Misty’s Tikka Blend – How to Make Delicious Chicken Tikka:
Your 120g pouch of Tikka Blend will go a long way – in fact there’s enough golden powder in there for 3Kg of chicken (or indeed any protein).
Simply add the meat, oil, a bit of yoghurt (for tenderness), and optionally some extra ginger/garlic paste if you wish.
This tikka blend recreates the very popular Chicken Tikka recipe from my books. If you would prefer to make it from scratch yourself, please refer to the books or here for it online.
Also check out Misty Ricardo’s Bhaji Blend!
INGREDIENTS
This recipe uses 1Kg of raw chicken and a third (40g) of the tikka blend. You can scale the amounts up or down according to how much you want to cook.
The Essentials:
- 1Kg Chicken Breasts or Thighs, boneless and skinless
- 40g of Misty’s Tikka Blend (a third of the pouch)
- 2 TBSP (30ml) of Sunflower, Vegetable or Mustard Oil
SPACEHOLDER
Optional ingredients:
- 80g Natural Yoghurt (full fat) – for extra tenderness
- 1 TBSP Ginger/Garlic Paste – for extra punch
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice – for extra zing
- ¼ tsp Red or Orange Food Colouring Powder – for extra vibrancy
Chicken Tikka without artificial food colouring
METHOD
- Trim the chicken of excess fat and chop into large chunks, e.g. 5cm diameter., and place in a large bowl.
- If you are using the lemon juice and/or the ginger/garlic paste, add them to the bowl, mix together thoroughly and leave to marinate for 30–60 minutes.
- Then add the required amount of the Tikka Blend and optionally the yoghurt and food colouring. Mix thoroughly.
- Cover bowl with foil or cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, and up to 48 hours (the longer the better). Stir the contents of the bowl at least once during the marinating time.
- Remove from fridge an hour or so before the planned cooking time to allow the chicken to return to room temperature.
- Pre-heat your grill to its highest temperature.
SPACEHOLDER
- Meanwhile, take a large baking tray or grill pan, cover with aluminium foil and brush lightly with oil.
- Place the chicken pieces on the tray, evenly spaced. You will need to cook them in two or more batches, depending how big your grill pan is.
- Place under the pre-heated grill and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the top of the chicken starts blackening.
- Brush the top of each piece with a little oil, turn each piece over, and brush the other side also.
- Place back under the grill and cook again for 5-7 minutes. Cut a large piece in half to make sure it is completely cooked (no pink on the inside), and cook for a couple more minutes if needed.
- The chicken tikka is now ready. Resist temptation to eat it all in one go.
NOTES
- Spoon measurements are level. 1 tsp = 5ml, 1 TBSP = 15ml.
- Always keep raw chicken away from other ingredients, and thoroughly clean everything that has been in contact with it.
- Chicken breast meat is the most commonly used for chicken tikka, but thigh meat is a slightly cheaper and flavoursome alternative.
- It’s important to baste the chicken pieces with oil. It helps keep the tikka from drying out.
- If freezing, place into freezer bags and seal well. I usually bag up each single portion (4-6 pieces), and seal with a knot. Allow to cool before putting in the freezer
3 Comments
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Hi, which brand of mustard oil do you use? Thanks Craig
Hi. I use KTC or East End brand.
Thanks Richard, I got a bottle from a brand called “Niharti” but it says it’s for external use only so assume it’s not meant for food. Will have a look for the ones you use.