Chicken tikka recipe

Tikka simply means piece or chunk – so this is chicken pieces, marinated then grilled. The marinade is based on sweet vinegar, not yogurt, and there’s no food colouring in sight. This recipe will serve four as a starter.

Note: this recipe requires 6 to 24 hours marinating time.

Ingredients

  Metric  Cups  Imperial  For the chicken

• 500 g boneless chicken thighs, with skin
• 17.6 oz boneless chicken thighs, with skin
• 17.6 oz boneless chicken thighs, with skin

For the marinade

• 30 g fresh root ginger
• 10 g garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
• 10 g green chillies (2 to 3)
• 30 ml rice vinegar
• 1 tsp deggi mirch chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1.1 oz fresh root ginger
• 0.4 oz garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
• 0.4 oz green chillies (2 to 3)
• 1.1 fl oz rice vinegar
• 1 tsp deggi mirch chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1.1 oz fresh root ginger
• 0.4 oz garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
• 0.4 oz green chillies (2 to 3)
• 0.1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp deggi mirch chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

To grill and serve

• 25 g unsalted butter, melted
• 4 lime wedges

• 0.9 oz unsalted butter, melted
• 4 lime wedges

• 0.9 oz unsalted butter, melted
• 4 lime wedges

Details

• Cuisine: Indian
• Recipe Type: Chicken
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Step-by-step

1. Cut each chicken thigh into three pieces and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place in a large bowl.
2. For the marinade, blitz the ingredients together in a blender or mini food processor to a smooth paste.
3. Spoon the marinade over the chicken pieces and turn them to coat. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 6–24 hours.
4. Take the marinated chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them now.
5. Heat the grill to high. Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, leaving enough space between the pieces for the heat to penetrate.
6. Grill for 12–15 minutes, turning and basting regularly with the melted butter, until deep golden brown with some charring. Check that the chicken pieces are cooked through.
7. Let the cooked chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving, with lime wedges for squeezing.