Chicken Tikka
Photo: Shubhamcr7, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chicken tikka is a Punjabi dish of boneless chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, then cooked on skewers. The marinade does the work here: yoghurt and lemon juice tenderise the breast meat while garlic, chilli, garam masala and turmeric season it through. Mustard seed oil gives the traditional pungent edge, and the recipe offers a workable substitute if you cannot find it. Serve it as a main or a starter.
Instructions
Put everything except the chicken into a non-metallic bowl and stir until the marinade is evenly mixed. Use fewer chillis if yours are hot, and more if they are mild or you want a fiercer marinade.
Add the cubed chicken and turn it until every piece is coated.
For the best flavour, cover the bowl and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Fresh chicken can go up to 48 hours, but chicken that was previously frozen should not be left longer than 24 hours. If you are short on time, you can cook it straight away.
Thread the chicken onto skewers. A tandoor or ceramic pot oven gives the best result, but you can also grill the skewers under a medium grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or cook them on a barbecue, where timing depends on the heat.
Check that the chicken is cooked all the way through before serving. A piece is done when it comes apart easily as you press it with the side of a fork.
Serve the tikka with naan or rice, or use it as the base for a Chicken Tikka Masala.
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