Chicken Malai Tikka Restaurant Style - Flavor Quotient (2024)

I have the best ever recipe of restaurant style chicken malai tikka for you and I can humbly claim that this soft & succulent version of chicken malai tikka can beat any restaurant version at any given day!

If you love tandoor items that we get in any good Indian restaurant and always wonder if such delicacies can be recreated at home, then I am here today to say “absolutely yes!”.

Today’s recipe of chicken malai tikka is one such recipe which is a restaurant classic and loved by almost all chicken lovers. The subtly spiced chicken cubes cooked in the tandoor have the right amount of smokiness to ignite our temptation.

Chicken malai tikka is not a spicy kabab; it is somewhat on the milder side. So if you are afraid of Indian food thinking that it’s all about spiciness, you must try this one. I am sure the juicy and succulent cubes of smoky chicken will win over your soul with their perfect flavors!

What is chicken malai tikka?

If you are Indian, I know that you know what a chicken malai tikka is! For others, let me decode!

Chicken malai tikka is the super-soft and juicy chicken kabab which is infused with all creamy goodness. Fresh cream is called ‘malai’ in Hindi (also in Bengali) and that’s the base of chicken malai tikka.

Fresh cream i.e. malai is mixed with creamy hung curd to prepare the marinade of this chicken malai tikka. Fresh cream adds incredible softness to the tikkas and also adds unique flavor when mingled with other aromatics.

Using hung curd is critical here because when you squeeze out all the water from regular curd, you will be left with a very creamy and thick curd which will stick to the chicken easily. This mixture of creamy curd (aka yogurt) and fresh cream is a match made in heaven!

Another unique feature of chicken malai tikka is its distinct white color. Usually all other tikkas are either red or yellow; but malai tikkas are always white with little charred blackness on the edges.

The key spices used in these tikkas are garam masala (you can check here how to easily make garam masala at home), black & white pepper powder, kasoori methi (aka dried fenugreek leaves) along with the typical aromatics i.e. ginger and garlic.

Ingredients for Chicken Malai Tikka

Ingredients needed for making chicken malai tikka are not many; just the usual suspects of Indian cooking.

Chicken: I usually prefer boneless chicken thighs for tikkas but for some reason (which I can’t recall now!) I used chicken breast for this recipe. Surprisingly, these chicken malai tikka came out mind-blowingly soft, succulent and juicy thanks to the amazing marinate! So you can use either of the two – boneless & skinless chicken breast or chicken thigh.

Hung curd: Using hung curd is absolutely mandatory for making good chicken malai tikka. All you have to do is to tie up the regular curd in muslin cloth and gently squeeze out all the water. Then hang the tied up curd either on the kitchen tap or somewhere convenient to let the remaining water drip off. Leave it like that for at least 4 hours and your creamy & thick hung curd will be ready to use.

Fresh cream: This is the second key ingredient for making restaurant style chicken malai tikka. You can use store-bought fresh cream or you can get the malai out from full cream milk.

Tip: After you boil the full cream milk, let it cool completely. Then refrigerate it overnight and next day you will find a thick layer of malai has set on top of the milk. Carefully pick up the thick malai and you can use this for making your chicken malai tikka.

Garam masala: This unique Indian spice will infuse your chicken malai tikka beautifully. I recommend using homemade one as it will impart maximum flavor.

Green chilli: For a little amount of heat, I had added a couple of green chillies, but you can skip this if you don’t want spicy or if you are making for kids.

Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves: A small amount of kasoori methi goes a long way to impart subtle yet delicious flavor.

Black & White pepper powder: Use both white and black pepper powder for a perfect mix of heat and sharpness.

Cornflour/cornstarch: Just ¼ cup of corn flour (aka cornstarch) will help bind the marinating mixture and let it adhere to chicken cubes without falling off.

Freshly chopped coriander leaves: Coriander leaves (aka cilantro) will add a burst of freshness to your tikkas!

How to make Chicken Malai Tikka?

There are 2 parts in making this malai tikka – marination and then grilling. You can use an oven to grill or you can apply my pan grilling method; both will result in delicious tikkas!

Here is the step by step recipe of chicken malai tikka without oven.

Step 1: Wash and pat dry the chicken breast. Then cut each chicken breast first into long strips of 1 inch width. Then cut each strip into 1-inch cubes. You can also use pre-cut chicken cubes.

Tip: If you are using chicken thighs, cut them into 1-inch pieces. Pieces from chicken thighs might turn out a little uneven, but don’t worry about it; all pieces will cook nicely.

Step 2: Take the chicken cubes in a mixing bowl. Add salt, black pepper powder, ginger paste and garlic paste. Mix everything really well either using a spatula or by hand so that each chicken cube is evenly coated with aromatics and seasonings. Leave it for 30 minutes.

Step 3: While the chicken is marinating, prepare the second marinate. Take another mixing bowl and add hung curd, fresh cream, garam masala, chopped green chilli, kasoori methi, white pepper powder and salt. Give everything a good mix using a wire whisk. This will break any lump in the hung curd.

Step 4: Now add the cornflour (aka corn starch) and freshly chopped coriander leaves (aka cilantro). Give another good mix ensuring all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed making a hom*ogeneous mixture.

Step 5: After 30 minutes, drop the marinated chicken cubes along with any accumulated juices to this malai tikka marinate and mix the chicken well with the yogurt mixture. Take time to mix as this is the most crucial step to ensure you have the most flavorful chicken malai tikka.

Step 6: Cover the bowl of marinated chicken with a cling wrap and refrigerate overnight or minimum 4 hours for the best flavors to build.

Step 7: When you are ready to grill, take a bamboo skewer and thread the chicken cubes one by one as shown in the video. Leave about an inch gap at the top and bottom end of the skewer.

Step 8: Heat a non-stick pan and brush some melted butter on it. Once the pan is hot, reduce the heat to medium and place the skewered chicken malai tikka in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan or do not put one skewer on top of another; then direct heat will not reach the chicken and it won’t cook evenly.

Step 9: Let the chicken cook on medium for 10 minutes without disturbing them. Then brush melted butter on top of the chicken and flip them over. Cook the other side for another 8 minutes on medium heat.

Tip: Since we are using chicken breast, your tikka will cook quite fast. Just ensure there is no pink left and the chicken pieces are completely opaque. You have to cook a bit longer if you are using chicken thigh pieces.

Step 10: Your chicken malai tikka is done and ready to devour! Serve with yogurt mint chutney and lemon wedges on the side and enjoy!

Other Delicious kebabs from Flavor Quotient

• Best Ever Homemade Chicken Tikka
• Tandoori Lamb Skewers
• Best Ever Homemade Tandoori Chicken Video Recipe