Air Fryer Chicken Tikka – tender, juicy chicken marinated in a rich tikka paste and air fried until golden and perfectly charred at the edges. I like to finish it off by brushing with simple coriander (cilantro) garlic butter that makes this dish sing!
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I’ve been making this chicken tikka on repeat over the Summer. We’ve been eating in folded flatbreads, as part of a rice bowl (with raita, tomato & onion salad, cucumber and salad leaves), on top of a crunchy salad or standing in the doorway of the refrigerator when I remembered I had some leftovers!
Why this particular recipe?
- It’s easy to prep ahead – the simple chicken + marinade can sit in the fridge for 24 hours (but a 30-minute marinade will do if you forgot to do it!)
- It’s super versatile (see paragraph above for my favourites)
- The high heat of the air fryer gives the chicken those perfect charred edges – whilst ensuring the chicken still stays juicy in the middle.
- The coriander (cilantro) garlic butter I brush on at the end takes the chicken to a whole new level. You don’t have to add it, but I wholeheartedly recommend you do!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Chicken Tikka
- You can swap the chicken breast pieces for thigh pieces if you prefer. The marinade will ensure the chicken stays juicy whichever cut you use.
- Spray oil – I love this Vilgain Avocado oil (<–aff link) – it’s gives a nice even mist, has no flavour and can stand up to high heat cooking without burning. I don’t think it’s available in the USA, but Chosen Avocado oil (<–aff link) is a similar one that works great and is more widely available.
Coriander (cilantro) Garlic Butter
- Use your favourite salted butter or use unsalted and add 3/4 teaspoon of table salt
Abbreviated recipe instructions
**Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post**
Marinade the chicken for 2-3 hours. Place chicken on skewers, spray with oil and air fry for 14-16 mins at 210C/410F. Mix the butter and garlic and melt in microwave or pan. Stir in coriander (cilantro). Brush on top of cooked chicken skewers.
Pro Tip
Adjust the spice level to your palate. I use 1/2 tsp mild chilli powder which gives flavour but pretty much zero heat. You can leave it out if you prefer or swap mild chilli powder for medium or hot for a little more heat.
Warning: The extra step of brushing on fragrant coriander-garlic butter will probably result in you having to serve it that way forever more.
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Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Recipe
Equipment
- flat skewers I use these 20cm length skewers (make sure they fit your air fryer), you can also use wooden skewers, but soak them in water for an hour first.
- Double Stack Air Fryer I recently upgraded to this double stack
- Spray Oil I use avocado spray oil
Ingredients
Chicken Tikka
- 3 chicken breasts (approx 500g/17.5 oz) – chopped into bite-size chunks
- 120 g (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt or thick natural yogurt (full fat)
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp mild chilli powder
- pinch cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- spray oil I use approx 10ml/2 tsp for spraying onto the chicken before air frying
Coriander Butter
- 90 g (1/3 cup) salted butter chopped into small cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast pieces into a bowl or freezer bag with the yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, coriander, turmeric, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.3 chicken breasts, 120 g (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger, juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp mild chilli powder, pinch cinnamon, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Mix together so that everything is combined, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, place them in water to soak while the chicken is marinating. This will help to prevent them from burning during cooking.
- Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and thread onto skewers. Alternatively you can air fry the chicken pieces directly in the air fryer, without placing on skewers.
- Place the chicken skewers in the air fryer basket in a single layer (you may need to work in two batches if your air fryer basket isn't big enough). If you're not using skewers, arrange the chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Spray with the oil and air fry at 210C/410F for 14-16 minutes, turning once, until fully cooked through and slightly charred at the ends. Make sure the chicken is cooked by slicing it into a larger piece and ensuring it's no longer pink in the middle.spray oil
- While the chicken is cooking, make the coriander garlic butter. Place the butter and garlic in a small saucepan and melt over a low heat (alternatively melt in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid placed loosely on top). Heat until the butter is JUST melted.90 g (1/3 cup) salted butter, 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
- Stir the butter, then add the chopped coriander and stir again. Put to one side.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the air fryer and brush on the melted coriander garlic butter, then serve.
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
You can marinate the chicken up to a day ahead, but I wouldn’t recommend cooking the chicken ahead and then reheating later, as this will dry the chicken out. However, you can cook the chicken kebabs, cool them and serve them cold as part of a salad or wrap. Or you can cook, cool then refrigerate or freeze them (be sure to fully defrost them in the refrigerator), and add to curries so they won’t try out upon reheating. Add them to your curry and cook through for 10-12 minutes – until piping hot throughout.Nutritional information is per skewer/kebab including one sixth of the coriander (cilantro) butter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Creamy Raita or sticky Sweet chilli sauce
- Garlic Naan or Flatbreads
- Tomato and onion salad
If you have leftovers, the chicken is delicious served up cold on a wrap or salad the next day!
? Frequently Asked Questions
You can marinate the chicken up to a day ahead, but I wouldn’t recommend cooking the chicken ahead and then reheating later, as this will dry the chicken out.
However, you can cook the chicken kebabs, cool them and serve them cold as part of a salad or wrap.
Or you can cook, cool then refrigerate or freeze them (be sure to fully defrost them in the refrigerator), and add to curries so they won’t try out upon reheating. Add them to your curry and cook through for 10-12 minutes – until piping hot throughout.
I use these flat metal skewers – they’re 20cm long. I can get 3-4 skewers in a drawer at a time
🍲 More Air Fryer Chicken recipes
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