Until I tried this recipe, I never thought chicken boti could be so easy and tasty to make at home with simple spices and no ready-made masala is needed for this recipe. Just 30 minutes of active time for restaurant-style chicken boti kabab. Amazing right?
What is my ultimate pleasure in this chicken boti recipe is that it doesn’t give you heart burns or a bad morning that you have after having a spicy marinated barbecue laden with meat tenderizers.
Chicken boti are simply bite-sized chicken cubes marinated with Indian spices and threaded on wooden or metal skewers. You can grill it on a barbecue pit or simply cook it on the stove on a grill pan. Chicken boti is also referred to as chicken boti kabab and chicken boti tikka.
We thoroughly enjoyed this chicken boti and here's why
- No ready-made spice mix is needed.
- No tenderizer is required.
- No long hours of marination are needed.
Why does this recipe work?
- Flavors: This recipe calls for just a few spices which give intense tikka flavor.
- Fat: I used Ghee (or butter) in marination that adds the ultimate buttery taste to the chicken boti which has little fat of its own.
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt or thick yogurt add creaminess to chicken texture and also tenderizes the meat.
- Kashmiri chili: No need to miss on that tempting red color. You can get it with Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika). No artificial color is required.
- Green chili paste: We rely on green chili for heat in this recipe and trust me they are one the most flavorful chilies. And they do not give terrible heartburn like red chili powder.
I love grilled chicken like Pakistani tikka, chicken malai tikka and hariyali chicken tikka.
Ingredient
You can have a look at the ingredients below and they are simple. I prefer fresh spices for the best and most intense taste. But this recipe is forgiving.
- Chicken: I use boneless chicken breast pieces that were cut into 1.5-inch cubes. You can also use chicken thigh pieces.
- Green chili: I used spicy small chilies similar to Thai green chilies. This is the main spice factor in the recipe.
- Greek yogurt: If you do not have greek yogurt just put plain yogurt in a fine strainer and let some water drain for 10 minutes, consider pressing extra water with a spoon. Use this thick yogurt in the recipe.
- Ghee: I used clarified butter AKA ghee but you can use butter without much difference in taste.
- Spices: Spices used in this recipe are common like cumin, coriander, black pepper, garam masala, Kashmiri chili, and red chili flakes. Garam masala is optional.
- Kashmiri Chili: If you can't find Kashmiri chili powder, then use 1 tablespoon paprika and 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper. You can use Kashmiri chili in this Kashmiri chicken too.
- Sugar: I used just a pinch of sugar that is always added to tikka masala.
- Fresh ginger, garlic, and lemon juice are preferred.
How to make it?
This could be concluded as 3 steps recipe. That is marinate chicken, cook it and smoke it. Simple right?
- Take chicken cubes in a bowl and pat dry to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Add ginger, garlic, chili, and yogurt to the chicken cubes and mix well. Set aside.
- Mix remaining dry spices, lemon juice, and ghee or butter in a bowl and add to the chicken. Mix everything together.
- Marinate chicken for a minimum of 40 minutes in total at room temperature. Calculate the time after the yogurt is applied to the chicken in step 1. For best results marinate chicken cubes overnight and keep them in the fridge.
Thread the chicken on the wooden skewers. Allow a little gap between the chicken boti on the skewers for easy cooking.
- To Bake: Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Flip after 10, and baste with oil or ghee. Flip again after 10 minutes and baste with oil or ghee. Then broil for 7 minutes until lightly charred. ( Change butter paper in between if burned.) OR
- Grill on the stove (Recommended): Cook on tawa or grill pan for 5 minutes covered on low heat, then turn and continue to cook covered for another 3 minutes.
- Then remove the lid and increase to medium-high heat. Baste ghee on both sides. Cook for 3-4 minutes until charred. Flip as needed. Watch the video for both methods!
- Serve immediately, or you can smoke for 2 minutes with red hot charcoal and a drizzle of oil and serve. (Try to prepare the serving plate with veggies and heat the charcoal ahead of grilling tikka so you can smoke and serve immediately.)
Expert Tips:
Make ahead tips: You can marinate chicken cubes ahead and freeze them. Thaw them a few hours ahead and cook right before serving.
To Serve: It is best paired with fresh salad, sliced and wash onions, chutney, raita, and mayo garlic or sour cream. The carb sideline can be naan, roti, or fried plain flour Paratha.
Chicken boti Paratha roll: Fill a thin paratha with chicken boti, onion slices, garlic Mayo sauce, and spicy green chutney. Roll it and your chicken boti roll is ready. Serve it with a dip.
Use in tikka pizza: On the pizza, spread pizza sauce, add the smoked chicken boti, jalapeño, olives, mushroom, and onions. Finish with cheese. Bake!
Use in a sandwich: This chicken boti can be added to your grilled cheese sandwich too.
FAQ
Grill on the stove or on the barbecue pit for the best juicy bite.
The cooked chicken boti kabab can be frozen easily it retains its texture and taste. However, it the best to freeze marinated chicken cubes and cook them just before serving for a fresh and juicy texture.
It is often served in large gatherings and the recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Make sure to cook in batches on the stove or barbecue pit without overcrowding.
It is always good to soak wooden skewers a night ahead in water if intended to use on an open fire grill. The wet skewers are unlikely to catch fire immediately. And the chicken cooks easily.
Hungry for chicken? Check these!
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Boti
Equipment
- 12 Wooden Skewers soaked in water or metal skewers
Ingredients
- 500 gram chicken , cut in 1.5-inch cubes
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon green chili paste , or less to taste
- 4 tablespoon Greek yogurt, or thick curd
Spices
- 1.5 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garam masala , or 1 teaspoon tikka masala, optional
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- A pinch of sugar
- 2 tablespoon ghee , or melted butter, more for basting
Instructions
Marinate:
- Take chicken cubes in a bowl and pat dry to remove as much moisture as possible. Add ginger, garlic, chili and yogurt to the chicken cubes and mix well. Set aside.
- Mix remaining dry spices, lemon juice and ghee or butter in a bowl and add to the chicken. Mix everything together. Marinate chicken for a minimum of 40 minutes in total at room temperature. Calculate the time after the yogurt is applied to the chicken in step 1. For best results marinate chicken cubes overnight and keep it in the fridge.
- Thread the chicken on the wooden skewers. Allow a little gap between the chicken boti on the skewers for easy cooking.
To Bake:
- Preheat oven at 400 F. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Flip after 10, and baste with oil or ghee. Flip again after 10 minutes and baste with oil or ghee.
- Then broil for 7 minutes until lightly charred. ( Change butter paper in between if burned.)
Grill on stove (Recommended):
- Cook on tawa or grill pan for 5 minutes covered on low heat, then turn and continue to cook covered for another 3 minutes.
- Then remove the lid and increase to medium-high heat. Baste ghee on both sides. Cook for 3-4 minutes until charred. Flip as needed. Watch the video!
Smoke, optional
- Serve immediately, or you can smoke for 2 minutes with red hot charcoal and a drizzle of oil and serve.
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