Chicken tikka

This air fryer chicken tikka recipe from Dan Toombs is delicious served on its own with a few dips or the pieces can be added to a chicken curry.

Chicken tikka. Credit: Quadrille / Kris Kirkham

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Oil spray
• 1½ tbsp melted ghee (optional)
• Lime wedges, to serve

Tandoori masala (if making your own)

• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 3 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2.5 cm (1 in) cinnamon stick
• 1 Indian bay leaf (cassia leaf – optional)
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
• 1 tsp red food colouring powder (optional)

First marinade

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1½ tbsp garlic and ginger paste (see Note)
• 3 tsp mustard oil or canola oil (optional; I use mustard oil)
• Salt, to taste

Second marinade

• 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (use more or less to taste)
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp tandoori masala (see Note)
• 1 cup Greek yoghurt

Allow a little extra time prep and cooking time if making your own tandoori masala spice mix.

Marinating time: at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Instructions

1. If making your own tandoori masala, place the whole spices directly into the drawer of your air fryer. It is essential that they be in one layer and not piled up. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (350°F). Cover with the basket, which will stop the spices from blowing around in the drawer as they roast, then cook for 3–5 minutes, shaking one or two times for more even cooking. The spices are ready when warm to the touch and fragrant. You should be able to smell them when they are almost ready. Allow to cool and then blend to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Stir in the ground spices, amchoor and food colouring, if using. This makes more than you need; spice blends such as this are best used on the day you make them but will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice, some salt, the garlic and ginger paste and the oil, if using. Mix this right into the flesh of the chicken pieces and set aside while you prepare the second marinade, or for up to 2 hours.
3. To make the second marinade, whisk all the ingredients together and pour the marinade over the chicken. Again, rub this right into the flesh so that the chicken is completely coated. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
4. When ready to cook, preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F) and spray the basket with oil. Remove any excess marinade and then skewer the chicken onto wooden skewers, if you like (see Note), and place in the basket. Spray the top of the meat with oil to coat. Air fry for 15–20 minutes, turning the skewers halfway through cooking. Towards the end of cooking, baste the chicken with the ghee, if using, a couple of times. When your chicken tikka is cooked through and you are happy with the char on the exterior, transfer to a serving plate.
5. Season with salt to taste if needed and serve immediately, with lime wedges to squeeze over, or save to add to a curry (see Note).

Note

• If serving as a starter, you might like to skewer them with wooden skewers for better presentation. Just be sure to soak the wooden skewers for about 30 minutes before air frying or they could burn.
• To make garlic and ginger paste, blend 150 g (5½ oz) roughly chopped garlic and 150 g (5½ oz) roughly chopped with just enough water to make a paste. This makes more than you need for this recipe. The extra will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. It might turn a bit blue or green in the fridge but this is normal. It’s not off! It also freezes well. I recommend freezing it in ice-cube trays in 1–2 tablespoon portions and then storing the cubes in freezer bags.
• The chicken tikka is delicious used in other curries (e.g. this chicken pathia) so I often make more than I need for a recipe and freeze the rest for later. It freezes really well and speeds up the cooking process for the different curries. You will also get another layer of amazing flavour compared to cooking unmarinated chicken.

This is an edited extract from The Curry Guy Air Fryer by Dan Toombs (Quadrille, HB $36.99) Photography by Kris Kirkham.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.