The Ultimate Chicken Tikka Recipe
Chicken tikka is great if you're looking for a new Indian dish to perfect at home. The traditional dish consists of small pieces of marinated chicken, threaded onto skewers and grilled. Unlike a chicken tikka masala, this tikka dish is more like a tandoori - so no sauce!

So what are the key rules for making the perfect chicken tikka?

1) Don't skip the lemon and salt! The beauty of this dish is how tender the meat is. Before we marinade, we rub the chicken pieces in lemon and salt and let it rest for 20min. This tenderises the meat and makes it gorgeous and light once cooked.

2) Marinade it properly. You should marinate this chicken for at LEAST four hours, ideally overnight. It needs to let alllll that flavour soak up.

3) Soak them skewers! Yes... please make sure you allow your wooden skewers to soak for around 15min, this stops them from burning.

4) Invest in your spices. There might seem like a lot of spices here, but if you're cooking a lot of Indian cuisine at home, you should invest in a spice tin, or a Masala Dabba as they're traditionally called. These spice tins usually contain 7-9 pots where you can store the most commonly used, for you to open up whenever you want.

MAKES:
4
PREP TIME:
0 HOURS 10 MINS
COOK TIME:
0 HOURS 15 MINS
TOTAL TIME:
0 HOURS 25 MINS
INGREDIENTS
3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2.5cm pieces
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garam masala
3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. cayenne
5 tbsp. Greek yoghurt
4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 15min to stop burning
Pilau rice, to serve
Naan bread, to serve

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine chicken pieces with lemon juice and salt. Rub in, cover and refrigerate for 20minutes. This step helps the meat to tenderise, resulting in juicier, chicken pieces.
In another bowl, combine ginger, garlic, cumin, paprika, garam masala, cayenne and yogurt. Add in chicken pieces and mix well. Refrigerate for minimum 4 hours but ideally overnight.
To cook, preheat the grill to highest setting. Thread the meat onto wooden skewers and brush with oil. Put the skewers on a shallow baking tray and grill for approx 6 minutes each side until browned and cooked through.
Serve with pilau rice and naan.