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    Home > Street Food

    Chicken Tikka Recipe

    Published: Jul 27, 2020 · Modified: Aug 9, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe

    Chicken Tikka Kebabs in a richly spiced yogurt marinade. Grilled, barbecued or griddled to perfection, they make an easy, family-pleasing dinner!
    Serve them simply with rice or chapati, or go all out with a big Indian buffet - I've got lots of ideas below!

    chicken tikka skewers on a dark background with pita bread and a jar of pickled red onion slices

    A fantastic way to pep up chicken, pack it with flavour and ensure it's nice and juicy.
    These skewers are a great option when you know you're going to be in a rush come dinner time. You can make up the kebabs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge till later. Then grill them about 10-15 minutes before you're ready to eat.

    We love eating them on homemade Greek-style flatbreads with some garlic sauce and chopped coriander.

    They're also a great way to jazz up the chicken in pretty much any chicken curry (we don't need to just stick to chicken tikka masala - you could add it to butter chicken, madras or jalfrezi too!).

    What do we need?

    Chicken Tikka Marinade Ingredients

    • Greek yogurt or thick natural yogurt - go with full fat as it's a better flavour and is much less likely to split.
    • Garlic, ginger and lemon juice
    • Spices and seasoning - ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, paprika, mild chilli powder, cinnamon, salt, black pepper

    Also:

    • Chopped chicken breast meat
    • vegetable oil - for brushing onto the chicken before grilling
    • Freshly chopped coriander to serve
    Ingredients for chicken tikka skewers on a wooden board

    How to make chicken tikka kebabs

    Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

    1. Place the chicken pieces into a bowl with yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, coriander, turmeric, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
    2. Mix together, cover and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
    3. Thread onto skewers, then brush with oil.
    4. Cook on a griddle plate, under the grill (broiler) or on the barbecue for 8-10 minutes until cooked through.
    5. Serve with a sprinkling of freshly chopped coriander.
    6 image collage showing how to make chicken tikka skewers

    What to serve it with

    You can serve this chicken tikka with:

    • Homemade Chapati
    • A simple Tomato & Onion Salad
    • Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce
    • Boiled Rice
    • Masala sauce of course! - in this Chicken Tikka Masala
    • How about a bit of Indian-Mexican fusion - with these Chicken Tikka Burritos

    Close up of chicken tikka on metal skewers

    Pro tips for perfect kebabs

    Skewers:

    You can use wooden or metal skewers.

    Metal skewers can actually help the chicken to cook faster, as the metal heats up and helps to cook the meat from the inside. However they're HOT and they retain their heat for longer - so be careful not to burn yourself.

    I like these flat skewers (<-affiliate link) as the chicken pieces don't spin around on them when you're trying to turn the kebabs over.

    Wooden skewers can still be hot during cooking but they don't conduct heat within the chicken pieces and they don't retain their heat for as long. If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for an hour before using. This will help to prevent them from burning during cooking.

    Even pieces:

    Try to keep the size of the pieces of chicken even, with a little bit of space between each piece of chicken.
    The chicken needs to be in contact with the griddle or BBQ all the time. If you have a mix of small and large pieces of chicken, the smaller pieces will end up being suspended above the grill (rather than in contact with it) and the chicken will be under-cooked.

    Check the chicken!

    Always check the chicken is cooked by slicing into a larger piece and ensuring it's piping hot and no longer pink in the middle. Check up and down the skewers to ensure the chicken looks evenly cooked throughout.

    More fantastic Kebab recipes

    • Mexican Chicken Kebabs
    • Lamb Souvlaki Kebabs
    • Chicken Satay Kebabs or my Beef Satay Skewers
    • Thai Fish Cake Skewers
    • Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers
    • Lamb Koftas

    Watch how to make it

    Stay updated with new recipes!
    Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).

    chicken tikka skewers on a dark background

    Chicken Tikka Recipe

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Chicken Tikka Kebabs in a richly spiced yogurt marinade. Grilled, barbecued or griddled to perfection An easy, family-pleasing dinner!
    5 from 4 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Marinating time 2 hrs
    Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 6 skewers
    Calories 151 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 3 chicken breasts - (approx 500g/17.5 oz) - chopped into bite-size chunks
    • 120 g (½ 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
    • 1 pinch of cinnamon
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • 2 tbsp vegetable oil - - for brushing onto the chicken before grilling
    • 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

    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.
    • 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 burning during grilling.
    • Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and thread onto skewers.
    • Brush the chicken with the oil, then place on a griddle plate and cook, turning a couple of times, for 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Alternatively, you can grill (broil) under a grill, or you can barbecue for the same amount of time.
    • Make sure the chicken is cooked by slicing into a larger piece and ensuring it's no longer pink in the middle.
    • Serve with a sprinkling of freshly chopped coriander.

    Video

    ✎ 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.
    Can I scale this recipe up or down?
    Yes, you can half or double the recipe keeping the same ingredient ratios.
    Nutritional information is per skewer/kebab (this information presumes you make 6 kebabs from the recipe).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 20gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 301mgPotassium: 341mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 272IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
    Keywords bbq, griddle, How to make Chicken Tikka, kebab, summer
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Sharon Day says

      May 10, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      Can you freeze before cooking?

      Reply
    2. Clare Underhill says

      April 06, 2021 at 7:01 am

      Can these be cooked in a fan oven rather than under the grill? If so, what temp please?

      Reply
    3. Mahitha says

      April 03, 2021 at 2:46 am

      5 stars
      My family loved it! Thank you so much!

      Reply
    4. Maria says

      September 08, 2020 at 10:43 am

      5 stars
      Cooked this chicken for the family on the weekend and it was a massive HIT 🤗 chicken had so much flavour and was really tender

      Reply
    5. Kath says

      August 16, 2020 at 6:22 am

      5 stars
      I have made this three times already, my family just love it. So easy and so tasty😋

      Reply
    6. Tommy says

      July 29, 2020 at 6:42 am

      Sure looks nice n tasty

      Reply
    7. Love says

      July 29, 2020 at 12:51 am

      5 stars
      Juicy, flavourful chicken. I just would add a little bit more salt.

      Reply
    8. Peter sanders says

      July 28, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      Hi Nicky I'm Peter and I'm new to cooking Currys and I'm trying to put a barbeque chicken tikka masala for my daughter's and there friends this weekend with your easy recipe is there any side dishes you could recommend to sort of make table fillers il let you know the outcome x pete

      Reply

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    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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