Name: Chicken Lehsuni Tikka
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 267 g Boneless Chicken, breast or thigh, cut into 1.5-inch cubes; 1⅓ tbsp Garlic, very finely minced (the star ingredient); ⅔ tbsp Garlic, crushed into paste, for the marinade base; 2 tbsp Strained Yogurt, thick yogurt without whey; 1⅓ tbsp Fresh Cream, malai, cuts the harshness of the garlic; 5⅓ Cashews, soaked and blended to a paste; 1⅓ Green Chili Pepper, finely crushed to a paste; ⅓ tsp Ground White Pepper, maintains the white/yellow color; ⅛ tsp Garam Masala; ⅔ tbsp Roasted Gram Flour, bhuna besan; ⅔ tbsp Lemon Juice; ⅔ tsp Salt, to taste; 1⅓ tbsp Butter, melted, for basting; ⅓ tsp Chaat Masala, for garnish

2 hr 35 mintotal

35 min hands-on2 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

First marinade: toss the chicken cubes in a bowl with the crushed garlic paste, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Leave to rest for 20 minutes so the lemon and garlic begin to work into the meat.
20 min
Secondary Emulsion Architecture: Within a spacious mixing bowl, relentlessly whisk the highly dense hung curd, rich fresh cream, and silken cashew paste. Persist until the lipid matrices fuse into an entirely smooth, velvet-like consistency.
Add the star of the dish: the finely minced fresh garlic. Then add the green chilli paste, white pepper, a little garam masala and the roasted besan, which binds the marinade.
Whisk hard by hand until you have a very thick, creamy, pale-yellow marinade.
Add the marinated chicken, along with any juices it has released, to the thick garlic-cream mixture. Massage it in firmly so the thick coating covers every side.
Cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The long chill lets the sharp raw garlic mellow and settle into the dairy.
2 hr
Take the chicken out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Thread the marinated pieces onto metal or soaked wooden skewers.
15 min
Heat a heavy grill pan or tawa, or preheat the oven, to 220°C (430°F). Brush the cooking surface with a thin film of oil.
Lay the skewers on the hot surface. Roast for 12-15 minutes, turning them every 3 minutes. The minced garlic on the outside will brown and turn into crisp, savoury bits.
12–15 min3 min
In the last 60 seconds, baste generously with melted butter to keep the chicken moist and give it a glossy finish. Take it off the heat, slide the chicken off the skewers, dust well with chaat masala and serve hot.
1 min

How to tell it's done

Very succulent, tender chicken against a lightly charred, buttery outside studded with crunchy, deeply roasted garlic.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: The architectural brilliance of this dish relies on a calculated dual-strike of garlic—the pulverized paste injects deep internal flavor, while the precision-minced fragments polymerize into a highly textural, roasted exterior crust. The inclusion of fresh heavy cream is non-negotiable; it acts as a lipid buffer, guaranteeing the massive garlic payload doesn't register as toxic, bitter, or overpowering on the palate.

What to serve it with

A fiercely pungent, robust starter that takes the centre of the table. Serve it straight away with a well-chilled mint yogurt dip to cut the garlic.

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Ingredients