Indian spiced grilled chicken breast with exotic curry grilled corn makes for a spicy and healthy barbecue.
Tandoori Chicken Tikka with Masala Grilled Corn
By Sue Lau
Welcome to my second posting with #BBQWeek! Today I am thrilled to offer you my recipes for chicken tikka and masala corn as a one-plate meal for a bbq!
You’ll notice right away that I use a premade spice mix for the masala, which is not something I usually do except for tandoori spice because I like the bit of color these add, and it is very difficult to achieve with liquid food coloring as the yogurt tends to turn pink. The flavor in the Rajah brand is very good so buy that one if you can find it at your Indian or Pakistani grocer. If not, click the brand in the ingredients list and it should go to an online source.
This is also a little different from restaurant style chicken tikka which is usually served in a butter curry sauce and is called chicken tikka masala. You might be used to that. But this one is not the saucy type. It is made very much like tandoori chicken, which is made most often as chicken on the bone. This one is done as kebab.
The tandoori itself is a type of oven, often made of clay which gets very hot (like a barbecue grill), and when cooking the chicken, they are skewered and leaned inside. When making tandoori nan bread, they slap the dough against the hot sides of the oven, where they stick.
You won’t get the kind of result using an indoor oven, since those aren’t as hot, and the chicken can sometimes weep it’s juices, keeping the outside too moist. On the grill though, you can achieve better results. I like to put mine on hot, and let them get a touch of char which I love, then move the kebabs to indirect heat on the grill until they cook through. You can do this best with charcoal using a divider to keep the coals to one side, or when using a gas grill, shutting off one of the burners. Since these kebabs are boneless,they actually cook pretty fast.
The rice I used in this is a khichdi blend which has basmati and also moong dal in it. It cooks up like you woulld any rice, except in my rice steamer it has a tendency to foam around the lid so keep a towel nearby just in case. I’d also serve this chicken with Major Grey’s Chutney or something like an onion chutney or coriander chutney. The one I had I think was British, but if it’s store bought it won’t make much difference. If I had my pick I would probably serve it with tomato chutney, which I hope to get a recipe to you soon. It’s my new favorite.
Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be back with another recipe if I don’t end up taking the day off. Right now I have Blackberry Crisp planned. If I blow off posting for a day look for me on Friday to return with my recipe for Jerk Chicken. That is definite. Who doesn’t like a #badass chicken leg? And of course, the raffle is still going on both days–you can always peek in here or my other recipe posts this week to find the breadcrumb trail to the signup. Until then-
~Sue
Tandoori Chicken Tikka with Masala Grilled Corn
Marinate chicken 6 hours or overnight
Chicken Tikka
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup tandoori masala spice (I use Rajah brand)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
Masala Grilled Corn:
- 4 ears fresh corn on the cob, shucked
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
Other:
- Steamed basmati rice or khichdi rice blend (basmati with moong dal)
- yogurt thinned with a little water or milk
- salt and black pepper
- garam masala
Method:
- Cut chicken into bite sized chunks and place in a marinade bag.
- Stir together the tandoori masala spice with the lemon juice and the yogurt until smooth and add to marinade bag.
- Squeeze out the air and seal, then work the thick marinade over the chicken, making sure all the pieces get coated. Marinate refrigerated for 6 hours or overnight.
- Soak wooden skewers submerged in warm water for one hour if you don’t have metal ones. This keeps them from burning on the grill. Tip: if you forget to soak beforehand as I often do, soak a ton of them, then wrap small bundles of them in plastic and freeze until you need them. That way, you can thaw them pre-soaked.
- Skewer the chicken pieces and set aside, discarding marinade.
- Shuck the corn and set aside; mix together the butter, garlic and curry powder to use as a baste.
- Make your rice in the steamer. Sometimes I make a little khichdi rice blend instead of basmati, which has a little bot of moong dal in the rice mix, or sometimes add a little bit of frozen peas to the rice or a bit of saffron, depending. You don’t need to feel forced into making rice plain.
- Prepare your grill and grill the corn and kebab skewers until the chicken is cooked through and the corn is tender, basting the corn with the curry butter as it cooks.
- Serve chicken over rice, along with corn on the cob seasoned with salt, pepper, a pinch of garam masala and a drizzle of yogurt thinned with water or milk (don’t use the tikka yogurt marinade for the corn drizzle because of the raw chicken concerns please. While you can cook chicken marinades to use on food by boiling three minutes, with the yogurt this is not possible).
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
Welcome to #BBQWeek!
Let’s fire up the grill, serve up some burgers or steaks or chicken and some delicious sides and desserts!
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BBQ Week Blogger Recipes! Yay!
Read on, mine liege…
- Asian Inspired Pork Kebabs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Brats with Grilled Corn Relish from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Grilled Artichokes from Caroline’s Cooking
- Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches from Tip Garden
- Marinated Lamb Chops from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Shish Tawook (Lebanese Chicken Skewers) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Tandoori Chicken Tikka with Masala Grilled Corn from Palatable Pastime
Disclaimer: While prizes were provided for the giveaway by an outside sponsor, all opinions contained within the post are my own.
I love grilled aspargus
Sometimes it is easier to buy a spice packet then all the individual spices that then end up sitting in your spice drawer until they are no longer viable.
There is so much flavor going on! What a tasty surprise!
I like it grilled with olive oil, pepper, and lemon.
Oh, yum, Sue!!! This is one of our favorite dishes. That corn just elevates the whole plate though. On my to-try list!!
All the beautiful colors might even lure my son into trying this!
I love chicken tikka and the masala corn alongside sounds great
Chicken tikki is one of my fave recipes to grill.
I need to grill corn more often.