Malai Chicken Tikka

Diving right into another recipe I've had ready and sitting, waiting in my drafts since before I had any of my children *sighs wistfully remembering all the time I had for culinary adventures before*. Presenting, my Malai Chicken Tikka.

Generally speaking, you can't really go wrong with 'marinate-and-grill' kind of days.

So quick, so easy, minimal prep, SO much flavour and SO easy to serve - I'm a stan. We are a family who will happily eat our grilled tikka type foods with our bare hands with only a chutney on the side, so I mean, does home cooked food get easier than that? On a better day, I may serve it with a naan and salad too - but again, such minimal prep if you're getting store-bought naan. 

Malai Chicken Tikka is a recipe I tested and got right back in 2015 but never got around to taking photos of until now, as I'm purging my drafts folder and getting out all those forgotten recipes into the world. It's a wonderfully simple recipe and doesn't use too much in the way of spices, focusing on fresh ingredients such as yogurt, double cream, green chillies , lemon and coriander. 

Jump to:

• 🍗 Ingredients
• 🔪 How to make Malai Chicken Tikka
• 🤌🏼 How to get that AUTHENTIC tikka flavour
• 🥩 Can I make this with lamb/mutton/beef?
• 🗄️ How to store and freeze Chicken Malai Tikka
• 🍽️ How to serve Chicken Malai Tikka
• 📋 Recipe

🍗 Ingredients

• Chicken, of course. I recommend using chicken breast for this recipe because it holds shape much better for tikkas. Generally speaking, chicken breast is used more commonly for grills and tikkas than thigh or any other piece. Having said that, chicken thigh works great too - it just doesn't have that same shape.
• Yogurt and double/heavy cream makes the base for the marinate. I've used a 50/50 ratio of each, to ensure the marinade is creamy without becoming too much.
• Garlic and ginger - fresh, as I always recommend.
• Cashews add a beautiful depth to the marination and it is a noticeable difference. You can substitute this for skinned almonds, cream cheese or omit entirely - your Malai Chicken Tikka will still taste good. 
• Green chillies - this is what gives the marination the slight tint of green and honestly, I love it! I have used 4 in this recipe and the resulting level of spice is very tolerable for someone who is used to having spicy food. If you would like something with more of a kick, I'd recommend using 6 green chillies and for a proper spicy experience, you can take it up to 8-9.
• Spices - a simple affair of salt, cumin, coriander and dried fenugreek. I wanted the rich and creamy flavours of the cream and the fresh, crisp flavours of the lemon, green chilli and coriander to shine!
• Lemon - this adds flavour as well as helps soften up the chicken, adding to the whole creamy, silky vibe we're going for
• Freshly chopped coriander - flavour and colour. Is ANY desi recipe complete without some freshly chopped coriander?!

🔪 How to make Malai Chicken Tikka

We start off by making our marinade.

Blend yogurt (full fat for the win!), double/heavy cream, cashews, ginger, garlic and green chillies together until smooth. You shouldn't need to add additional liquid to this, but if you HAVE to, then add milk. 

Pour all this out into a large bowl and add in your spices, freshly chopped coriander and lemon juice. Mix well, then add in some boneless chicken pieces.

Cover and allow this mixture to work its magic for a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 24 hours (the longer, the better).

A note on the spices - this recipe uses cumin and coriander, and I prefer to crush the whole seeds in a pestle and mortar till they are coarse, and not powdered. The reasons for this are:

1. You get a lot more flavour crushing whole seeds as opposed to using powder. The depth of the spices is noticeably more potent
2. Powdered cumin and coriander can make the colour of the marinade darker. I much prefer the lighter, cream-tinged-with-green shade of the Malai Chicken Tikka and want to maintain it. Coarsely ground cumin and coriander help keep it that way. 

Once the chicken has marinated and is ready to be cooked, you have a lot of options for cooking, including:

• Pan-frying, which is what I did: heat a pan with a small amount of oil and then add the chicken, Allow each side to cook before turning over, allowing the chicken pieces to colour. Don't stir, just flip the chicken. Cook over a medium high heat until the juices of the chicken no longer run pink - about 10 minutes.
• Air-frying: on high for 10-12 minutes.
• Over an open fire/barbeque: Put the chicken pieces onto skewers and grill over the fire for about 8-10 minutes, turning a few times in between to ensure even browning.
• In the oven: Place into a preheated oven at 170c for 16-20 minutes, till the juices run clear, flipping once in between.

🤌🏼 How to get that AUTHENTIC tikka flavour

The way tikka barbeques get that real, smoky and authentic tikka flavour is in the method of cooking - over an open fire and smoke.

If you aren't cooking your Chicken Malai Tikka over an open fire, the best way to replicate that flavour at home is by using coal to smoke your chicken.

To do this:

• place the chicken into a large bowl. You can do this once the chicken is cooked and also when the chicken is raw and sitting in the marination.
• use a small steel bowl or make a small bowl using a piece of foil. Put this on top of the chicken.
• Heat one piece of coal over a flame (from the hob, or from a lighter) and then once the coal is red, place it onto the steel bowl/foil.
• Pour over a few drops of oil directly onto the coal, and then cover the large bowl immediately with a lid or plate.
• Allow everything to sit, smoking, for about 5-8 minutes, then uncover and remove the coal.

🥩 Can I make this with lamb/mutton/beef?

You sure can! This is a great marinade that can be used for pretty much anything, including lamb, mutton, beef - even fish! You'll need to increase the cook times though. Also, if you use red meat I'd recommend adding a meat tenderiser such as green papaya paste to help soften the meat up.

You can also use it with minced/ground meat too, forming it into kebabs! 

🗄️ How to store and freeze Chicken Malai Tikka

• The marination with the raw chicken in it will keep for about 24 hours.
• The cooked chicken pieces will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days packed in an airtight contained.
• You can freeze the raw chicken in the marination and it will keep well for about 6-8 months as long as the chicken and ingredients were all of optimal freshness.
• The cooked chicken pieces will last in the freezer for about 4-5 months.

🍽️ How to serve Chicken Malai Tikka

My favourite way to serve these beauties is with naan, chutneys and a salad. You can also serve them with a paratha (or IN a paratha, epic!)

Enjoy, with love x

📋 Recipe