Soft and juicy chicken chunks marinated in a mildly spicy and tangier Indian Achari Masala – Achari Chicken Tikka is definitely a crowd pleaser. It may be a whole meal on its own and is ready in less than 30 minutes. Nations like India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are known for their love of chicken tikka cuisine.
Table of Content
1. About the recipe
2. Ingredients
3. Step by Step method
4. Tips
1. About the recipe
The preparation of the chicken as boneless “chunks” is referred to as “tikka.” Tikka is typically roasted on skewers in a tandoor, or clay oven, without any bones. The main ingredient for the Achari Chicken Tikka is the Achari Masala. Achari Masala is a blend of spices used for making an Achar or a Pickle. The main spices include fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion seeds, cumin and coriander seeds. Thus, adding this spice blend to a chicken tikka will give the typical pickling flavour – slightly tangy and bitter.
Serving Suggestion: 4
Marination Time: 4 hours
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
2. Ingredients
- 500gm boneless chicken ( cut into bite size)
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp of achari masala powder
- 1 tablespoon of red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder
- 1 lemon juice
- ½ cup curd
- 2 tablespoons of cornflour or besan
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons of oil ( mustard oil or any refined oil)
Ingredients for Achari Masala
- 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon of onion seeds ( kalonji)
- 1 teaspoon of methi seeds ( Fenugreek seeds)
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
- 4 to 5 whole dry red chilli
3 . Step by Step method
Preparation of Achari Masala
- Dry roast the spices for the Achari Masala till light brown and fragrant. Allow it to cool down and blend to a coarse powder.
- Wash and pat dry the chicken chunks.
First Marination
- Add salt, ginger, garlic paste and lemon juice. Mix it and leave for 1 hour.
Second Marination
- In a mixing bowl, add yoghurt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder,garam masala powder and achari masala powder. Mix it well.
- Add this mixture to the marinated chicken.
- Now add cornflour and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well.
- Keep aside for at least 2 hours.
- Skewer the marinated chicken in a wooden skewer.
- Grease the grill plates or frying pan with butter/oil.
- Grill chicken pieces on both sides, basting butter/oil till nicely browned. This would take about 10-15 minutes.
- When chicken pieces are cooked and become golden brown, turn off the flame. Put all the Achari Tikka pieces on a large plate and pour butter or ghee on it.
- Serve hot with mint chutney and onion rings.
4. Tips
- Before marinating, always pat dry the chicken. This absorbs the extra moisture, which leads to a crisper texture.
- Brushing the tikka with oil halfway through helps in achieving a crisper exterior. Don’t skip this step.
- Soak the wooden skewers in water for an hour before use
- Dry roast the spices for the Achari powder till it turns light brown. Do not brown them; the masala will taste bitter.
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