Ready for a smokey succulent authentic Pakistani chicken tikka? It tastes just like a restaurant and as if just coming off the barbecue pit. Marinate tikka ahead and cook it within 25 minutes!
This is one of the most tested recipes on the blog. The tandoori chicken is often referred to as Chicken Tikka Thigh or Breast in Pakistan.
So if the bone in the version of tandoori chicken is called chicken tikka in Pakistan then what is the boneless chicken tikka version called? It is called Chicken tikka boti or Chicken tikka kabab.
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Pakistani grilled chicken tikka is so dear to us that compromising on authentic taste was a crime. Most home cooks depend on chicken tikka spice mix for making tandoori chicken and the job is really easy like that.
When I decided to post this recipe, I wanted to include a tikka spice mix recipe too. Because many followers are skeptical about store-bought spices. So you can get the tikka spice mix if you want authentic taste hassle-free. The spice mixes often have MSG and artificial flavors for kicking taste.
Why does this recipe work?
- While you feel like there should be a secret combo of whole Indian spices that give out robust tikka flavor, the reality is staying away from whole spices and undermining whole spices flavors to bring out tikka flavor.
- The smoking does a great job here. And you get a very delicious tikka flavor without excessive thirst or heartburn that comes with too much use of commercial spice mixes.
- The below recipe has a very authentic taste very much like a restaurant without premade-spice mix but you can substitute red chili flakes with spice mix if you want a sharper taste.
Ingredients
So here is a visual of the ingredients.
- Chicken: Use medium-sized chicken pieces that weigh 750 grams. (Live chicken weighs 1-1.25 kg) Smaller chicken has tender meat. The bigger bird would require longer marination of at least 8 hours.
- Wet spices: The wet spices are ginger, garlic, green chili, and papaya paste on the round plate. Papaya paste is used as a meat tenderizer.
- Common Indian spices: Tikka doesn't require tons of spices like achari chicken. The dry spices are common Indian spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, salt, red chili flakes, and Kashmiri chili powder.
- Kashmiri chili has a bright red color and a moderately spicy taste. You can substitute Kashmiri chili powder with paprika, and extra chili powder.
- Yogurt: Yogurt adds a little tanginess and is also a meat tenderizer.
- Lemon: Lemon helps with the tanginess.
How to make it?
Chicken tikka on the stovetop
- Soak chicken in vinegar and salt solution for 20 minutes. Pro Tip: This helps clean the chicken and removes the blood in the chicken leg. You can read more about washing chicken on Cookist.com.
- Wash the chicken thoroughly after soaking and pat dry. Now, pierce the chicken with a fork. Then insert deep cuts across the grain. The cuts should be deep and the knife should touch the bone of the chicken.
- Mix all the ingredients of marination in a bowl.
- Apply all over the chicken and marinate overnight in the fridge. Or keep for 4-6 hours at room temperature in a cool place. Cover the pot with mesh or thin cloth to allow air circulation if kept out of the fridge.
- Cook tikka in a wide pot on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Cover the pot while cooking. Then burn excess water on high heat.
Pro Tip 1: Do not overcook tikka, the meat shouldn't come off the bones. If the tikka is fully cooked and there is still water left in the masala.
Remove chicken pieces and keep them on a separate plate. Then burn excess water on high heat. Apply the dry masala over the chicken but do not overdo it.
Pro Tip 2: If you have any excess masala save it to make chicken tikka both or chicken tikka masala or add it to any sauce.
- To smoke: Place tikka in a wide pot with a tight lid. Put a piece of foil or a small metal bowl in the center of the pot. Now, heat charcoal on high flame until red hot then transfer coal carefully with the help of tongs to a pan. Drizzle little oil over the coal and cover the lid tightly to trap the smoke. Smoke for 7-10 minutes.
- Now heat the smoked tikka on the direct flame until crispy and serve. Or alternatively, you can grill tikka will little oil on a grill pan until slightly crispy. Grill on low heat.
Pro Tip: You can place the grill on the flame and grill 2-3 tikka together. Freshly tikka tastes best because most juices are locked in. Reheating can dry out the juices but they still taste delicious.
Coal barbecue and oven method in the recipe card.
Recipe FAQ
Commonly tandoori chicken is bone-in and tikka is bone-less skewered chicken. Tikka is more accurately anything cubed and grilled like paneer tikka. Tandoori and tikka are also spice blends and have slightly different flavors. Tandoori is a milder flavor and tikka is a spicier flavor.
Chicken tikka Thigh tastes best with accompaniments like sliced and washed onions, Green chutney, Imli chutney, Garlic yogurt, Paratha, or chapati flatbreads.
Yes! Bake at 350 F until fully cooked and charred. See detailed method in notes of the recipe card.
Yes! you can marinate tikka up to 4 weeks ahead and freeze it. Just defrost tikka by placing it in the fridge a night ahead and then place it on the counter 2-3 hours before cooking so chicken comes to room temperature. Then cook as instructed.
Hungry for grilled chicken? Check these.
If you try this Chicken Tikka, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Tikka Recipe Pakistani
Ingredients
- 1 whole skinless chicken, cut in 4 pieces, 2 legs and 2 breasts with wings
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoon vinegar
Tikka marinade
- 1½ tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder or paprika for color
- ½ tablespoon cumin powder, roasted and grounded
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder, roasted and grounded
- 1 teaspoon or ½ tablespoon red chilli flakes, skip for less spicy
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¾ tablespoon ginger paste
- ¾ tablespoon garlic paste
- ¾ tablespoon green chilli paste, use less or skip for less spicy
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon raw green papaya paste, simply process a piece of skinned raw green papaya into a smooth paste.
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon zarda color or red color, optional, see notes
- Oil, to grease pan and cook
Instructions
Marinate
- Soak chicken in vinegar and salt solution for 20 minutes, then wash and pat dry. Insert deep cuts across the grain.
- Mix all the ingredients of marination in a bowl and apply all over the chicken. Marinate overnight in the fridge or keep for 4-6 hours outside in a cool place.
Cook
- Cook tikka in a wide pot on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Cover the pot while cooking. Then burn excess water on high heat.
- Pro Tip: Do not overcook tikka, the meat shouldn't come off the bones.
Smoke
- Heat a charcoal red hot smoke chicken for 10 minutes.
- Now heat the smoked tikka on the direct flame until crispy and serve.Pro Tip: You can place the grill on the flame and grill 2-3 tikka together. Or alternatively, you can grill tikka will little oil on a grill pan until slightly crispy. Grill on low heat.
Notes
- Marinate chicken as described above.
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a tray with foil and place a rack on the tray.
- Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess (reserve Marinade), and place on the rack.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then slather Marinade generously on both sides.
- Bake for a further 10 minutes brush with Marinade again.
- Bake for another 10 minutes and then brush with oil.
- Increase heat to 220C/450F. Bake for a further 10 minutes until you get some nice charred spots on the chicken.
- After overnight marination of chicken.
- Heat coals until red hot.
- Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess.
- Insert flat metal skewers on the chicken leg and breast and place skewer above the coal on the barbecue pit. Or directly place TIkka on the barbecue grill. Brush the tikka with little oil as it cooks on both sides. Cook both sides for 5 minutes each until tikka is cooked and gets a few charred marks.
- Sliced onions, washed and drained
- Green chutney
- Imli chutney
- Garlic yogurt
- Paratha or chapati
Mehreen says
My husband loved it. He usually eats small portions but he enjoyed the meal so much so that he took the remaining marinated chicken out of the fridge and grilled it himself. Awesome recipe. Very flavorful!
Mariam Sodawater says
Hi Mehreen, That’s really good to know. I’m so happy to read your comment as it is beginning of year and we need such positivity in planning new recipes.
HA says
Hi, question, is this recipe for 750g of chicken?
Mariam Sodawater says
Hi, yes, this is exactly the size we are looking for a young chicken.
Mariam says
Hi
Umm-e-Aimen Taaha says
Super delicious....
Recipe 52 says
Thanks a lot for the lovely feedback.