Chicken Tikka With Cucumber Raita

NcMysteryShopper's Note:

Tikka is the Indian version of shish kebabs. If you want to replicate the look of traditional Indian barbecue, add a few drops of red food coloring to the chicken marinade. Chicken marinates for 3-4 hours. This recipe was created by Steven Raichlen the BBQ King and author.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 3.5 cups of ...

Raita

• 2 small garlic cloves , minced
• salt
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 medium cucumber (peeled, halved, seeded and chopped)
• 1 tomato , seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup chopped mint leaf
• ½ teaspoon cumin seed , lightly toasted and chopped
• fresh ground pepper

Chicken

• 2 ¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 5 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup vegetable oil , mixed with
• 1 tablespoon Chinese mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• vegetable oil , for the grill
• lemon wedge , for serving
• thinly sliced red onion , for serving
• chopped cilantro , for serving

Directions:

1. Soak six 12-inch bamboo skewers in warm water for 30 minutes. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and set in a shallow glass baking dish.
2. On a cutting board, use the side of a large knife to mash the garlic, ginger and salt to a paste. In a bowl, whisk the paste with the yogurt, mustard oil, lemon juice, cumin, mace, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, cayenne and black pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Raita: On a cutting board, use the side of a large knife to mash the garlic with a large pinch of salt to a paste. In a medium bowl, mix the garlic paste with the yogurt, sour cream, cucumber, tomato, mint and toasted cumin. Season with salt and pepper and put in refrigerator.
4. Light a grill. Lightly oil the grate. Grill the chicken over a medium-hot fire for about 4 minutes per side, or until it is cooked through and golden. Serve with the lemon wedges, red onion, cilantro and Cucumber Raita.

Reviews

[pattikay in L.A.]

Only made the raita so far, but it's my new favorite. Nice flavor and look. Thanks!

[currybunny]

Beautiful recipe! I only made the chicken part of it and served with 166779 Cilantro Cream Sauce and they went wonderfully together. I marinaded the chicken overnight and left out the mace as I didn't have any on hand. Not spicy at all but with beautiful delicate flavours - oh, and I used hot English mustard for the Chinese variety. Thanks for posting your lovely recipe!

[~Leslie~]

This was fantastic, and much easier than the amount of ingredients would make it seem at first glance. We thought the kick was perfect, although I had to make something different for my six year old LOL!! Delicious!!