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murgh malai skewers on a plate with green chutney and roti in the background
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Chicken Malai Tikka

Chicken malai tikka recipe perfect for an outdoor barbecue or luncheon.
Course Appetizers, Snacks
Cuisine Indian
Keyword appetizer, chicken tikka, Indian chicken appetizers, malai kabab
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 25 kababs
Calories 175.9kcal
Author Saima Zaidi

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite-size pieces
  • 6 wooden or metal skewers
  • a sprig cilantro for garnish
  • lemon wedges

Marinade ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2 tablespoon raw papaya paste
  • 2 tablespoon grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoon heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 2 green chillies minced
  • 2 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 2 teaspoon cornflour
  • salt to taste

Green chutney ingredients

  • 1 bunch cilantro leaves
  • 1 bunch mint leaves
  • 1 small tomato chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
  • 2 green chillies
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Chicken tikka method

  • In a deep glass bowl, mix the marinade ingredients very well with a mixing spoon and add the chicken pieces in it. Cover with cling foil and keep in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, more if using breast meat (preferably upto 24 hours).
  • Thread the chicken pieces onto 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, place the chicken skewers on an aluminum foil lined baking dish and bake in the oven at 400 F for 25-30 minutes. At the half an hour mark, turn over the skewers once. 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

  1. Don't buy the pre-grated cheese if you can help it. Take a block of white cheese and grate it by hand for the best taste. 
  2. Go easy on the cheese and add only as much as the recipe says. Too much cheese will overwhelm these kebabs. 
  3. Ginger-garlic and papaya pastes are easily available in Indian grocery stores. If making your own, all you need to do is blend the required amounts of ginger and garlic with some water, and then do the same for the papaya. There's no need to peel the papaya.
  4. Don't forget to soak the wooden skewers in water a couple of hours before using them.
  5. I  have not included the marination time in the recipe card as it varies.

Nutrition

Calories: 175.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.4g | Protein: 12.4g | Fat: 11.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 624mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1.4g