Chicken Malai Tikka

 

I love Chicken Malai Tikka. I am yet to meet someone who doesn't like it by the way. First time when I made it in Bangalore, the chicken cubes came out of the oven very stringy, the reason I realized later on was when malai tikka gets cooked inside the oven, all the moistures begin to evaporate, and hence it's important to keep basting the meat from time to time with oil. After a few attempts, what I started doing and which worked in bringing out a lip-smacking flavour was I started roasting the chicken on high heat in a non-stick pan for couple of minutes till the sides began to brown and then put them in the oven. That way the amount of time required for the chicken to be in oven for uniform baking reduces and also the moisture quotient remains intact. I kept the chicken in the oven for sharp 15 minutes and I didn't have to baste once.

 

 

Usually chicken malai tikka tastes best when served with coriander chutney, but if you don't have the chutney ready at home or like my hubby if you don't want the chutney suppressing the actual flavour of the malai tikkas, you may squeeze lemon juice onto the tikkas and have them served withvinegar soaked onion and cucumber. It tastes equally pleasing.

 

Ingredients:                                                        ü  3 boneless chicken breasts (cut into cubes) ü  5 heaped tbsp yogurt ü  2 tbsp butter ü  1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ü  1/2 tsp cardamom powder ü  1/2 tsp cumin powder ü  1/2 tsp black pepper ü  1/2 tsp nutmeg powder ü  Salt to taste ü  3 tbsp white oil, plus extra for frying ü  2 tbsp lemon juice Method: 1) In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, cardamom powder, cumin powder, black pepper, nutmeg powder, lemon juice, 3 tbsp white oil and salt. Marinate the chicken with this mixture and refrigerate for an hour or two. (For best result, refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours.)     2) Now stick the chicken into wooden skewers and fry on high flame in a skillet till all the sides are browned a bit. While frying the chicken, preheat an oven to 180°C/350°F. 3) Shift the chicken into an oven safe tray and drizzle the juice left over in the skillet on top. 4) Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot with salad.