Sprinkle the tikka with chaat masala and serve with the chutney, onion and lemon.
Home-style recipe from the Biryani Pot Indian Bar & Grill Journal. It is not our restaurant's own recipe; for that, visit us.