Murgh kay tikkay (or Murgh tikka)
In this delicious chicken tikka recipe, Cyrus Todiwala uses the classic double marinade technique to get the chicken tender and packed with flavour. Wrap up in chapatis with fresh salad for a fantastic barbecue dish, or slice into pieces for fun party bites.
Ingredients
For the tikka
- 800g/1lb 12oz boned chicken (thighs, legs or breast), cut into 4cm/1½in cubes
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, softened
- 40g/1½oz peeled fresh root ginger
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or more, to taste)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2–3 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 150g/5½oz Greek-style yoghurt
- salt and ground black pepper
For the wrap
- 2 peppers, mixed colours preferably, sliced
- 2.5–4cm/1–1½in piece fresh root ginger, shredded or chopped
- 1–2 green chillies, chopped (or to taste)
- 5–6 sprigs fresh coriander with leaves and stems, chopped
- 8–10 fresh mint leaves, shredded
- 1–2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, juice only (a good squeeze)
- 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 chapatis or tortillas, to serve
Method
Rub salt, pepper and turmeric into the chicken and set aside in the fridge while you make the marinade.
Blend the butter, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, lime juice, garam masala and oil and half of the yoghurt In a blender or food processor, to a smooth paste. (Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients in a bowl.) When all the spices are well combined, stir in the remaining yoghurt. Check here for spiciness to suit your taste and add a bit more chilli if you like.
Add the chicken to the marinade in a bowl and coat well. The chicken is now best set aside in the refrigerator for at least 4–5 hours, ideally overnight. When you are ready to cook, skewer the pieces of chicken onto wooden skewers, or you can leave them loose.
To cook the tikka, either preheat a barbecue (or preheat the grill to high and the oven to 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8).
Cook the chicken on the barbecue. Alternatively, place the meat on a wire oven rack with a drip tray below and grill until browned, then transfer to the hot oven. The tikka should cook in 6–10 minutes, but check to make sure the juices run clear or the meat's internal temperature is 74C.
For the salad, combine the peppers, ginger, chilli, coriander, mint and red onion in a bowl. Drizzle over the lime juice and oil. (Alternatively you can fry the peppers and mix them into the salad once cooled.)
To serve, partly cool the chicken tikka, then slice into strips. Put the tikka in a tortilla or a chapati, place some salad alongside, then roll up tightly.
Heat a frying pan to hot and cook the wrap lightly on all sides. When all four sides are done, serve either whole or cut into pieces.
