Chicken tikka
Boneless chicken pieces cooked in a tandoor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chicken tikka is a dish of roasted marinated chicken pieces traditionally cooked in a tandoor. It is associated with Mughal cuisine, reflecting Central and South Asian cooking techniques and the use of yogurt-based marinades and spices. It is now popular across South Asia and worldwide. The dish later served as the basis for the British curry chicken tikka masala.”
Chicken tikka | |
| Course | Hors d'oeuvre |
|---|---|
| Region or state | South Asia |
| Associated cuisine | Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani |
| Main ingredients | Chicken, curd (yogurt), red chili powder, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice |
| Variations | Paneer tikka |
History
The English word "tikka" is borrowed from Urdu/Hindi (تکہ)/टिक्का tikkā "small pieces of meat", itself a borrowing from Classical Persian تکه tikka, "pieces".[1]
Chicken tikka was created in the reign of the Mughal Emperor Babur (r. 1526–1530) by marinating pieces of chicken meat in yoghurt and spices, and then grilling them in a tandoor oven.[2]
Dish
Chicken tikka consists of small pieces of boneless chicken baked after marinating in Indian spices and dahi (yogurt). It is flavourful and tender, essentially a boneless version of tandoori chicken.[9]
The pieces are brushed with ghee (clarified butter) at intervals, while being continuously fanned, to increase flavour. It is typically eaten with green coriander and tamarind chutney, served with onion rings and lemon, or used in preparing chicken tikka masala.[10]
Chicken tikka with salad
Chicken tikka BBQ style
Variants
It is a dish in Punjabi cuisine. The Kashmiri version is grilled over red-hot coals, and does not always contain boneless pieces.
A chicken tikka sizzler has the dish served on a heated plate with onions.
The Afghan variant is less spicy than those in the Indian subcontinent, and can use beef and lamb in place of chicken.[11][12]
In Britain, the dish was transformed in the late 20th century by the addition of tomato, cream, and spices into chicken tikka masala.[2]
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