Chicken Tikka
Let’s face it, even those who say they don’t like Indian food seem to like Chicken Tikka. And why not? Chicken Tikka is one of the most popular dishes that is usually cooked in a Tandoor oven. This recipe works though with a conventional grill, an oven or on the barbecue. It is pretty simple to prepare and really tasty to eat!
Chicken Tikka
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 284kcal
Ingredients
- 450 g Chicken Breast Fillets skinless and boneless
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ Lemon juice only
- 2 cloves Garlic coarsely chopped
- 15 mm Cube of Root Ginger peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ¼ Nutmeg finely grated
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Chilli Powder
- 125 g Yoghurt we use Greek yoghurt because it is thicker
- 4 tbsp Oil corn or vegetable
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces (about 25mm cubed) and then sprinkle with ½ the salt (i.e. ¼ teaspoon).. Add the lemon juice and mix the chicken thoroughly. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, put all of the remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. When you are ready to marinate the chicken, pour the blended mixture into a metal sieve over the chicken. Press the marinade through the sieve until you have only a very coarse mixture left
- Mix the chicken thoroughly to coat it, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight is better. Bring the marinated chicken out of the fridge about an hour before you plan on cooking it, just to bring it up to room temperature
- If you are using the oven, preheat it to its highest temperature. Ideally at least 240°C or Gas Mark 9 (we usually refer to this as 'gas mark furnace'!). If you are using a grill, heat it to as high as it will go. If using the barbecue, make sure it is nice and hot before you start cooking
- Thread the chicken onto skewers (we use metal skewers but if you are using wooden ones make sure they are well soaked in water beforehand) and leave a small gap between each piece of chicken. This is essential to ensure that the heat reaches all sides of the chicken. Brush the chicken with a little of the remaining marinade
- Whatever method you are using for cooking, the cooking time is roughly the same. Cook the chicken for about 6-8 minutes and then turn, brush with a little more of the marinade and then cook for a further 6-8 minutes. The chicken tikka is done when the chicken is cooked all the way through and shows slight signs of charring.
- Being very careful with the skewers because they will be very hot indeed, remove the chicken from the skewers onto a serving dish and serve with a little squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg