Chicken Tikka Skewers

You don't need a tandoor oven to make great chicken tikka, which means chicken pieces in Hindi. This easy recipe, from Maya Kaimal's Indian Flavors Every Day, comes together easily with readily available ingredients. The main seasonings include a heady marinade of garlic, ginger, spices and yoghurt. Maya adds a little twist though.

She punches up her chicken tikka skewers with a bunch of freshly grated lime zest. It adds zip and aroma, blending in well with the spices. As she notes, chicken tikka is a Central Asian dish brought to India by the Mughals, whose culture reflects those in what we now know as northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. For that reason, you want to use a northern Indian garam masala!

I've made Maya's recipe twice because I cooked off road a bit and saved the leftover marinade for another batch! Yes you can do that. More on that, if you scroll on down.

What's great about Maya's book is that the recipes are to the point and doable for cooks of all skill levels and dietary needs. She's got modern takes on traditional concepts that are still rooted in old school ways. That's because Maya is the same Maya that's behind the Maya Kaimal simmer sauces on grocery store shelves. Yes. She started out at Saveur magazine decades ago and I've appreciated her culinary sensibilities and palate ever since. If you want an easy going, sensible Indian cookbook that you'll return to for years, Indian Flavor Every Day would be an excellent choice.

Ingredient notes

For making this recipe and other Asian dishes, I keep a lot of Indian spices on hand but you may not. If you don't have Northern Indian garam masala, use what you have. Do you only have coriander seeds? Grind up an equal amount. Ditto for the cumin.

Pointers on what you need for the marinade and chicken:

• neutral oil (use something like canola, sunflower, or rice bran)
• garlic (use a Microplane rasper, fresh is best)
• ginger (use a Microplane rasper, fresh is best here)
• lime zest (use a rasper, save the lime for garnish)
• whole milk Greek-style yogurt (or strain regular yogurt to obtain thicker Greek)
• ground coriander (or grind an equal amount of whole seeds)
• ground cumin (or grind an equal amount of whole seeds)
• ground turmeric (use the freshest possible for flavor, color and health!)
• cayenne (substitute Kasmiri chili, if it's handy)
• North Indian garam masala (buy it or make it)
• fine sea salt (double the amount when using Diamond Crystal Kosher)
• chicken (breast is actually quite lovely because the oil and yogurt keep things moist but I am a thigh lover!)

See recipe card for quantities.

Equipment

I cooked these skewers on a stovetop cast iron grill pan. It's easy to use year round and I can control the heat and monitor cooking easily. Plus, the skewers don't burn -- a great thing for when I forget to soak my bamboo skewers.

I have a Le Creuset skinny grill pan but to be honest, LC's square grill pan makes more sense for getting the most out of a single burner. Lodge makes a less expensive square grill pan that would work well too; I like its low profile for moving food around. The lower profile pan mimics the skinny grill. Here's my LC skinny grill pan in action for these chicken tikka skewers.

Menu suggestions!

These chicken tikka skewers would go well with a rice or a flat bread such as naan (if I don't make my own, I buy Trader Joe's) or roti, dal, and a Burmese green tomato salad. If you get ambitious, add baingan bharta smoky eggplant and/or seared ginger raita.

Print Recipe

Chicken Tikka Skewers

Super simple and delicious, this Indian recipe comes from Maya Kaimal’s Indian Flavor Every Day (Potter, 2023).

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Marinade

• ¼ cup neutral oil
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced (1 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• ¼ cup plain whole milk Greek-style yogurt
• 4 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ½ teaspoon North Indian garam masala, store-bought or homemade
• 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, patted dry, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1 ½ x 3-inch strips or 1 1 /2- inch chunks
• A few sprigs cilantro (optional, for garnish)
• Lime wedges (optional)

Instructions

• If using bamboo skewers rather than metal ones, place eight of them in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, cover with water and soak for at least 30 minutes.
• Marinate the chicken: Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken, toss together until coated and set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. (Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.)
• Preheat the broiler to high. Set the rack 3 inches from the heat source. (Or, use a grill pan and heat if after skewering the chicken.)
• Scrape excess marinade off the chicken. If you like, freeze it for another batch (see note below). Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Do not press the pieces closely together but allow a little space between them so they cook thoroughly. Place the skewers on a broiling pan and broil until they are golden and opaque on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn and broil the other side until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. The chicken should be thoroughly cooked but not dry; to test, cut into a piece and if it’s still slightly pink, continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside. (When using a grill pan, use medium-high heat and oil the pan a bit to prevent sticking. Grill for about the same amount of time, turning frequently.)
• Serve the thicken on or off the skewers, arranged on a platter and scattered with cilantro and lime wedges.