Light Tandoori Chicken Tikka

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You can make light tandoori chicken tikka that tastes amazing!

Chicken tikka is usually quite light but with this recipe it will be even better for you. This is a recipe from my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy Light’ and the light tandoori chicken tikka you make using the recipe is spectacular. There are even a few things you can do to make the tikka even easier than in the recipe. All is explained below.

So light and delicious.

This light tandoori chicken tikka taste just as good as those using more fat.

In the recipe below, you use non-fat yoghurt to marinate the chicken. You simply do not need to use full fat yoghurt to get fantastic results.

In fact, if you want to cook your light tandoori chicken tikka without a long marinating time, you can leave the yoghurt out.

How can you simply leave out the yoghurt?

Yoghurt is used in tandoori chicken to counter the effects of adding the lime or lemon juice which gives the meat a tarter flavour. Citrus juice begins to cook the chicken, however so yoghurt is added. This stops the citrus from cooking the chicken and making it tough.

Do you have to cook this light tandoori chicken tikka over fire?

Absolutely not. You might prefer the charred flavour that only cooking over fire brings though.

You could cook this low fat tandoori chicken tikka in the oven pre-heated to 200c (400f) until cooked through.

Do you need to cook the chicken on skewers?

When you skewer the chicken on metal skewers, it cooks both from the outside and also the inside from the hot skewer. This leaves the chicken succulently tender. So you should use metal skewers if cooking over fire.

If cooking in the oven, you could use wooden skewers which makes the chicken easier to turn. That is not necessary though.

Can you cook this chicken tikka in a pan.

Yes. You will find my stovetop tandoori chicken tikka recipe here. The marinade recipe is different and you could use either.

The thing is, cooking in a pan requires more oil. If you are fine with that, go for it!

Give this a try!

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Yield: 4 - 6

Low Fat Tandoori Chicken Tikka

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1kg (2lb 4oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite- sized pieces
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tbsp garlic and ginger paste 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• Red food colouring powder (optional)
• FOR THE MARINADE
• 250g (1 1/4 cups) fat-free Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala
• 1 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tbsp green chilli paste or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 20g coriander (cilantro) leaves,
• finely chopped Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the lemon juice over the top. Mix in the garlic and ginger paste, salt and red food colouring (if using). Allow to stand while you make the marinade.
2. Place the yoghurt in a large mixing bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients (but not the salt) until creamy smooth. Add the chicken pieces and rub the marinade into the flesh. The chicken needs to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but a few hours or overnight will get you tastier results.
3. When ready to cook, set up your barbecue for direct heat cooking. Skewer the chicken pieces onto five or six skewers. If you are using the tandoori chicken in a creamy curry such as chicken tikka masala, be sure to retain the marinade. When the coals are white-hot, place the skewers over the heat and grill for about
   5 minutes until you get a good char on the underside. Flip over the skewers and cook the other side until nicely charred and cooked through. Season with salt and serve.

Notes

DIRECT HEAT COOKING: When cooking on a barbecue, direct heat cooking is when you get the coals white hot before cooking. Your coals are ready when it is uncomfortable for you to hold your hand 2 inches above the cooking surface for longer than 2 seconds.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  The Curry Guy Light Cookbook
• 
  The Curry Guy Bible!
• 
  The Curry Guy BBQ
• 
  The Curry Guy Thai Cookbook
• 
  The Curry Guy Veggie Cookbook
• 
  The Curry Guy Easy Cookbook
• 
  The Curry Guy Cookbook

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 1505mgCarbohydrates: 3.9gFiber: 3gSugar: 11gProtein: 5g

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Amazing Chicken Tandoori Kebabs! And with a lot less fat.