By Zainab Shah
Updated June 12, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- 4(63)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Commonly cooked in restaurants and street stalls across India and Pakistan, chicken tikka is typically prepared with marinated bone-in pieces and cooked on coals or in a tandoor. This preparation of chicken tikka uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs and a broiler for the same effect — layered, slightly smoky flavor from charred edges of otherwise juicy, tender chicken thighs. With minimal cleanup, this dish is delicately sweet, deeply spiced and has a confetti of textures. The chicken is marinated in ginger, garlic and a mix of heady South Asian spices — red chile powder, cumin, garam masala — and yogurt is used as a tenderizer. Thirty minutes of marination does the trick but overnight is better. Bell pepper and onions sweeten during broiling and their edges char and crisp up too. Plus, juices from the spiced chicken further flavor the vegetables. Eat any leftovers in a salad or sandwich.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2tablespoons full-fat Greek or Indian yogurt
- 1teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
- 1teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
- 1½teaspoons Kashmiri red chile powder
- 1½teaspoons garam masala
- 1½teaspoons ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt
- 2tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2large bell peppers, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1red onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- Cooked rice, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
315 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 688 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, ginger, garlic, chile powder, garam masala, ground cumin, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and stir until the thighs are completely coated. Using a fork, thoroughly stab the chicken thighs so the marinade may penetrate the meat. Set aside for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
Step
2
On a medium sheet pan, about 13- by 9-inches, toss the bell peppers and onion with the cumin seeds and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Lay the ingredients out in a single layer. Using a fork, hold up a chicken thigh over the bowl and scrape the excess marinade off with another fork, and lay it on the vegetables. Repeat the process for the remaining thighs.
Step
3
Turn the broiler on high. Place the sheet pan on a rack about 3 inches below the broiler. Broil for 7 to 10 minutes. Flip the thighs and broil for another 7 to 10 minutes, until parts of the chicken and vegetables are charred and crisp on the outside and chicken is cooked through (when a thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees). Serve with rice or as is, spooning the juices from the sheet pan over the chicken as sauce.
Ratings
4
out of 5
63
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Gaily Tucson
This was perfect for one serving from toaster oven on 108 degree day, cut recipe about in half. 1 inch onion wedges and bi thigh skinned had nicely charred bits. Baked first and then broiled. Did sub buttermilk and New Mexico chile powder and didn't scrape off marinade. Will try again with mini peppers for more colorful dish. Not trimming thigh yielded decent amount of juices for brown rice. And no leftovers!
Kesdonahue
What temp did you bake at before broiling?
tanrw
Doubled all the spices and used a single serve cup of Greek yoghurt, baked at 300 for 20/25 mins before broiling both sides. I also did the vegetables separately at 400 for 15/20 mins and put them under the broiler for the last 5 mins - turned out perfect and the marinade was delicious! Will be making this again
Lisa G
Wonderful easy recipe. I left on a lot of the yogurt mixture and it was fantastic.I served it with pearl couscous cooked with petite peas. Raw cukes and cherry tomatoes. This is going into the regular repertoire!
Randy Owens
I halved the recipe but next time may keep more of the chili powder to punch up the flavor. Really nice dish. Easy to make. I used mini peppers for color as others have noted as well. Will certainly make it again!
Me
This was delicious! Small changes were Korean chili flakes instead of Kashmiri because it’s what we had, and subbing CSA summer squash for the bell pepper which was truly super. Also baked at 300 for 25 minutes after broiling because I’m squeamish about strange textures in chicken thighs but you do you. Ate with naan from TJ and CSA arugula with ranch dressing.
BetsyS
I made this last night. It was good served with rice flavored with cinnamon, cumin and cloves. The negative about this recipe is the smoke generated by using the broiler to cook the chicken and vegetables. It was a good thing my hood has a powerful fan to manage the smoke that poured out of the oven. If you don't have a fan like that maybe you might not want to use this technique in your kitchen.
zia mia
Its the acid in the yogurt that does the tenderizing. you can substitute with lemon or lime juice. You can moderate the spice level by using less or milder version of red chilli powder. Note that the garam masala also provides heat of a different kind, use accordingly.
Vic L
I made this on a charcoal grill tonight. I put the veggies in a grill basket and the chicken on top. Cooked the veggies directly over the heat for 10 min. Push the grill basket to the back of the grill (off direct heat) and grill the chicken for 7 min per side. Turned out great!
Gaily Tucson
This was perfect for one serving from toaster oven on 108 degree day, cut recipe about in half. 1 inch onion wedges and bi thigh skinned had nicely charred bits. Baked first and then broiled. Did sub buttermilk and New Mexico chile powder and didn't scrape off marinade. Will try again with mini peppers for more colorful dish. Not trimming thigh yielded decent amount of juices for brown rice. And no leftovers!
Kesdonahue
What temp did you bake at before broiling?
Nadia
What can I substitute/dilute chili with in order to make the chicken less spicy?
Sherry Taxman
Is it the dairy in the yogurt that acts as a tenderizer, or will a non-dairy substitute work?
Sam Martin
Dairy does marinate it, but you might try using onion juice instead; it’s a common way to marinate meat in Indian cuisine.
Note - Metro Philly
Could this be done on a charcoal grill? What adjustments would be needed?
Christina
Delicious...huge hit with the family. I used full fat greek yogurt, which made the marinade very thick. Thinned it out with some lemon juice and it was perfect. Completely covered the veg with the chicken while it was cooking to protect it from charring. Once the chicken was done, it was removed to a platter and the veg went back in to brown. Served with naan and roasted okra. Will definitely make again.
Jen
This was delicious and quick to come together! The chicken had delicious bits of char and stayed nice and juicy. Only negative is that most of my onions were too charred for my liking by the time my chicken thighs were done (my chicken thighs were bigger than those pictured), so next time I'll add the onion when I flip the chicken.I didn't have Kashmiri chile powder so I substituted 1 tsp New Mexican chile powder and 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder. Will seek out Kasmiri chile next time!
Margie
The chicken was very flavorful and surprisingly juicy. It went well with the peppers and onions. The recipe is perfect for 2 people, not 4. Served with an Indian tomato-onion salad and cucumber raita. Will definitely make again and again.
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