Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka is the most popular Indian chicken starter off late. It is now served in almost all the restaurants. It seems the work tikka means bits, pieces or chunks. Chicken Tikka is an easy-to-cook dish in which chicken chunks are marinated in special spices. 

It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers in a clay oven called a tandoor after marinating in spices and yogurt. I have a steel skewer which I use for frying papads - basically to pick the papad from oil. I used this skewer and baked the chicken pieces. It came out wonderful!!!

Chicken tikka is actually a good dish for chicken lovers since this has very little oil - we only brush the chicken pieces with oil. Also the fat inside the chicken oozes out when it is baked/grilled and we don't eat this fat. So I would say all the more healthy.

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken pieces - 300 grams

onion - 1 small

tomato - 1 small

bell pepper - 1 small

To marinate:

garam masala - 1/2 tbsp

ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

coriander powder (optional) - 1/2 tbsp

lemon juice - 2 tbsp

chilly powder - 1 tbsp

salt - to taste

curd / yogurt - 2 tbsp 

kasoori methi - a pinch

Method:

Make a paste of the items listed under "To marinate"

Remove any moisture in the chicken pieces with the help of a tissue paper so that the marinate will stick well to the chicken pieces.

Add the cubed chicken pieces to this. Coat the chicken pieces well with the marination and refrigerate it for about 2 hours. For best results refrigerate it for about 5-6 hours.

Chop the onions, bell pepper and tomatoes into big pieces. Add these to the same marination just before baking.

My steel skewer was long enough such that when i placed it on my tray the chickens were not touching the tray. Else you can place some aluminium or metal container on the tray and place your skewers on top of it so that the chicken pieces dont touch the tray.

Put the chicken and other vegetables on to skewers. I alternatively placed chicken and vegetables.

Brush little oil on the chicken pieces. Without oil the tikka will be too dry.

I baked the tikkas at 230 degree celsius for about 30 minutes.

After 15 minutes take the tray out and turn the skewer so that the other side of the tikkas also change color. If needed apply little oil. Continue baking.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle little chat masala and drizzle little lime juice. Serve hot!!!

Note:

I did not add any food color since I don't favor artificial colors. But generally restaurant serves with added food colors.

For vegetarians I guess chicken pieces can be replaced with paneer or potatoes.

Day 4

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