Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Kandhari Murgh Tikka
Kandhari Murgh Tikka (Chicken Tikka with Pomegranate Molasses)

Kandhari Murgh Tikka

Chicken Tikka with Pomegranate Molasses
Non-vegetarian

Kandhari murgh tikka is bite-sized chicken marinated in yoghurt, pomegranate molasses and warm spices, then grilled until tender with lightly charred edges. It tastes tangy, savoury and gently spicy.

Marinade spices

14 gStirred into the yoghurt marinade (step 4)
03
1.3 g½ teaspoon
spice blend
Stir together, then mix into the yoghurt mixture.

Everything else

01
18 g6 cloves
aromatic
02
Fresh ginger · Adrakroughly chopped
6 g1½ cm
aromatic
03
30 g2 tablespoons
dairy
04
4 g2 teaspoons
flour
05
84 g4 tablespoons
souring agent
06
500 g
poultry
07
to taste
dairy
08
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Soak 3–4 wooden skewers in water.
  2. Blend 18 g garlic, 6 g fresh ginger and a splash of water to a smooth paste. Set aside.
  3. In a bowl, whisk 30 g greek yoghurt and 4 g chickpea flour until thick and free of lumps.
  4. Add the garlic-ginger paste, 84 g pomegranate molasses and the marinade spices to the yoghurt mixture. Stir in salt to taste.
  5. Add 500 g chicken pieces and turn until fully coated. Cover and marinate for 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.
  6. Heat the grill to medium. Thread the chicken onto the soaked skewers and set them on a wire rack.
  7. Grill for 7–10 minutes, turn the skewers, baste with melted butter and grill for 7 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through and slightly charred at the edges. Serve warm.

Don't have something?

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.

Greek yoghurt
Chickpea flour
  • Yellow split pea flour

    Use 100% of the weight. Many commercial gram flours are milled from split peas; performs identically in pakora batters and kadhi.

  • Cornstarch

    For crisping batters or binding cutlets: use 50% to 60% of the weight. Produces a very crisp shell but lacks the earthy, roasted nutty flavour of besan.

Kashmiri chilli powder or mild paprika
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use the same weight; this is the first half of the book's option and gives the best red colour with mild heat.

  • Mild paprika

    Use the same weight; add a pinch of cayenne pepper for warmth. Slightly less colour.

  • Paprika

    Use the same weight and add cayenne pepper to taste; works but is less aromatic.

Pomegranate molasses
  • Pomegranate juice

    Use 4 times the weight of juice and simmer down to the original weight; add a pinch of granulated sugar. Closest match.

  • Tamarind paste

    Use 50% of the weight and add jaggery or granulated sugar to taste; more sour and less fruity.

  • Lemon juice

    Use 30% of the weight and add granulated sugar; sharp but lacks the deep fruitiness.

Dried pomegranate seed
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.

Skinless boneless chicken breast
  • Boneless chicken breast

    Use the same weight; it is the same cut without the skin, so cook exactly as directed.

  • Skinless boneless chicken

    Use the same weight; cut to the same size and cook as directed. It may include mixed white and dark meat, so it stays juicier.

  • Boneless chicken thigh

    Use the same weight; it is juicier and needs 3–5 minutes longer simmering. Reduce oil slightly if the sauce looks fatty.

Melted butter
  • Melted ghee

    Use the same weight; nuttier and keeps better. Reduce salt if the butter was salted.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 80% of the weight; no dairy flavour and less richness. Good for frying, less good for finishing.

  • Melted unsalted butter

    Use the same weight; adjust salt in the dish if your butter was salted.

Similar dishes

Kadhai Chicken Chargha
Kadhai Chicken Chargha tastes smoky, tangy and gently hot from dried red chillies and cumin, compared with this dish’s tangy, savoury, gently spicy pomegranate-molasses flavor.
  • Same: Kadhai Chicken Chargha shares garlic, Greek yoghurt, Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala and salt with this dish, and both marinate chicken before cooking.
  • Different: Kadhai Chicken Chargha uses bone-in chicken cooked in vegetable oil with cumin seed, dried red chillies, ginger, ground coriander and turmeric to make a gravy, while this dish uses boneless breast grilled with pomegranate molasses, chickpea flour, dried pomegranate seed and melted butter.
Tulsi ke Tikke
Marinated Chicken with Basil
Tulsi ke Tikke tastes bright and herbal from basil with cashew richness and green chilli warmth, while this dish is tangy from pomegranate molasses and gently spicy.
  • Same: Tulsi ke Tikke shares with this dish marinated bite-sized chicken tikka cooked with garlic, ginger and garam masala.
  • Different: Tulsi ke Tikke uses chicken thigh, basil, cashews, green chilli, oil and chaat masala, and lacks this dish's yoghurt, pomegranate molasses, chickpea flour, Kashmiri chilli, dried pomegranate seeds and butter.
Khatta Murgh
Chicken with Mango and Chilli
Khatta Murgh tastes sour from unripe mango and chilli-hot, while this dish tastes tangy from pomegranate molasses and only gently spicy.
  • Same: Khatta Murgh shares chicken, ginger, garlic, Kashmiri chilli powder and garam masala with this dish.
  • Different: Khatta Murgh uses bone-in chicken in a vegetable-oil curry with onion, turmeric, coriander, green bird’s eye chilli, sugar and unripe mango, and it lacks this dish’s yoghurt, chickpea flour, pomegranate molasses, dried pomegranate seed, melted butter and grilling.
Murgh Malai Tikka
Creamy Chicken Skewers with Green Chilli & Coriander
Murgh Malai Tikka tastes richer and creamier than this dish, with green chilli and coriander, and less pomegranate tang.
  • Same: Murgh Malai Tikka shares with this dish a Greek yoghurt marinade with garlic, ginger and garam masala and a grilled chicken tikka style.
  • Different: Murgh Malai Tikka uses chicken thigh, double cream, cheddar cheese, green bird's-eye chilli, coriander leaf, malt vinegar and cornstarch and is dusted with chaat masala, while this dish uses chicken breast, pomegranate molasses, dried pomegranate seed, chickpea flour and Kashmiri chilli powder.