Chicken Banjara Tikka

It’s just impossible to be Kebab fans and not try different recipes of kebab. It’s sad when I see people liking different kebabs at restaurants, but not being able to make the difference out in flavors. Flavor have so much to say, every spice blends in uniquely with another spice creating delicious stories. Every place has their own f

These kebabs have a very nutty flavor with low to moderate spice level. They are great as side dishes or for a coffee/tea party.  This dish is very different from the regular kebabs. The marination is very earthy, fresh and the taste of each spice can be distinguished.

I believe some of the best, healthiest and quick kebab or tikka recipes come from the Nomads and I have a valid reason for it. Nomads were travelers, never settled at one place for long. So, basically they always had fresh food, since they didn’t have ways to store their meat and they must be grinding their spices right before it needs to be used. A fact that most of run away from these days is that frozen food tastes as good as fresh, which isn’t true at all. But, what breaks my heart even more is when I see people knowing something deep down but still not agreeing to it.
You could be in the best shape of your life, but your internal organs might be reacting to all the junk you feed it, the preservatives, the chemicals are taking toll and ruining your internal mechanism and the only way for you to set it right is by eating good and clean food.

Well, now the story…So, generally when I try a dish for the first time, its always an experiment and since I hate wasting food, I make sure the quantity is little. I made these kebabs and my little one was barely 4 years old. But, unlike most 4 year old, he had very strong taste buds and was very vocal about his food choices. So, Banjara tikka was served and he loved them, but since I had not made much, they finished faster than I could blink. My little one started throwing a tantrum for more and started crying when told that we didn’t have any more. That’s when I realized that I had some left over kebabs from previous day, which looked similar in color. I put them on the skewer the same way and got them to the dining table. He stopped crying, picked up the skewer, smiled but didn’t look too sure, so, he smelt it, Yes! you read it right, he smelt it and put it back saying,”its not the same kebab” and started crying again. We couldn’t stop laughing and I promised him to make the same kebabs for dinner the next day, which I did.

This dish is simple, it contains peanuts so you will have check for a substitute if you are allergic to nuts.

Print Recipe

Chicken Banjara Tikka

Chicken thigh meat marinated in a paste of fennel seeds, peanuts and spices. Grilled to perfection.

Votes: 2
Rating: 3
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Rate this recipe!

Cuisine

Indian, Mughlai

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Passive Time

2 hours

Servings

people MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 Lb Chicken [ with bones/ Boneless] Thigh/Leg meat preferred. If using boneless, cut to small pieces
• 2 TBLSP Ginger garlic paste
• 2 TBLSP Lemon juice
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Yoghurt hung for 30 minutes to drain excess water
• 125 gms Peanuts Roasted and grind to a paste
• 1 tsp Dry Mango powder
• 2 tsp Red chili powder
• 3 TBLSP Junglee masala Recipe in the masala section
• 1/4 cup Coriander leaves grind to make a thick paste
• 1 TBLSP Vinegar
• 80 ml Mustard oil
• 2 TBLSP Butter For Basting

Cuisine Indian, Mughlai Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Passive Time 2 hours Servings people MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 Lb Chicken [ with bones/ Boneless] Thigh/Leg meat preferred. If using boneless, cut to small pieces 2 TBLSP Ginger garlic paste 2 TBLSP Lemon juice 1.5 tsp Salt 1/2 cup Yoghurt hung for 30 minutes to drain excess water 125 gms Peanuts Roasted and grind to a paste 1 tsp Dry Mango powder 2 tsp Red chili powder 3 TBLSP Junglee masala Recipe in the masala section 1/4 cup Coriander leaves grind to make a thick paste 1 TBLSP Vinegar 80 ml Mustard oil 2 TBLSP Butter For Basting

Votes: 2 Rating: 3 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Clean, wash and cut each chicken piece to small bite size pieces and pat dry. Apply the first marination : Apply ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, and salt and leave aside for 1 hour.

   
2. Roast the peanuts. Make a smooth paste.

   
3. Second Marination : In a bowl, whisk hung curd with roasted peanut paste, amchoor, red chili powder, coriander leaves paste, mustard oil, junglee masala and vinegar.

   
4. Take the chicken pieces out of the first marination and out them in the second one and keep it covered for 2 hours.

   
5. Take a pan, and add the marinated chicken pieces.

   
6. Roast in a moderately hot flame for 6-7 minutes each side, basting it with butter when needed.

   
7. Transfer when cooked chicken on to a plate and serve hot with choice of salad and chutney. ENJOY!!!

   

Recipe Notes

• You can use this recipe to cook on an outdoor grill as well.
• Use any other oil if you are allergic to Mustard.
• Butter can be substituted with oil spray.