Chicken Tikka Kebabs (ਮੁਰਗ ਟਿੱਕਾ)

A light and flavourful starter or snack; this is the chicken kebab that launched many royal Mughal banquets.

Chicken tikka kebab is a delectable opening to South Asian feast, a lean and flavourful snack and a great base for a chicken tikka masala [GET THE RECIPE]. This style of chicken kebab has its origins as a royal Mughal dish, in which seasoned pieces of chicken were skewered and cooked in a tandoor oven. ‘Tikka’ is different to a ‘tandoori chicken’ which uses bone-in, marinated chicken pieces. ‘Tikka’ itself means ‘pieces’, and is a boneless alternative that’s easy and straightforward to snaffle. This recipe uses a classic meat masala, as well as soured milk. Milk soured with a little lemon juice makes a great meat tenderiser and is far closer to the desi-style ‘dahi’ yoghurt that is used for marinating. Enjoy these kebabs with raita, a salad and some roti or naan for a light, flavourful lunch or dinner. It also makes a gorgeous sandwich filling when chopped and combined with mayonnaise! Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (makes 8x small skewers or 4x large)

• 5x boneless chicken thighs, diced

• 60ml milk

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1.5 tsps salt

• 2 tsps ground cumin

• 2 tsps ground coriander

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder - or to taste

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 2x cloves garlic, grated

• 1/2-inch-size piece of ginger, grated

• Red food colouring, to taste - optional

• To serve: salad, raita, curry sauce, roti/naan

WALKTHROUGH

1. First, we’ll sour the milk. Add the 60ml of milk to a small bowl and combine with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Set it aside for 5 minutes to curdle while we prepare the chicken.

   

2. Into a mixing bowl, add the 5x boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bitesize pieces. Add all of the tikka spices and aromatics to the chicken, followed by the soured milk. You can also add red food colouring if desired. Mix everything well until the chicken is thoroughly coated.

   

   

3. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

4. When you are ready to cook, skewer the marinated chicken pieces onto wooden or metal skewers. Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers tightly, as they will shrink and compact on cooking.

   

5. Once skewered, place the chicken tikka skewers under a hot grill/broiler (at least 3 inches from the grill element) or cook for 18-20 minutes at 200C/400F in the oven or air fryer, turning them halfway.

   

   

6. Once cooked, allow the tikka kebabs to rest for 5 minutes. You can enjoy them right away with some raita and salad, or with naan/roti. Chop them and combine with mayonnaise for a brilliant sandwich filling, plus they’re great to use in a chicken tikka masala too [GET THE RECIPE].