Homemade Indian Chicken Tikka

This has been a long awaited posted by some of my close friends and while I meant to post it as soon as I started my blog I have still not kept my promise.

For those of you who have tasted these at various restaurants you must have noticed that there are many versions of this recipe. For example if you eat it in a north Indian restaurant it will have an addition of chickpea flour and Mustard oil as compared to a restaurant say closer to Bombay.

Again like the Tandoori Chicken - most people think this is a very difficult dish to make. The truth is the difficult part for some is finding the spices. The process is simple. Just marinate chicken, skewer it and grill.. Easy! There is not cutting or sauteing, nothing!


Note: For those of you who want to make it Parve - just omit the yogurt and add an one tbsp of lemon juice extra. 

Note - I am showing you two batches here.. One has the red food color added and the other does not. Usually when making at home we do not add any food coloring. The Chilly powder gives the color to the dish.
However all restaurants now a days do especially because they do not add as much chili powder as compared to back home in India and mostly because Chicken Tandoori and Chicken Tikka are associated with the red food color.
I am showing you both so you see the difference.

Here's what you will need:

500 grams / 1 lbs boneless chicken ( I usually use thighs)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (use whole milk yogurt)
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1/8 tsp red food color (optional)

Ground spices
1 tsp chilli powder or Cayenne (less if you want less spicy)
1/2 tsp turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala (it's a ready made mix of Indian spices)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp dry Fenugreek leaves powder - optional (Kasoori Methie powder) 
Salt to taste

2 tbsp chick pea flour - roasted (optional)
2 tbsp Mustard Oil
BBQ Skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes.

Method:

Clean and cut chicken pieces into long strips.
Have all your ingredients ready.

Add everything into a bowl - ginger, garlic paste, lemon juice, ground spices, salt, pepper, oil and optional ingredients if using and the yogurt.

 Stir well to combine.

Add the chicken to the yogurt marinade and set aside for about 6 to 8 hours or over night.
This marinade has no food color added, (it's an optional ingredient).
Skewer the chicken pieces on to soaked skewers.

This marinade has food color added.. Just so you can see the difference.

When ready to cook. Preheat the grill or oven  to 220C / 440 F  for at least 15 minutes.
Once hot - place the skewers onto a foil and grill or bake for about 15 minutes for chicken breast and 20 minutes for chicken thighs - turning and basting with remaining marinade.

Alternatively - you can cook the skewers on an open skillet on high heat for about 15 minutes.
This one is made without food color.

 This batch has food color added. (just like they do in restaurants)

This batch is cooked in the oven for 20 minutes

This batch is cooked on the stove top for 15 minutes.

Can you tell the difference?
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try it. 


Thanks for stopping by.