These chicken bites are the best thing that came out of India and the Indian sub continent. Hugely popular in the sub continent and the diaspora worldwide.
Achieving the Smokey flavor of a tandoor is hard, but a hot oven comes really close. To keep these morsels moist brush them melted butter or olive oil mixed with chaat masala just as soon as they come out of the oven. Also a really hot oven is essential to get that smokiness, just as you would do to make homemade pizza. Shoot me an email, leave a comment or connect on my social media if you have any question. I’d love to know what you think.
I like to serve them either as a main meal with naan roti or for a lighter version as a Cobb salad.
Tandoori Tikka
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless organic pasture raised chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
3 tablespoons avocado or Any neutral Oil
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste about 4 cloves
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste, about 2 inches
1/2 cup thick Greek Yogurt or plant yogurt
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili or Sweet Paprika or any bright mild red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot red chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground cilantro
1 teaspoon Chaat Masala Powder (available at Asian/Indian grocery stores or on amazon)
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed)
chaat masala, lemon juice, chopped cilantro and melted butter to garnish
Salt to taste
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- Mix all the ingredients under marinade into a bowl, taste and adjust as needed. Add the chicken pieces. Mix well in the marinade till the chixken is coated well. Cover and set aside for at least half an hour or up to two hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 220 C/ 430 F 10 minutes. Lift the chicken and place it on a greased baking sheet.
- Place it in the oven and bake for 115-20 minutes depending on the protein you choose. Turning once half way. After 15 minutes, turn ON to high broil setting and broil for 2-3 minutes till the chicken has a slight char on the surface. Don’t over cook, they dry out easily.
- Carefully remove the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes, brush with oil or melted butter before serving.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, chaat masala and squeeze lime juice. Serve immediately with naan or top a salad.
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