Chicken Malai Tikka

Tender, juicy chicken is coated in a rich, creamy sauce in this chicken malai tikka recipe that is sure to become a total hit in your household. 

If you’ve ever tried the Indian classic chicken tikka, you’ve got to give this creamy version a try. 

Dubbed Murgh Malai Tikka, it makes for a delightful side dish or appetizer that you can feature on your table when you’re hosting a house party or a get-together.

I’ve recently  been using a lot of yogurt in my recipes. I absolutely love the richness and creaminess it lends to my foods.

My Turkish yogurt dip and Gujarati white kadhi both feature yogurt as the hero ingredients, and I recently also used some whisked yogurt as a topping over a simple chickpea salad and transformed it into a delicious dahi chana chaat, which was a total hit with everyone in my family, particularly during Ramadan. 

And inspired by just that, I thought of making a simple yet flavorful take on the chicken tikka, with lots of yogurt! 

Jump to:

• What's So Great About the Recipe?
• Ingredients For the Chicken Malai Tikka Recipe
• How to Make Chicken Malai Tikka
• Substitutions & Variations
• 💭Top Tip
• Equipment
• How to Store the Leftover Tikka
• Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
• How to Serve Chicken Tikka 
• FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Chicken Malai Tikka

What's So Great About the Recipe?

My favorite part about this easy recipe has to be its simplicity. 

If you’re one of those who always thought making malai tikkas would be a complicated process, I urge you to give this recipe a shot. 

Plus, you can choose to pan-fry, grill or even bake the tikkas- it all depends on your personal preference. 

Ingredients For the Chicken Malai Tikka Recipe

You’ll need just a few classic ingredients for the malai chicken tikka recipe. 

Chicken: Start by cutting some boneless chicken pieces into small, bite sized chunks.

Yogurt: Fresh yogurt helps tenderize the meat and also lends some delightful softness and creaminess to the tikkas. 

Cream: Heavy cream adds that perfect juicy, rich texture and flavor you’re looking for. You can also use double cream if you want to. 

Corn flour: I also used a bit of cornflour to help the rest of the marinade mixture cling to the chicken while it is being cooked. 

Ginger-garlic paste: A mix of ginger and garlic is what lends this delicious chicken tikka that 

Pepper: Pepper adds a nice rustic spiciness to the tikkas. 

Green chillies: Chopped or minced green chillies add the heat to balance out the creaminess of the tikkas. 

Cumin powder: I also like to add a pinch of cumin powder to add some extra earthy deliciousness to the creamy tikkas. If you don’t have it, it is totally okay to skip it too. 

Garam masala powder: This one’s an allspice mix that you can easily find at most Indian grocery stores or food specialty stores near you. I highly recommend adding this one for maximum flavor. 

Cheese: And of course, for some extra richness and creaminess, I like to add lots of grated cheese. 

Oil: Use any neutral cooking oil of your choice. 

Fresh herbs: I also used some chopped coriander and mint leaves to add some freshness to the mala tikkas. 

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Chicken Malai Tikka

Got everything ready? Here’s what you’ll need to do next to make the malai chicken tikka. 

Substitutions & Variations

• To lend a bit of extra smoky flavor to the chicken, you can also add a dash of dried fenugreek leaves (aka kasoori methi)  into the mix. 
• I used some classic cheddar cheese for the recipe, but you can also try using another kind of cheese like cream cheese to bring a bit of flavor variation. 
• Another great idea is to dice veggies like onions, bell peppers and carrots into bite sized pieces, marinate and skewer them along with the chicken cubes.  
• Chaat masala is another great addition to this chicken tikka mixture. You can add it into the marinade or just sprinkle some of it over the cooked chicken to up its flavor quotient. 

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Mixing Bowls
• Chopping Board
• Serving Spoons

How to Store the Leftover Tikka

If you have any leftovers, you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days in an airtight container, and then reheat them in the microwave or in a pan over low heat.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

• While you can use practically any cut of boneless chicken for this recipe, I would recommend using boneless chicken thighs, since they’re much easier to cook, and have a more soft, juicy texture. 
• Remember to choose skinless chicken for this recipe. 
• I used regular yogurt for the marinade, but if you want to, you could also choose to use Greek yogurt instead. 
• If you’re using chicken breast for this recipe, remember that you’ll probably need to cut each chicken breast into approximately 7-8 pieces, that are roughly the same size. 
• Remember to soak wooden skewers in water before you thread the chicken into it and grill it. This will keep the skewers from burning and breaking while the chicken is being cooked. 
• Also make sure you cook the chicken on medium heat to get the perfect balance of juiciness from the soft chicken and the char on the outside. 
• Keep turning the skewer on all sides to ensure it is uniformly cooked and has that char on all the sides. 
• You can also cook the chicken in the oven or in the Air Fryer if you want to. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees and cook the chicken for about 8-10 minutes. If you’re air frying the chicken, it should take about 15-20 minutes for the chicken to be cooked through.

How to Serve Chicken Tikka 

This creamy chicken tikka tastes best when served hot, right off the grill or the pan, teamed up with some lime wedges and green chutney. 

I personally love serving the tikka with some Indian style kachumber salad and my favorite bullet naan. 

You can also pair the soft, succulent tikkas with a crunchy salad like a purple cabbage and carrot salad on the side.

FAQs

Related Recipes

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