Recipes

Homemade chicken tikka: the marinade, the smoke and the grill (or oven)

گھر پر چکن تکہ

Last reviewed 15 November 20262 min read

Short answer

Slash the chicken, rub it with lemon, salt and red chilli for 15 minutes, then coat it in thick dahi, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli, dhania, roasted zeera, garam masala and haldi. Rest at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge, then grill over medium coals for 20–25 minutes, or bake at 220°C for 25–30 minutes, until cooked through.

Makes:: Serves 4
Prep:: 30 min
Cook:: 30 min

Ingredients

1 kg chicken (leg and breast pieces), with deep cuts
2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp salt
½ cup thick dahi
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp white cumin, dry-roasted and ground
½ tsp garam masala and ¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil, plus melted butter for basting
To serve: onion rings, lemon wedges, green chutney

Method

Make deep cuts in the chicken. Rub with lemon juice, salt and half the red chilli powder and leave for 15 minutes.
Mix the dahi, ginger-garlic paste, the rest of the red chilli, coriander powder, roasted zeera, garam masala, turmeric and oil. Coat the chicken well, getting it into the cuts.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the best flavour.
Grill over medium coals for 20–25 minutes, turning every few minutes and basting with butter, until charred at the edges and cooked through to the bone (juices clear, 74°C inside).
Oven: bake on a rack at 220°C for 25–30 minutes, turning once, then 3–4 minutes under the grill for colour.
For a smoky taste without a grill, place a small steel bowl in the pan with the cooked tikka, put a red-hot piece of coal in it, pour a few drops of oil on the coal and cover for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with onion rings, lemon and green chutney.

Two marinades, not one

The first quick rub of lemon, salt and chilli seasons the meat itself. The dahi marinade then keeps it juicy and gives the crust. Thick dahi (hung for 30 minutes if it is watery) sticks better.

Where the colour comes from

You do not need food colour. Red chilli powder with a pinch of turmeric in the marinade, and proper charring on the grill, give tikka its deep orange-red.