This Indian recipe for chicken malai tikka will leave your house smelling of exotic spices and herbs, and the mild chicken meat will be so tender, that it just melts in your mouth. It takes 10 minutes to make the marinade and another 10 minutes on the grill. Serve with naan, chapati, roti, or flavored rice.

Table of Content
Have you ever ordered malai chicken tikka, chicken malai tikka, Malai boti kebab, or chicken malai kabab at an Indian restaurant? I'm sure!
They are all the same and literally mean creamy chicken skewers. 'Murg' is chicken, 'malai' is cream and 'kebabs' refers to the skewers and tikka refers to 'small bites'. So it really is rich and creamy chicken marinated in Indian spices on skewers.
Why make this tikka?
- The recipe is simple, easy, and very straightforward with lots of room to customize.
- Unlike most Indian food, that is often assumed to be spicy and hot. This one is fairly mild. It has a rich and creamy taste. The yogurt-based marinade cooks the tikkas (pieces) to fork-tender.
- You can make this in summer outside over an open BBQ flame or bake in the oven on a baking tray, as well as use a skillet on the stovetop.
- Most of the ingredients used are simple and easy to find or pantry staples for Indian cooking.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. You can even freeze it in freezer-safe bags for up to a month.
- Also, cold chicken leftovers make great additions to sandwiches and wrap
- Today, I served these with homemade naan and turmeric rice but for a light lunch, serve it over a large bowl of salad.

Ingredients and substitutes
- Chicken - For me, boneless chicken thighs are always the best for grilling. They do not dry when cooking, and they absorb a lot more favor from the marinade. Having said that, you can most certainly use chicken breast. The cooking time will be less if you use chicken breast, about 3 to 4 minutes on the high grill.
- Ginger and garlic - These have to be fresh, not powders, and in this case, grated or ginger-garlic paste is much better than minced so it sticks to the chicken and blends into the marination.
- Lemon juice - This tenderizes the chicken, but also blends all the ingredients together beautifully.
- Yogurt sour cream - Thick Greek yogurt adds a nice tartness and the sour cream makes it creamier. You can use all Greek yoghurt but make sure to reduce some of the lemon juice in the recipe.
- Cheddar - adds a nice rich flavor and creamy taste to the chicken that comes as a pleasant surprise.
- Spices - Simple cumin, coriander, and garam masala add a depth of flavor without all the color. If you want to make this spicy use finely chopped green chilies. The chilli adds spice without changing the color of the tikkas. If you don't garam masala add ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder, ¼ teaspoon clove powder.
- Oil - I brush the chicken tikka with cooking oil but for a richer flavor try melted butter.

Malai Chicken tikka
Marinate
- Prep Chicken - Clean, trim, and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Pat dry on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Pro tip - Cut the chicken into about 1-inch pieces as too large will keep the chicken raw in the middle. Also, make sure the chicken is dry so the marinade will stick to it.

- Marinade - In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the spices, followed by the yogurt and sour cream. Then add the grated cheddar cheese and chopped herbs. Combine well.
Pro tip - it is important to combine well with every ingredient you add so the chicken absorbs the flavors nicely. - Marinate - Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate for an hour on the counter or up to 12 hours in the fridge. Thaw it an hour before cooking.
Pro tip - Alternatively, the skewers can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 4 hours.

Skewer & grill
- Skewer - Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers making sure not to crowd the skewers. I like 3 to 4 pieces on shorter skewers or 4 to 5 pieces on longer skewers. Brush them with oil.
Pro tip - Crowding the skewers will keep the chicken towards the center raw or overcook the chicken on the outside. - Grill - Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Place a few skewers at a time - do not overcrowd the grill. Brush each skewer with cooking oil.
Pro tip - The char marks on the chicken can be controlled by raising and lowing the heat under the grill. - Let cook for at least 3 minutes before you try to move it. When it's done on one side it will release from the pan. Turn to the other side and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
Pro tip - As a guide, each skewer with chicken breast takes 5 to 6 minutes to cook on all sides. Skewer with chicken thigh meat will take about 8 to 10 minutes on all sides.

Green chutney
- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve with the tikka over naan, roti, or rice.
Variations
- Malai tikka masala - instead of threading the chicken on the skewers cook them in a cast-Iron skillet until tender. Server over chapati or naan with caramelized onions.
- Oven chicken malai tikka - place the skewers on a baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
- Chicken malia tikka with veggies - skewer diced veggies such as peppers, onions, and tomatoes in between the chicken pieces. Grill the same way brushed with oil.

Tips for success
- Use boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Do not cut the chicken into large or too small pieces. Large pieces will not cook towards the center and small pieces will dry out easily.
- Always try to marinate as long as possible. Preferably overnight. This will not only add flavor but also tenderize the meat making it cook easily.
- Make sure the grill is HOT before you start grilling otherwise the meat will stew and all the marinade will get wasted on the pan. Instead, you want a nice hot girl so the meat sears instantly holding on to its marinade. The charred marks are what adds a nice smokey flavor so make sure to get some.
- Don't make haste to turn the meat quickly on the grill. If the meat is stuck to the pan it meats needs a minute more. Leave it alone and come back to it when it is ready. Otherwise, you will lose good meat stuck to the pan.

More Indian chicken recipes
Frequently asked questions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. You can even freeze it in freezer-safe bags for up to a month.
Also, cold chicken leftovers make great additions to sandwiches and wrap
Use veggies that cook around the same time like tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and peppers. Other veggies can be used but will need to be parboiled and then skewered so they don't stay raw. For example, you can use sweet potato or cauliflower but parboil and then cut them into pieces.
These tikkas go well with any Indian bread, such as chapati or naan. Try vegetable pilaf or turmeric rice. When I'm looking for a low carb option, I eat use cauliflower rice instead of steamed rice.
Printable Recipe
Chicken Malai Tikka (Kebab)
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Chicken tikka marinade
- 1 lb (500 g) Chicken
- 3 large Garlic cloves (minced)
- 3 inch Fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- 4 tablespoon Yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Sour cream (or fresh cream )
- 4 tablespoon Cheddar cheese (finely grated )
- ¼ cup Cilantro
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice (½ lemon )
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Green chilly (finely chopped (optional) )
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil (or melted butter or ghee)
Green chutney
- 1 cup Cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup Mint leaves
- ½ cup Coconut milk
- 1 small Garlic clove
- 1 inch Fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon White pepper powder
Plus
- 12 Bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes)
Instructions
Tikka
- Prep Chicken - Clean, trim, and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Pat dry on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.Pro tip - Cut the chicken into about 1-inch pieces as too large will keep the chicken raw in the middle. Also, make sure the chicken is dry so the marinade will stick to it.1 lb Chicken
- Marinade - In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the spices, followed by the yogurt and sour cream. Then add the grated cheddar cheese and chopped herbs. Combine well. Pro tip - it is important to combine well with every ingredient you add so the chicken absorbs the flavors nicely.3 large Garlic cloves, 3 inch Fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon Garam Masala, 1 tablespoon Coriander powder, ½ teaspoon Cumin powder, 4 tablespoon Yogurt, 2 tablespoon Sour cream, 4 tablespoon Cheddar cheese, ¼ cup Cilantro, 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Pepper
- Marinate - Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate for an hour on the counter or up to 12 hours in the fridge. Thaw it an hour before cooking. Pro tip - Alternatively, the skewers can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
- Skewer - Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers making sure not to crowd the skewers. I like 3 to 4 pieces on shorter skewers or 4 to 5 pieces on longer skewers. Brush them with oil Pro tip - Crowding the skewers will keep the chicken towards the center raw or overcook the chicken on the outside.12 Bamboo skewers, 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- Grill - Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Place a few skewers at a time - do not overcrowd the grill. Brush each skewer with cooking oil. Pro tip - The char marks on the chicken can be controlled by raising and lowing the heat under the grill.
- Let cook for at least 3 minutes before you try to move it. When it's done on one side it will release from the pan. Turn to the other side and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.Pro tip - As a guide, each skewer with chicken breast takes 5 to 6 minutes to cook on all sides. Skewer with chicken thigh meat will take about 8 to 10 minutes on all sides.
- Enjoy!
Green chutney
- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.¼ cup Cilantro, 1 tablespoon Green chilly, 1 cup Cilantro leaves, ¼ cup Mint leaves, ½ cup Coconut milk, 1 small Garlic clove, 1 inch Fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 teaspoon Sugar, ½ teaspoon White pepper powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Use boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Do not cut the chicken into large or too small pieces. Large pieces will not cook towards the center and small pieces will dry out easily.
- Always try to marinate as long as possible. Preferably overnight. This will not only add flavor but also tenderize the meat making it cook easily.
- Make sure the grill is HOT before you start grilling otherwise the meat will stew and all the marinade will get wasted on the pan. Instead, you want a nice hot girl so the meat sears instantly holding on to its marinade. The charred marks are what adds a nice smokey flavor so make sure to get some.
- Don't make haste to turn the meat quickly on the grill. If the meat is stuck to the pan it meats needs a minute more. Leave it alone and come back to it when it is ready. Otherwise, you will lose good meat stuck to the pan.
- Malai tikka masala - instead of threading the chicken on the skewers cook them in a cast-Iron skillet until tender. Server over chapati or naan with caramelized onions.
- Oven chicken malai tikka - place the skewers on a baking tray and bake in a hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
- Chicken malia tikka with veggies - skewer diced veggies such as peppers, onions, and tomatoes in between the chicken pieces. Grill the same way brushed with oil.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Myra
Hi Veena! Can I use ginger garlic paste instead of the 1tblsp ginger and 1tblsp garlic, and if so, would I just use 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste? Excited to try these
Veena Azmanov
Yes Myra. you can certainly use paste.
Myra
Should I use 2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste then? Thank you so much! 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Yes, Myra. you can use 2 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste combined.
Shasha
Mam..I tried this recipe and it tasted absolutely fantastic.,I would say this is royal kebabs among all the kebabs due to the marination ingredients..not to mention your tips were very useful to alter some of the mix according to respective taste buds .
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Shasha. Happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback.
Danielle Wolter
I am just loving the flavors in this dish. the chicken sounds absolutely incredible and skewers are so fun!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Danielle. Skewers are always fun.
Amy | The Cook Report
These sound so tasty, great for summer!
Veena Azmanov
Thanks Amy.