Spicy, charred and juicy chicken tikka pieces fresh from the grill or BBQ. This recipe is very easy to make and comes out well every time! Great all year round. This recipe is very much a British Indian restaurant style recipe and it is just as delicious at home. All ingredients are readily available in supermarkets, and it requires no special techniques to make. Give it a try with my tarka daal recipe!

What is Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka is a traditional Mughal recipe, coming out of India. It is thought to have originated in the 16th century, making use of a number of inspirations from surrounding areas.

The dish itself consists of pieces of chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices. These pieces are then roasted in a traditional clay oven, callend a tandoor. Yoghurt marinades came to India from Persia, and work very well to tenderise meat and keep it juicy. The spices used are all either local to India, or came there from the ancient spice trades. Modern recipes also use fresh ginger and garlic, as well as lemon juice to add depth and flavour to the chicken.

Chicken tikka has spread around the world with the Indian diaspora and created a number of variations. In the UK, Indian food is massively popular and ingrained into society. Chicken tikka has a special place here as it was in Scotland that the dish was combined with a sauce to create the world famous Chicken Tikka Massala! It can now be found in sndwiches and on takeaway pizzas too.

My Recipe

I prefer to use chicken breast for my recipe. It’s easier to get large pieces to grill, and the marinade helps avoid the classic issue of dryness with chicken breast. I like to cut mine into chunks of around 2cm wide. These can be cooked to achieve a good char without drying out.

My marinade is simple. I use greek yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and spices. For the spices, I think garam massala and chilli powder are all that is required. Garam massala is already a very complete and well rounded blend and gives all the flavours you’d expect! A little bit of salt rounds it off nicely.

As this is a British Indian Restaurant (BIR) style recipe, I like to add some red food colouring. This is entirely optional, but gives the classic vibrant colour you’ll be familiar with. Some people say it doesn’t taste the same without that intense colour!#

This can be cooked in the oven, however tandoor ovens are often a lot hotter than conventional domestic ovens. As a result, I think the best way to cook it is either under the grill element of your oven or on the BBQ if weather permits. I put the chicken on skewers to make this easier, and I would highly recommend it!

Spiced & Grilled Chicken Tikka

Spicy, charred and juicy chicken tikka pieces fresh from the grill or BBQ. This recipe is very easy to make and comes out well every time! Great all year round

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Marinating Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 800 g Chicken Breast
• 3 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1.5 tbsp Garam Massala
• 2 tsp Chilli Powder
• 2 tsp Garlic Paste
• 1.5 tsp Ginger Paste
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Red Food Colouring
• 1 Red Onion

Method

 

1. Cut the chicken into 2cm chunks.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken, cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
3. Heat your grill element or fire up your BBQ, slice your red onion into rough slices.
4. Stick the chicken pieces onto skewers, putting a few couple of slices of red onion between each piece of chicken. If using wooden skewers, soak them first in water to prevent them from burning during cooking.
5. Cook the skewers for 10-12 minute, turning every 2-3 minutes. You want the chicken to have charred a bit without drying out inside. You should definitely still have some juice in there!