Chicken Tikka Kebabs ooze a delicate, divine flavour of barbecued chicken cubes soaked in a yoghurt base containing Indian herbs. A properly done Chicken Tikka Kebab would have a mildly coarse crust but is succulent inside, almost melts in your mouth. That is the magic of curd-based marination– it creates a filmy crust outside when barbecued, retaining the moisture inside.

Here’s a simple, homemade Chicken Tikka Kebab Recipe that excuses the use of a Tandoor, the South Asian barbecue grill, and maybe even an electric oven too. To have the kebabs grilled in an oven would have been good for that charred, smoky flavour– and probably even better to have it chargrilled. But we thought of modifying the recipe so that households of every means and fittings can taste the South Asian delicacy at ease that found its place among the most loved dishes in England post the Second World War. 

However, in London, the variety of Chicken Tikka Kebab that you get is said to have been made palatable to the British. The marinade is the same, the boneless chicken chunks, though from different breeds, are the same, but the add-on ‘Masala’ or the Masala sauce has a gravy form that the British were familiar with– besides, well, their fish-and-chips and bangers-and-mash. And before I forget, Chicken Tikka Masala is actually a National Dish in England. 

Reminding you again, what you get here is the authentic Chicken Tikka recipe sans the Masala– the boneless version of the Chicken Tandoori that is so ubiquitous in Punjab and the rest of India. And in Pakistan and Bangladesh too. The word ‘Tikka’ is of Turkish descent, meaning bits or pieces. The Mughals who invaded India from the North had Turkey connections– so now you can track the origin of the dish. 

Chicken Tikka Kebab: Ingredients

Chicken, boneless:                    500 gms
Yoghurt, light:                            150 ml
Lemon juice:                              ½ teaspoon
Roasted gram flour, fresh:      4-5 teaspoons
Tikka masala:                            2 teaspoons
*See the procedure section to know how to make Tikka Masala
Turmeric powder:                    ½  teaspoon
Chat masala:                              1 teaspoon
White oil:                                    2 teaspoons
Salt:                                              To taste or as you prefer
Sugar:                                          ½ teaspoon- to balance off the saltiness
Skewers:                                     4-5

Accompaniments:

Salad

Carrot, julienne cut:    1
Onion, thin slices:        1
Chilli powder:               ½ teaspoon
Salt:                                 To taste 

Mix the Carrot and Onion pieces together. Sprinkle the chilli powder and salt evenly on the surface. Jumble the mixture again. 

Green Chatni

Coriander leaves:     1 bunch
Mint leaves:               1bunch
Green chilly:              5 to 6 pieces
Ginger:                        1″
Garlic, peeled:            5 to 6 cloves
Lemon juice:              1 tablespoon
Salt:                              To taste
Yoghurt:                       25 ml

Blend all ingredients together.  Refrigerate when done. You will have to serve the Green Chatni with Chicken Tikka and Salad.

Chicken Tikka Kebabs: Cooking Procedure

We have to make the Tikka Masala first, which is a main ingredient of the marinade.  You will need the following ingredients: 

• 2 teaspoons fresh ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika powder

Thoroughly blend all ingredients together. Pour the mixture into a flat pan and roast over a low flame for a minute or so. Once you get the signature aroma, put the roasted mixture into an airtight container. 

Make the marinade: Blend freshly created Tikka Masala, ½ teaspoon lemon juice and Bengal gram flour into yoghurt in a large bowl. Put the mixture in a refrigerator for 10 minutes to set. 

Take the marinade out of the fridge, add the chicken pieces. If required, cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Mix well so that all chicken pieces get covered with the marinade.  Put the chicken marinade in a fridge for one hour.

Take the marinade out of the fridge half-an-hour before cooking.

Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers– with five to six chicken pieces in one skewer. Apply a fresh coat of the marinade on the chicken pieces. Discard the dripping marinade. 

Place the grill rack on the gas oven and heat.

Arrange the skewers properly on the rack for roasting each skewer evenly. Rotate skewers while roasting. A gas oven grill rack may accommodate two skewers on it. 

Roast the skewers till the chicken pieces become soft,  and you get the familiar aroma of the Kebabs.

Apply a layer of melted butter on the chicken pieces with a thick brush just before removing them from the grill rack. This step is crucial since you are roasting the kebabs on a gas oven and not in a traditional grill. The butter layer will create the smoky flavour that is otherwise a significant contribution of a charcoal grill or Tandoor.  Also, the butter will make the kebabs soft inside.