Warmly spiced with the flavours of cumin, coriander, cardamom, chilli and garam masala, these melt in the mouth chunks of tender chicken are cooked to perfection, on the barbecue or in the oven. I like to serve Chicken Tikka with a squeeze of lemon juice, raita or yoghurt, tomato and cucumber salad with sliced red onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, mango chutney (recipe coming soon) and naan bread. Simple, healthy, delicious, stunning.

The key to ensuring your chicken is moist and tender is to:

slice the chicken breasts on half horizontally; this will help them absorb more flavour from the marinade as well as being able to cook them more quickly which helps prevent the meat from drying out.
marinate for 30 minutes in lemon juice and salt.
add the remaining marinade ingredients: yoghurt, red onion, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, garam masala, cumin, coriander, cardamom, paprika and chilli and make sure all the slices are thoroughly covered in the marinade. It is easiest to do this with you hands.
allow the meat to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, but ideally for longer, and up to 24 hours covered and in the fridge
cook the chicken at room temperature. If it is in the fridge allow 30 – 45 minutes to bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking.
these slices take 8 – 15 minutes maximum on the barbecue or in the oven depending on the thickness of the meat and the heat of the barbecue/oven.
allow the cooked chicken to rest for 5 – 10 minutes covered with foil and on a hot plate before serving.
slice the chicken before serving – I prefer to cook the larger pieces of chicken breast and then slice rather than cook smaller pieces of chicken. This really helps to keep the chicken moist, particularly if using breast meat rather than thigh.

How to make Chicken Tikka

First, collect all your ingredients together:

chicken breast or thighs
lemon, juice only
salt
plain yoghurt
red onion, peeled and chopped
cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
garam masala
paprika (for colour)
chilli flakes
Indian Spice Mix (OR a mix of additional garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, cardamom powder, chilli powder)
vegetable oil – if cooking in the oven

If using chicken breasts, slice them in half horizontally and marinade in the lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes whilst you make the marinade.

Make the Tikka Marinade

Put the remaining marinade ingredients in the food processor – the yoghurt, onion, garlic, ginger and spices and blitz until thoroughly mixed. Add to the chicken marinating already, in the lemon and salt and combine, making sure each piece of meat is thoroughly covered in the marinade. I find it is easiest to do this using your hands. Cover and leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Cook the Chicken

Take the chicken out of the fridge and set aside to come to room temperature before cooking.

Barbecue the chicken

Pre-heat the barbecue to hot but before you add the chicken turn the heat down to medium. Add the chicken and cook for roughly 4 – 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. If you use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the meat should read 165°F or 75°C.

Oven-cook the chicken

Preheat oven to Fan Oven 200°C/220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Brush some oil over a baking tray and pop in the oven for 2 minutes to heat up. Lay the chicken on the tray and cook in a preheated oven for between 8 – 15 minutes depending on how thick the chicken is. If you use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the meat should read 165°F or 75°C.

Remember to rest the chicken for 5 – 10 minutes on a covered hot plate before serving. You can either serve the breasts whole or slice them before you serve.

For more information on cooking and resting chicken, please see my Skillet Roast Chicken – Core Recipe here.

Serve the chicken

Enjoying the last gap of summer whilst Andrew barbecues the meat. I promise you Mimi the cat is not supposed to be on the table, but in her dotage (she is now 15) she has developed a craving for spicy food and nothing will keep her away. She and Arty the dog also know who the softest person is!

To accompany this meal we had a bottle for Whispering Angel rose wine and Andrew had a Beavertown Gamma Ray American Pale Ale.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Chicken Tikka

Warmly spiced with the flavours of cumin, coriander, cardamom, chilli and garam masala, these melt in the mouth chunks of tender chicken are cooked to perfection, on the barbecue or in the oven.

Course Dinner, light supper, Lunch

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chicken, tikka

Servings 4

Author Susan

Ingredients

400 – 600g grams chicken breast or thigh meat. Breasts and thick thighs should be halved horizontally
1 lemon, juice only
½ teaspoon fine salt

Marinade:

100g plain yoghurt
½ red onion, peeled and chopped (around 65g prepared weight)
16g/4 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
16g fresh peeled ginger, roughly chopped
1½ teaspoons garam masala
1½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ teaspoons Indian spice mix OR extra ½ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, ⅛ teaspoon chilli powder (See Recipe Notes.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil if cooking the chicken in the oven

To serve:

naan bread
raita or yoghurt
mango chutney
salad of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion
wedges of lemon

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Prepare the chicken: slice the chicken breasts on half horizontally.
Mix the salt with the lemon juice in a glass bowl and add the chicken. Mix well and leave on one side to marinate for 30 minutes.
Make marinade: put all the marinade ingredients in the food processor and blitz until throughly blended.
When the chicken has been marinating in the lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes, add the marinade and mix thoroughly. I find it is easiest to use your hands.
Cover and leave to marinate for a minimum of a further 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Cook the chicken on the barbecue: preheat the barbecue on high
Before you add the chicken, reduce to a medium heat. Lay the chicken on the grill and cook for for roughly 4 – 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. If you use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the meat should read 165°F or 75°C.
Cook the chicken in the oven: preheat oven to Fan Oven 200°C/220°C/425°F/Gas 7.
Brush some oil over a baking tray and pop in the oven for 2 minutes to heat up.
Lay the chicken on the tray and cook in a preheated oven for between 8 – 15 minutes depending on how thick the chicken is. If you use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the meat should read 165°F or 75°C.
When cooked transfer to a heated plate and cover. Rest the chicken for 5 – 10 minutes. You can either serve the breasts whole or slice them before you serve.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

chopping board and knife
kitchen scales
measuring spoons
citrus reamer
food processor/blender
barbecue or oiled baking sheet (line with foil or baking parchment if your food is likely to stick on the tray)
hot plate and foil to cover when resting the meat

Indian Spice Mix

See here for the Indian Spice mix recipe. Alternatively you can use:

extra ½ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
⅛ teaspoon chilli powder