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Authentic Chicken Tikka Kebab (Murgh Tikka)

Tanvi Srivastava
Indian chicken tikka kebab, also known as tandoori chicken tikka or murgh tikka are tender chicken pieces marinated in yogurt, aromatic spices and herbs. They're then threaded onto skewers and cooked over high heat of tandoor oven until beautifully charred.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Indian
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut in 2-3.5 inch pieces

To Make The First Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • ½ tablespoon garlic paste store bought is fine
  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder hot , adjust to taste, use cayenne powder instead
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Second Marinade Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup (90g) plain yogurt or hung curd, use whole milk thick yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder or use paprika powder
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon chaat masala or black salt or use amchur powder (dry mango powder) or extra lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crush dried fenugreek leaves between palms to activate its aroma & flavor
  • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated, optional
  • ½ tablespoon mustard oil or use melted ghee

To Serve

  • Onion rings, cilantro, green chutney etc
  • 2 tablespoon butter melted, for brushing (optional)

Instructions
 

First Marination

  • In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces. To the chicken add lemon juice or lime juice, garlic paste, ginger paste, salt and red chili powder.
  • Using hands (wear food safe gloves!) mix together so that the chicken is coated very well. Cover and leave to marinate, refrigerated, for 30-45 minutes.

Prepare The Tandoori Marinade

  • In another large mixing bowl,add all the ingredients listed under second marinade.
  • Using a whisk, mix until smooth. Let the tikka marinade stand or you can refrigerate this tandoori marinade for later use for 3-4 days.
    Tip - Make sure that the tikka marinade is not too runny else it will slip off the chicken.

Second Marination

  • After first marination,drain the excess water if any collected at the bottom of the bowl. Then add the chicken to the tandoori marinade. Add the chicken to the marinade (or vice versa) and use your hands to toss the pieces of chicken in the marinade. Make sure that the chicken is coated very well.
  • Cover and leave the chicken to marinate, refrigerated for at least 8 hours (the longer you marinate, the better the taste). I marinate it for up to 2 to 3 days sometimes. This is excellent for meal prep!

Smoke The Tikka (Optional Step)

  • Place a small bowl or an onion petal over the chicken and place a burning piece of all natural hardwood charcaol over it. Drizzle 1-2 drops of melted ghee and cover the bowl immediately to trap the smoke. Let smoke for maximum of 1-2 minutes else the smokiness may get unpleasantly overpowering. Do this step right before proceeding to cook the chicken tikka.

Cook The Chicken Tikka (Use any ONE of the below methods)

  • Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking. I like to thread the chicken on to metal skewers. If you are using bamboo skewers or wooden skewers, soak them for 30-40 minutes in water, pat dry and then thread the chicken tikka on them.
  • CHICKEN TIKKA ON STOVE TOP
    Let the grill pan heat up on high flame. Spray the grill pan liberally with oil or ghee. Place the chicken skewers in a single layer on the pan. You will hear a sear sound! Let the chicken cook for 5-7 minutes and then carefully, using tongs, flip to cook on other side for 3-4 minutes. 
    Rotate the chicken skewers briefly on all other sides to cook very well. Spray oil or brush melted ghee on tikka as needed while cooking.Once the tikka are ready, brush with melted butter and sprinkle chaat masala right away.
    Tip - Don't skimp on oil while making chicken tikka. Oil helps keep the tikka moist and prevents sticking as well.
  • CHICKEN TIKKA IN THE AIR FRYER
    If you are using air fryer, no need to use skewers. Simply layer the marinated tikka on the air fryer basket(use paper liners for easy cleaning). Air fry the chicken tikka at 450F for about 10-13 minutes in total, flipping them mid way for even cooking. Once the tikka are ready, brush with butter and sprinkle chaat masala right before serving.
  • OVEN CHICKEN TIKKA
    Preheat oven to 450F. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper(this helps cleaning). Place the chicken tikka skewers such that the skewers rest on the edges of the baking sheet(choose the size of baking tray accordingly). This placement makes for a crisper chicken tikka.
    Spray or brush chicked cubes with oil. Bake the chicken tikka for 10-12 minutes. Open the oven door, pull out of the baking sheet out of the oven. Using tongs flip the skewers and spray again with oil. Bake for another 9-10 minutes or until the chicken tikka have browned edges. If you prefer extra charred tikka, place under a broiler for 1-2 minutes.

Notes

  • If you prefer, you could skewer vegetables like bell peppers, onions, zucchini or cherry tomatoes with the chicken tikka. Cut the vegetables thick and large in size so that they don't overcook while chicken tikka is finishing cooking.
  • If you feel that your marinade has become runny, add 1-2 teaspoon of dry roasted besan (gram flour) or little bit of cornstarch to thicken it.
  • For a "yellowish" looking chicken tikka, reduce the quantity of kashmiri chilli powder and use ¼ teaspoon turmeric.
  • The cooking times I have mentioned above are for tikka using chicken thighs. Adjust the cooking time if you are using chicken breast. Chicken breast tikka will cook quickly.
  • Read additonal tips in the blog post.
SERVING IDEAS
  • Traditional Indian way(Restaurant Style) - Serve warm chicken tikka as an appetizer or starter with accompainments such as green chutney(cilantro chutney), sweet tamarind chutney, red onion slices and lemon wedges.
  • Make Wraps or Kathi Rolls - Wrap up chicken tikka in indian flatbreads such as paratha or naan along with green chutney, sprinkle of chaat masala and kachumber for a satisfying lunch or snack.
  • You could add cut up chicken tikka over pizza base, in salads with greens or to sanwiches(cheesy chicken tikka sandwiches are my favorite) for fun fusion meals.
  • Last but not the least, serve chicken tikka for main course with simple pulao such as egg pulao, yakhni pulao or mushroom pulao. If you want to serve with steamed rice or jeera rice, I recommend adding a bowl of raita and mint chutney or cilantro chutney.
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