Easy Chicken Tikka Kebabs

This tandoori chicken tikka kebab recipe gives you the most sumptuous spiced chicken skewers every time, with a golden glossy coating and the tenderest meat. What’s more, it’s mostly hands off, so you can relax while all that flavour develops.

Takeaway chicken tikka kebab recipe

These tandoori style chicken tikka kebabs are all that you hope for from an Indian style kebab recipe. Rich with spices and golden in colour from a rich yogurt coating, they stay moisty and juicy, and just burst with flavour.

We love our local Indian tandoori restaurant, but this type of food needs to be eaten very fresh from the oven or grill. That’s why if we’re eating at home, I prefer to cook myself.

I usually cook my kebabs in the oven (we don’t have a tandoor!). You can, however, use the BBQ/ grill, grill/broiler, air fryer and electric grill. Read on and find all the instructions below.

What are chicken tikka kebabs?

Chicken tikka is a traditional dish from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. This Mughal dish consists of chicken cut into pieces and marinated in spices and yogurt. The chicken is then pierced with a skewer and cooked over a brazier or barbecue grill.

This chicken tikka kebab recipe is easy to make. There’s very little hands on time and the chicken cooks quickly, but you do need to allow time for the meat to marinate. A good marinade tenderises the chicken and adds all those wonderful spices, so don’t begrudge it the time to work.

Why make chicken tikka kebabs?

• Hands-off & easy – quick to assemble and quick to cook

• Spicy – full of fabulous flavour

• Scalable – this chicken tikka kebab recipe is very easy to adjust for larger numbers

• Make ahead – all the preparation can be done in advance

• Fuss free – it’s so easy to make these delicious chicken shish kebabs

Chicken tikka skewers – ingredients

• Chicken thighs – cut into cubes (see my notes on different cuts below). Chicken breasts are leaner, but thighs are cheaper and have more flavour.

• Garlic – Finely diced or crushed garlic. I avoid tubes of garlic puree, because I think fresh tastes so much better. You could also add some garlic powder if that’s what you normally have in the kitchen.

• Yogurt – just plain yogurt

• Spices – Garam Masala, ground cumin, chilli powder, ground turmeric and ground coriander

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
Instead of all the spices, you can use two generous tablespoons of a good quality jarred chicken tikka paste.

• Lemon – juice & zest of an unwaxed lemon

Optional

• Red food colouring – I like a natural look but for that distinctive tandoori chicken tikka kebab look that you find in some restaurants, you can add a little colouring.

Which chicken to use for tikka kebabs?

I prefer chicken thighs because they have more flavour than breast meat and cost less. They’re moist and juicy and work really well in this recipe, although if you are watching your fat intake they are fattier.

You can buy skinless fillets or skin and bone them yourself, which may be more economical.

How to make chicken tikka kebabs – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips, so you can make these tandoori chicken kebabs perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips, and different ways of cooking, at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Put the yogurt, spices, garlic and food colouring (if using) in a bowl. Zest the lemon directly into the bowl. Then cut the lemon in half and juice it, adding the juice to the mix.

Now mix until well combined.

Helen’s Pro Tip
Always zest the lemon before cutting in half to juice. To get as much juice as possible from your lemon, roll it round on the table top with a little gentle pressure from the heel of your hand.

Step Two – Cut the chicken into even sized chunks of about 3 cm / 1.25″. This will ensure that it cooks evenly. Add to the yogurt mixture and mix well, to ensure the chicken pieces are fully covered in the marinade.

Step Three – Cover the bowl and leave to marinate. Ideally, this will take at least 2–3 hours, and longer is better, to tenderise the meat.

You can leave it for up to 48 hours in the fridge. If you are in a hurry, however, you can get away with half an hour’s marinating time.

As my fridge is nearly always full I usually transfer my chicken into a plastic takeaway tray whilst it marinades. These are compact and stack neatly in the fridge (or freezer).

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

To get ahead, you can freeze the chicken in the marinade. This is really useful if you have guests at short notice, as it will quickly defrost on the countertop, or overnight in the fridge.

Step Four – Remove the chicken from the fridge half an hour before you want to cook. Put the chicken pieces onto 4 skewers.

I find the flat metal skewers are the best, because the meat will not rotate on them. Mine are round, however, and they still work well. If you use bamboo skewers, soak them before use and remember that you will need to cook for a few minutes longer.

I cook my kebab shop chicken tikka kebabs on a trivet, standing in a baking pan. This allows even, all-round cooking. If you prefer, you can use an oiled or parchment-lined baking tray instead.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan / Gas 5 / 375°F. When you are ready, put the skewers in for about 15 minutes.

Step Five – When the chicken is cooked and the coating has formed a golden glaze, remove the chicken tikka skewers from the oven. Serve with salad and roti.

If you prefer, you can finish the chicken on an oiled griddle pan to add some char grill marks!

Serving suggestion

Serve your chicken tikka kebabs with fresh red cabbage salad, raita and flat bread, or as part of a mixed tandoori starter.

Variations

• Vary the spices to suit your own taste, using your favourite curry powders.

• Add vegetables (or even fruit) to the skewers between the chicken pieces. Try aubergine and courgette.

Other cooking methods

• BBQ – Light the charcoal or gas barbecue 30 minutes before you want to cook. When it is hot, or when the charcoal has turned white, cook for 6–8 minutes each side. Oil the grill before cooking to prevent sticking,

• Electric griddle – Switch on the grill and then leave it to heat up. Cook the kebabs in the closed grill for 5–8 minutes, depending on the power of your grill.

• Oven grill (Broiler) – Light the grill/broiler and leave it for 5 minutes to heat. Place the kebabs on a lined baking tray before grilling them for about 6 minutes each side. Watch them carefully, and set the grill lower if they start to catch too much.

• Airfryer – Follow the instructions for these chicken teriyaki kebabs.

• Tandoor – If you are lucky enough to have one, you can cook these as tandoori chicken tikka kebabs, in the usual way!

Storage

Fridge – These chicken tikka skewers are best served freshly cooked. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 48 hours. As soon as the kebabs are cold, take the chicken off the skewers and pack into an airtight box. To reheat, flash fry until cooked through.

Freezer – If you are preparing ahead, you can freeze the chicken in the marinade. Defrost for a few hours on the counter top, or overnight in the fridge, making certain that the meat is fully defrosted before cooking. Pack leftover cooked chicken into an airtight box, defrost as usual, and flash fry as above to reheat.

Hints and Tips

• Cook chicken from room temperature – Do this so that the meat is more “relaxed”. It will not only cook faster, but the texture will be improved and the meat juicier.

• Try and cut the chunks of chicken into similar sized pieces for even cooking.

• For easy cleaning, line your baking pan with parchment or foil.

• To finish on a griddle, oil the griddle so that the kebabs don’t stick.

FAQS

More Indian style fakeaway recipes

• Slow cooker lamb curry – tender spiced lamb, cooked long and slow

• Leftover lamb curry – quick and easy with a retro British Indian curry sauce

• Lamb Rogan Josh – an easy version of an Indian classic

• Lamb biryani – easy with leftovers from a joint

• Slow cooker chicken curry – Effortless and tender

• Leftover chicken curry – love your leftovers

• Chicken biryani – with leftover roast chicken

• Turkey curry – make the most of a festive bird

• Turkey biryani – spice up leftover turkey

• Slow cooker beef curry – rich, warming and tender

• Chickpea curry – chole, a nourishing veggie classic

• Potato curry – easy aloo

• Pilau rice – a fragrant side dish made simple

• Turmeric rice – tempting golden rice

• Spicy rice – fast and fabulous