This is a chicken malai tikka recipe for soft, juicy kababs on skewers that will simply melt in your mouth. Tender pieces of boneless chicken are marinated in a unique blend of yogurt, cream, cheese, papaya and spices and cooked on a grill or oven. Perfect for an outdoor barbecue or luncheon.
More boneless chicken recipes: boneless chicken handi, the best boneless chicken karahi, and chicken shashlik.
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Chicken Malai Tikka
A balmy summer evening in your backyard (or park). Your most favorite people in the world. And these creamy chicken malai kababs. That, to me, is a piece of heaven.
Chicken malai tikka or murgh malai tikka (murgh - chicken, malai - cream) and barbecue parties are besties. Always a super-duper hit with people at parties, these tikkas disappear so fast, you are left wondering if you dreamt them up.
And I'm not exaggerating. Bite into one tender piece and you'll know why. Not overwhelmingly sharp or spicy, these kababs are mild and creamy with a rich taste that lingers on long after they've disappeared.
There are a number of carefully chosen ingredients that go into creating this flavor profile: papaya, grated cheese, yogurt and heavy cream come together to make this magic called chicken malai tikka. Leave one out, and the tikkas will not taste the same.
Of course, you can't have any kind of tikka or kebab without a chutney or dip. Enter our all-time favourite: the green chutney. Pop a chutney-smothered tikka into your mouth and wait for the explosion of flavours as the spice from the chutney melds with the mild creaminess of the tikka. Your taste buds will be doing a happy dance!
I am giving you a quick version of the green chutney in this post, but here is a detailed recipe for the cilantro/coriander chutney as well. This chutney is so versatile, it goes with most snacks/appetizers. Case in point? Chicken pakora. Hot crispy pakoras taste even better with spicy green chutney.
More grilled recipes: tandoori shrimp, hariyali paneer tikka, and paneer kababs.
Grilled or Baked?
This choice depends on the kind of do you're having. If it's an outdoorsy summer event, go ahead and fire up that grill. Grilled malai tikka has a wonderful smoky taste and gets cooked faster.
However, if grilling is not an option, or you are making them indoors, you can still have these kababs on skewers, but in your oven. You will need to position the skewers on a baking tray and bake in the oven, as outlined further down in the post. They taste great either way.
Ingredients for the Marinade
Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down in the post.
Boneless chicken breasts or thighs (bite-sized pieces): Both chicken breast meat or thigh meat works in this recipe as the papaya paste does its job of tenderizing the meat wonderfully, whether breast or thigh. It then boils down to your personal preference... go for what you like best.
Ginger-garlic paste: Indispensable for making any kind of Indian grilled meat, ditch the store-bought paste and make your own. It is very easy to make this paste if you don't already know how to. Put equal quantities of peeled and chopped ginger and garlic in a blender, add a few tablespoons of water and blend to a smooth, lump-free consistency. The paste should be thick, not thin, so add water sparingly. That's it! Use as required and store the extra in a covered glass jar or bottle in the fridge.
Raw papaya paste: Although raw papaya is conventionally used to tenderize tough cuts of meat, we are using it here in our recipe to give the chicken tikka its melt-in-the-mouth quality. Fresh, raw papayas can be found in Indian groceries. To make the paste, wash and chop some papaya (with the green skin as it has a lot of enzymes) and put it in a blender with a little water. Whiz to get a smooth puree. Alternatively, you can buy bottled papaya, again, from any Indian or Pakistani grocery stores, but fresh papaya is hands down, the better option.
White cheddar cheese (grated): The cheese has an important role to play in this recipe as it imparts a slight sharpness that is very pleasing. Without the cheddar, the tikka will be creamy, but also a bit bland. Ideally, you want a sharp, aged block of cheddar that you can grate finely. The pre-grated cheddar available in supermarkets does not mix well with the other ingredients and does not melt easily.
Quick tip: Don't get too enthusiastic about the amount of cheese you use! If you over-do the cheese in the hope that the chicken tikka will taste better, let me assure you, it won't. In fact, I have tried it, and it doesn't work. More cheese upsets the balance of the ingredients, and all you end up tasting is the cheese (the other flavors get completely subdued). You don't want that, so stick to the quantity mentioned in the recipe.
Greek yogurt: Unlike other Indian recipes which call for dahi or Indian yogurt, I prefer to use Greek yogurt to make malai chicken as it is quite thick and works beautifully in the marinade. The marinade should be thick so that it sticks to the chicken and the Greek yogurt plays its part here.
Tip: If you don't have Greek yogurt, you can still use the regular Indian yogurt, but you will have to remove the excess moisture by hanging it in a muslin cloth and letting the moisture drain away slowly, so you're left with thick yogurt. It is doable but an extra step.
Heavy cream: Ah, heavy cream! Everything tastes so good with heavy cream! Again, it is one of the ingredients that adds richness to the chicken, so try not to skip it.
White pepper powder: An ingredient used sparingly, but like the cheddar, so essential. And like the cheddar again, it adds a kick, an oomph to the malai chicken, without which our chicken tikka would be stuck in the world of bland. Why not the more common black pepper, you might ask? Because we don't want to spoil the good looks of the tikka! Besides, white pepper is milder than black and has an earthier flavor. Both good reasons for using it.
Green chillies, minced: Green chillies, essentially, play the same role as the white pepper. They add an extra dimension and a little bit of heat to the chicken. I always use Thai green chillies as they are the closest to Indian chillies which are not always available. The only caveat is to use them sparingly, as they are quite hot!
Other ingredients: Cornflour, neutral cooking oil, and sea salt.
How to Make Chicken Malai Tikka
Easiest thing in the world! Mix the chicken + marinade ingredients, thread the chicken on skewers and grill away. Let's go into the nitty-gritty.
Preparation: Make the marinade
1. First, prep the individual ingredients:
- cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces
- grate the cheddar
- make the papaya paste
- make the ginger-garlic paste (if you don't already have it)
- mince the green chillies
Tip: Chop the green chillies and add them to the papaya paste OR the ginger-garlic as you are making these. You'll save a step.
2. Mix all the marinade ingredients with the chicken:
- Put all the marinade ingredients in a large Pyrex bowl (ginger-garlic paste, papaya paste, grated cheddar, Greek yogurt, heavy cream, white pepper powder, minced green chillies, cornflour, cooking oil, and salt) and mix well to make a smooth marinade.
- Then add the chicken pieces and make sure the chicken is well coated with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with cling foil and put it in the fridge for two hours.
Tip: Before adding the chicken, wear a pair of clean plastic gloves and go into the marinade with your hands. The more you work the marinade, the better it is.
3. Thread the chicken on skewers:
- If using wooden skewers, soak them first in water for a couple hours. You can do this at the same time as you put the chicken in the fridge to marinate.
- If cooking in an oven, line a baking dish with aluminum foil and place the skewers on it.
Cooking
4. Grill OR bake the skewers:
- Grill: fire up the grill and place the skewers on it. Baste with oil or butter at regular intervals. Turn over and repeat. The kababs should be cooked through and slightly charred on the surface.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in a preheated oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit or 204 degrees Celsius) and bake for 25 minutes.
Tip: If you want those charred edges that taste and look so good, turn on the broiler on high for a minute or two (not more). Remove the baking tray from the oven.
- Brush the cooked skewers with some extra oil or butter and serve hot with lemon wedges and green chutney.
Ingredients for the Green Chutney
Coriander leaves (cilantro): One bunch is enough for making a cup of chutney. Wash and remove the thick stems, but don't bother with the soft ones. Chop roughly.
Mint leaves: Mint is added in half the amount as coriander, so about half a bunch will suffice. You will need to pluck the leaves off the stems as mint stems are a little tough and do not blend well in the chutney.
Tomato: One small one, chopped roughly.
Garlic: About 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (or not).
Green chillies (Thai): The amount of green chillies depends on how hot you want the chutney to be. Usually 3 chillies are enough as Thai green chillies are quite hot.
Sea salt: Another important though under-rated ingredient! Salt enhances the flavor of most things, and if something tastes a bit not quite 'right', there's probably not enough salt. Put a generous pinch (add or subtract depending on the amount of chutney).
How to Make Green Chutney
Put all the ingredients in a blender and whiz to get a smooth puree.
Tip: This is optional, but you can throw a little yogurt in the blender for a thicker cilantro-mint-yogurt chutney!
Appetizers/snacks that go well with green chutney: paneer fingers, khaman dhokla, and green chutney sandwiches.
Serving Suggestions
- Warm some Indian bread of your choice (naan, roti, pita), and serve the chicken malai kabab with green chutney over it. Or roll it up for a kabab roll!
- Make a salad to go along with the kababs. Sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, finely cut green chillies and a dash of salt and lemon taste so good with these kababs.
Tried this recipe? Please consider giving it a star rating and a comment below. If you're on Instagram, feel free to tag me so I can see your gem. I'd love to hear from you! Thank you:)
📖 Recipe
Chicken Malai Tikka
Equipment
- Hand grater for grating the cheddar cheese
- Blender for making papaya paste, ginger-garlic paste
- Medium Pyrex bowl for making the marinade
- Wooden or metal skewers
- Rectangular baking dish for baking the skewers in the oven
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste see Notes
- 2 tablespoon raw papaya paste see Notes
- 1 tablespoon sharp cheddar cheese grated finely
- 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 2 green chillies minced
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Green Chutney
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves chopped
- ½ bunch mint leaves stalks removed
- 1 tomato small, chopped roughly
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped roughly
- 3 Thai green chillies chopped roughly
- ½ teaspoon sea salt more or less according to taste
Garnishes
- 1 sprig cilantro for garnish
- 4 lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
Chicken Malai Tikka
- In a medium-sized glass bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and mix very well with your hands.
- Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and make sure all the chicken is well-coated. Cover the bowl with cling foil and keep in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Thread the chicken pieces onto wooden or metal skewers, shaking off the excess marinade.
- Cook on a hot grill, basting with oil or butter at regular intervals. Turn over and repeat. Remove when slightly charred (20-25 minutes)
- If cooking in the oven, line a baking dish with aluminium foil and position the chicken skewers on it. Bake in a pre-heated the oven at 400 F for 25-30 minutes. Turn over the skewers once after 15 minutes. When done, brush with some oil or butter. If you want a slight char, turn on the broiler on high and broil the chicken pieces for a minute or two until you can see brown spots forming on the surface.
- Garnish with some chopped cilantro and serve hot with the cilantro-mint chutney and lemon wedges.
Green chutney method
- Put the chutney ingredients in a blender and whizz to get a puree.
Notes
- Don't buy the pre-grated cheese if you can help it. Take a block of sharp, aged cheddar cheese and grate it by hand for the best taste.
- Go easy on the cheese and add only as much as the recipe says. Too much cheese will overwhelm these kebabs.
- To make the ginger-garlic paste, put equal amounts of peeled and chopped ginger and garlic in a blender with a few tablespoons of water. Blend to get a smooth and thick paste. Use as required and store the extra in a covered glass jar in the fridge.
- To make the papaya paste, chop some raw, unpeeled papaya and put it in the blender. Blend to get a smooth paste. Like the ginger-garlic paste, use as required and store the extra in a covered glass jar in the fridge.
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for half an hour so they don't burn in the oven.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Please consider giving it a star rating and a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
Saima says
Thanks Nicoletta!
Saima says
Making ginger-garlic paste is a breeze! And yes, grilled meats are the way to go in the summer!
Saima says
Thanks Amanda. It sure is a summer hit!
Saima says
My kids too, Jo! You won’t believe how quick these disappeared after I had photographed them. In a matter of seconds, literally!
Saima says
Well, as I said in the post, you can make chicken malai tikka in your oven too!
Avishek Dan says
Good one but tastes better with more spices such as kasuri methi and added veggies like onions and capsicum. Green chutney is too overpowering for the mild taste.
Sana says
Asalamualaikum Salma,
I have one question why do you use papaya paste as is chicken cooks faster especially after long marination and we are going to cook for an hour ?
Also are meat tenderizer a good option ?
Saima says
Walekumsalam Sana, papaya paste is what makes the chicken melt in the mouth. It makes the chicken very soft. Chicken breasts especially have a tendency to dry out. That said, you could make these kebabs without papaya paste, I suppose. It is not an ingredient that would take away from the taste. I haven't used meat tenderizer in this recipe, so I can't comment on that. Hope that helps.
Dr Martha says
I have chopped Anaheim chilly's but I think you're talking more about a Habanero chili, could you let me know what kind of green chili to buy?
Saima says
Dr. Martha, I use Indian green chillies. They are small and hot, more like Thai chillies. Anaheim is milder, I believe.
Fiona says
Dear Saima, this recipe is a keeper! I’m not into green chillies or green peppers at all, and here I substituted paprika and a little Cayenne pepper. Where I am, I can get meat tenderiser in packets. It’s basically a powder made from papaya and has worked well for me in many recipes if fresh papaya isn’t available. I love your simple recipes - so popular with my family. Thank you!
Saima says
Hi Fiona, I'm glad the substitutions worked for you. And thank you so much for the feedback! It means a lot!
Fiona says
Third time we’re making this Saima! It’s wonderful, and is a real favourite with my family. I love all your recipes⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Saima says
Aww, thank you so much Fiona! Your comment made my day!