Saffron Chicken Tikka

Ingredients

350 grams Chicken Breasts (cubed approx. in 1 inch pieces)

½ inch cinnamon stick

1 black cardamom seeds (I used only half the amount of its seeds)

2 green cardamom seeds

5 cloves

2-3 green chillies

½ tsp garlic paste

½ tsp ginger paste

8-10 white pepper corns

A pinch of saffron

2 tsp milk

Salt to taste

9-10 skewers

Preparation

Soak saffron in warm milk for 15 to 20 minutes.

In the meantime, dry roast the cinnamon stick, black cardamom seeds, green cardamom seeds, pepper corns and cloves. Pound them to a powder (not very fine).

In a mortar and pestle grind the green chillies to a paste. (Using a pinch of coarse salt will help)

Mix all the ingredients together and your marinade is ready.

Ensure that you pat dry the chicken cubes.

Transfer the chicken in a bowl

Add the marinade to the chicken cubes and mix it well so that all pieces are well coated.

Cover the bowl with a cling film and put it in the refrigerator.

Leave the chicken to marinate over-night. (I marinated for almost 18 hours and the result was moist and tender chicken tikkas)

For Grilling:

I grilled these tikkas in my non-stick grill pan. Using a non-stick pan helped me keep the amount of oil to minimal.

Soak the skewers in water for at least half an hour before you intend to serve them.

Now take the skewers and start skewering the chicken pieces on them. I leave a little space in between the chicken pieces; else they stick together and do not get cooked well. (Perhaps the reason could be pan grilling)

Keep the skewers ready and then heat the pan (medium hot).

You can use an oil spray or pour a little oil using a spoon in a linear fashion across the grill pan.

Place the skewers over the oiled pan and grill them on medium low heat.

It will take approximately 45 seconds to a minute for one side to get cooked.

Then turn around and cook the other side the same way.

Serve them hot as a starter or as a main course with Bakarkhani!! Bon appétit!!