Chicken tikka (Karachi style)
چکن تکہ (chicken tikka): spicy, smoky chicken pieces on the bone, grilled the Karachi way
Karachi's barbecue streets, from Burns Road to Boat Basin, are famous for chicken tikka cooked on the bone: whole legs and breast quarters soaked in a red, sharp yogurt-chilli marinade and grilled over charcoal until charred at the edges. It's late-night food after a wedding or a cricket match, eaten with paratha, raita and onion rings. This home version uses the oven grill and a quick smoke at the end for that barbecue taste. Chef's tip: let the marinade sit overnight; chicken on the bone needs time for the flavour to reach the middle.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
For the marinade
For smoking and serving
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cut 3 deep slashes in each piece of 2 ⅝ lb chicken legs and breast quarters, skinless, on the bone, down to the bone. Use a separate board for raw chicken and wash your hands afterwards.
5 minStep 2: Mix 5 ½ oz thick plain yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste, 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp hot chilli flakes, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp raw papaya paste, 1 ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Rub into the chicken, pushing it into the cuts.
5 minStep 3: Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. If you use papaya paste, keep it to 6 hours or the meat turns mushy.
5 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Shake off excess marinade and lay the chicken on a rack over a lined tray. Roast for 25 minutes.
25 minStep 5: Turn the oven grill to high and grill the chicken for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until charred in spots. A common mistake is pulling the pieces out when the outside looks done; check the thickest part next to the bone reads 165°F and the juices run clear.
10 minStep 6: For a smoky finish, heat 1 small piece of lump charcoal over a gas flame until glowing, put it in a small foil cup in a large pot with the chicken, pour 1 tsp ghee on the coal and cover tightly for 3 minutes. Do this near an open window.
5 minStep 7: Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, sprinkle with 1 tsp chaat masala and serve with 1 lime, paratha and raita.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chicken tikka (Karachi style) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of thick plain yogurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer karahi
Karahi is named after the heavy round-bottomed wok it is cooked and served in, and the roadside dhabas of Lahore and the Grand Trunk Road through Punjab are where it is at its loudest: a cook working three pans at once over a roaring flame, late at night, for tables of friends tearing naan. The Pakistani style is lean on spice and big on tomato, garlic, ginger, green chilli and crushed black pepper, with no onion and no cream, so the masala tastes bright and sharp rather than rich. Paneer takes the place of meat here and only needs warming through. The usual mistake is pouring in water to make more gravy; a karahi gets its sauce only from tomatoes cooked down until the oil comes back out. Chef's tip: crush the coriander seeds and black pepper yourself just before cooking; the coarse, fresh crunch is what makes it taste like a dhaba karahi.
Chitrali ghalmandi
In the Chitral valley in Pakistan's far north, where winters are long and dairy is plentiful, bread is often a meal in itself, and ghalmandi is one of the best loved: soft, thin wholewheat breads stacked with a filling of crumbled fresh cheese, onion, green chilli, coriander and mint, then cut into wedges and eaten warm with salty tea. It is made for guests and on cold evenings, and every household seasons the cheese its own way. Rolling the breads too thick is the common mistake; they turn heavy and the layers do not hold together, so roll them almost see-through. Chef's tip: brush each hot bread with ghee the moment it comes off the griddle and spread the cheese straight away, so the warmth softens the cheese and glues the stack together.
Chicken tikka masala
Marinating the chicken in spiced yoghurt keeps it tender, and a few minutes under a hot grill gives it the smoky char of a tandoor. The sauce is rich but not heavy, finished with a little cream and dried fenugreek leaves.
