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Chicken Tikka

We all love having BBQ every now and then, and Chicken Tikka is one of the most beloved chicken recipes in our home, and am sure it is in many of your homes too!
Print Recipe
Servings 5 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 chicken around 1.2-1.5kg skin removed (cut into 4 or 8 pieces)
  • 2 heaped tsp tandoori masala if your tandoori masala is spicy, then use less and add a bit of red coloring to the marinade
  • 1 heaped tbsp. tomato paste/puree
  • 2 tsp. salt - if using a smaller chicken OR your tandoori powder is very salty reduce the salt by half a tsp.
  • 2 tsp. red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp. ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp. garlic paste
  • 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
  • juice of 2 limes approx. 4 tbsp
  • 4 tbsp. oil
  • red or orange food colouring

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients (aside from the chicken) and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust if needed.
    Make 2-3 deep slits on each piece of chicken, then slather the pieces with the marinade. The slitting ensures that the flavor from the marinade goes all the way into the chicken, and also helps with quick and even cooking. Refrigerate covered preferably overnight for best results, but even up to 4-6 hours is ok. I sometimes marinate for up to 2 days in the fridge for even better results.
    BBQ this on a grill over hot coals, using low heat to ensure the chicken is cooked through. Make sure you oil the grill so that the chicken doesn’t stick, and turn the pieces over every few minutes to get all sides equally done. Alternatively you can grill these in an oven under a hot broiler/grill at around 200 C for about 25-30 minutes per side or until chicken is done. Similarly, turn them over once or twice on the oven tray so all sides are equally done. Of course, this tastes a LOT better done over coals, so if you have the option, use the bbq grill for best results!
  • While the chicken is cooking, put the leftover marinade in a pan, add a cup of water to it and simmer it over low heat until it thickens and is cooked through. Adjust salt if needed. This can then be drizzled over your chicken when serving. Keep the chicken wrapped in foil until time of serving to retain heat and moisture.
    Serve hot with salad, fries, cold drinks, raita, chutneys, naan…whatever you prefer!
    Enjoy! 🙂

Notes

For oven-grilled chicken, you can then ‘smoke’ the chicken with a lit coal and a drop of oil to give it a bbq aroma.