Indian cuisine is among the most diverse and versatile in the world, employing a wide range of cooking techniques and a vast array of ingredients and flavors. The influences of geography, history and religion have resulted in a huge range of dishes that cater for almost any palate.
When I first made this chicken recipe it didn’t dawn on me until much later that I made the wrong dish 🙂 I intended to really make Tandoori-style Chicken but ended up making Chicken Tikka! The recipes are very similar to one another with the exception of tomato paste versus tamarind paste–which I didn’t have on hand anyway, so this accidental dish mistake made for a delicious result and overall wonderful meal. Incidentally, For a true burst of authentic flavor I made sure to use my Tagine cookware to make this dish 😉
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- few drops of red food coloring (optional)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- lettuce leaves and lemon wedges (to garnish, optional)
Directions:
- Blend ginger, garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin and chili powder together in a large bowl.
- Add yogurt, salt, lemon juice, red food coloring (if using) and the tomato paste to the spice mixture.
- Cut chicken into pieces. Add the chicken to the spice mixture and toss to coat well. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the broiler. Arrange the onion in the base of a flameproof dish. Carefully drizzle half of the oil over the onions.
- Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on top of the onions and cook under the hot boiler, turning once and basting with the remaining oil, for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve the chicken tikka on a bed of lettuce and garnish with the lemon wedges.
Recipe adapted from “greatest ever indian’ easy and delicious step-by-step recipes cookbook compilation
Tips:
Chicken Tikka can be served with naan bread, raitas (For recipe variations of raitas click here) and mango chutney or as an appetizer.