Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Haryali Murgh Tikka
Haryali Murgh Tikka (Spiced Green Chicken Skewers with Mint, Coriander & Chilli)

Haryali Murgh Tikka

Spiced Green Chicken Skewers with Mint, Coriander & Chilli
Non-vegetarian

Green chicken skewers coated in a mint, coriander, chilli and yoghurt marinade, then grilled until lightly charred. They taste herby, tangy and gently spicy.

Marinade spices

2.7 gStirred into the chicken with the yoghurt (step 4)
01
0.8 g¼ teaspoon
spice
02
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice blend
03
0.6 g¼ teaspoon
spice
Mix into the yoghurt marinade until evenly coated.

Chaat masala

0 gSprinkled over the cooked skewers (step 6)
01
Chaat masalato garnish
to taste
spice blend
Keep ready to sprinkle over the hot chicken.

Everything else

01
Chicken thigh · Murgboneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
750 g
poultry
02
Butter · Makhanmelted, for basting
to taste
dairy
03
12 g4 cloves
aromatic
04
Fresh ginger · Adrakroughly chopped
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
05
25 g½ lime
fruit
06
~0.3 gpinch
salt
07
45 g3 tablespoons
dairy
08
to taste
salt
11
3 g2 chillies
vegetable

Method

  1. Blend 12 g garlic and 5 g ginger root with a small splash of water until smooth.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the garlic-ginger paste with 25 g lime juice and 0.3 g salt. Add 750 g chicken thigh pieces and turn to coat. Leave for 20 minutes.
  3. Blend 50 g mint leaf, 50 g coriander leaf and stem, 4 g green bird's-eye chilli, 120 g green bell pepper and a spoonful of the 45 g greek yoghurt to a smooth paste.
  4. Add the green paste to the chicken. Stir in the rest of the 45 g greek yoghurt and the marinade spices (0.8 g ground turmeric, 1.3 g garam masala, 0.6 g black pepper), then season with salt. Mix well, cover and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
  5. Heat the grill to medium-high. Cover a baking tray with foil and set a wire rack inside it. Soak wooden skewers, then thread the chicken pieces onto them and place on the rack.
  6. Grill for 8–9 minutes. Brush with melted butter, turn the skewers and grill for another 8–9 minutes, brushing with melted butter again, until the edges are lightly charred and the chicken is cooked through. Cook in batches if needed.
  7. Slide the chicken off the skewers onto a platter and sprinkle the chaat masala over the top.

Don't have something?

Chicken thigh
  • Boneless chicken thigh

    Use the same weight if boneless is needed; cooks 5–10 minutes faster than bone-in. Juicy and forgiving.

  • Chicken leg

    Use the same weight; bone-in and larger, so add 5–10 minutes. Similar richness.

  • Chicken breast

    Use the same weight; much leaner and drier, so reduce cooking time by 5–10 minutes and do not overcook.

Butter
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 100% of the weight. If the original recipe relies on salted table butter, add a pinch of salt to balance.

  • Ghee

    Use 80% to 85% of the weight. Ghee is pure butterfat with moisture removed; it yields a deeper, nuttier flavour and handles high heat better.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 80% of the weight for frying or tempering. The dish loses sweet dairy richness but remains glossy and light.

Chaat masala
  • Tandoori snack spice mix

    Use the same weight; taste first as it can be smokier and saltier. Add lime or amchoor if the dish needs more tang.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use about half the weight, mixed with black salt and a pinch of ground cumin. It gives tang and saltiness but lacks the minty, asafoetida notes.

  • Black salt

    Use about half the weight and add lime juice to taste. It gives the salty, sulphurous edge but not the full tangy blend.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Lime
  • Lemon

    Use the same weight; sharper and less floral, so reduce any extra souring slightly.

  • Lemon juice

    Use about 30 g juice per lime (2 tbsp), strain pips; add at the end for fresh sourness.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 1 g amchoor for about 15 g lime juice; add early with spices; gives dry mango sourness, not citrus aroma.

Greek yoghurt
Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Garam masala
  • Ground cumin

    Use 50% of the weight mixed with equal parts ground coriander and a pinch of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground green cardamom. Sprinkle near the end for a warming finish.

  • Lentil stew spice mix

    Use 75% of the weight. Simmer briefly in the gravy; imparts roasted warmth and complexity, though it adds a slight tang and earthy lentil undertone.

Black pepper
  • Black peppercorn

    Use the same weight and crush or grind as the recipe needs; whole peppercorn is the same spice.

  • Ground black pepper

    Use the same weight; add nearer the end if the recipe calls for whole pepper, as ground loses aroma faster.

  • Ground white pepper

    Use about 75–80% of the weight; it is milder and earthier, with less bite.

Mint leaf
  • Mint leaves

    Use the same weight; identical herb, just the plural listing.

  • Dried mint

    Use 25% of the fresh weight, about 1 g dried for 4 g fresh; crush between fingers. Flavour is stronger and slightly hay-like.

  • Coriander leaf

    Use the same weight; it gives a fresh green note but not true mint flavour.

Coriander leaves
  • Coriander (cilantro) or basil

    Use the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.

  • Basil leaves

    Use the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.

  • Coriander paste

    Use 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

Green bird's eye chilli
  • Bird's eye green chilli

    Use the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.

  • Green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.

  • Fresh green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

Green bell pepper
  • Bell pepper

    Use the same weight, deseeded and diced; colour may change but flavour is similar.

  • Red bell pepper

    Use the same weight; sweeter and more colourful.

  • Yellow bell pepper

    Use the same weight; milder and sweeter.

Similar dishes

Murgh Malai Tikka
Creamy Chicken Skewers with Green Chilli & Coriander
Murgh Malai Tikka tastes richer and creamier than this dish, with less herbiness and a gentler tang from malt vinegar instead of lime.
  • Same: Murgh Malai Tikka shares chicken thigh, yoghurt, garlic, ginger, green bird's-eye chilli, coriander and grilling with this dish.
  • Different: Murgh Malai Tikka adds double cream and cheddar cheese and uses malt vinegar, while it lacks this dish's mint, green bell pepper, lime, turmeric and black pepper.
Murgh Methi Tikka
Chicken Skewers Marinated in Fenugreek, Turmeric & Garlic
Murgh Methi Tikka tastes smoky, tangy and herby with a mild chilli kick and fenugreek-vinegar notes, while this dish tastes herby, tangy and gently spicy from mint, coriander, lime and green chilli.
  • Same: Murgh Methi Tikka shares with this dish a chicken-thigh base, a Greek-yoghurt marinade with garlic, ginger, turmeric and chaat masala, and a grilled, lightly charred skewer cooking style.
  • Different: Unlike this dish, Murgh Methi Tikka uses malt vinegar as its souring agent, adds mustard oil, chickpea flour and fresh and dried fenugreek leaf, lacks mint, coriander leaf, lime, green bell pepper, garam masala and black pepper, and tosses the grilled chicken with a cooked marinade and finishing spices.
Tandoori Chicken Tikka
Tandoori Chicken Tikka tastes tangy, savoury and warmly spiced, while this dish tastes herby, tangy and gently spicy from its green herb and chilli marinade.
  • Same: Tandoori Chicken Tikka shares chicken thigh, a yoghurt marinade, garlic, ginger, garam masala, lime, chaat masala and grilling until lightly charred with this dish.
  • Different: Tandoori Chicken Tikka uses chickpea flour, Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, cinnamon, saffron, dried fenugreek leaf and sugar, and it lacks this dish's mint, coriander leaf, green bird's-eye chilli and green bell pepper.
Tulsi ke Tikke
Marinated Chicken with Basil
Tulsi ke Tikke tastes bright and basil-forward with cashew richness and mild warmth, while this dish tastes herby and tangy from mint, coriander, lime and yoghurt with gentle chilli heat.
  • Same: Tulsi ke Tikke and this dish are both skewered chicken thigh dishes coated in a green herb, garlic and green chilli paste and seasoned with garam masala and chaat masala.
  • Different: Tulsi ke Tikke uses basil, cashews and oil, while this dish uses mint, coriander, yoghurt, butter, lime, turmeric, black pepper and green bell pepper.