| Chicken tikka | |
| Region: | Indian subcontinent |
| National Cuisine: | India, Bangladesh, Pakistan |
| Course: | Hors d'oeuvre |
| Served: | Hot |
| Main Ingredient: | Chicken, curd (yogurt), red chili powder, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice |
| Variations: | Paneer tikka |
Chicken tikka is a chicken dish popularised in the Indian subcontinent popular in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.[1] It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers on a brazier called Hindi: [[angeethi]] or over charcoal after marinating in Indian spices and dahi (yogurt)—essentially a boneless version of tandoori chicken.[2] The word tikka (in Turkish, and Azerbaijani: tikə in Azerbaijani) is a Persian word, meaning "bits" or "pieces". It is also a chicken dish served in Punjabi cuisine. The Kashmiri version of the dish, however, is grilled over red-hot coals, and does not always contain boneless pieces. The pieces are brushed with ghee (clarified butter) at intervals to increase its flavour, while being continuously fanned. It is typically eaten with green coriander and tamarind chutney served with onion rings and lemon, or used in preparing an authentic chicken tikka masala.[3]
A chicken tikka sizzler is a dish where chicken tikka is served on a heated plate with onions. The dish is also popular in Afghanistan, though the Afghan variant (like many other Persian, Turkish, and Arab dishes) is less spicy compared to the variants in the Indian subcontinent and uses beef and lamb in addition to chicken.[4] [5]