Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Till Ka Tikka
Till Ka Tikka (Sesame-Coated Chicken Skewers with Green Chilli & Black Pepper)

Till Ka Tikka

Sesame-Coated Chicken Skewers with Green Chilli & Black Pepper
Non-vegetarian

Sesame-coated chicken skewers made from yoghurt-marinated thigh pieces, dipped in a green chilli batter, rolled in sesame and grilled until nutty and browned. They taste savoury, peppery and fresh from chilli and coriander.

Marinade spices

4.3 gMixed into the yoghurt marinade (step 2)
Stir into the yoghurt mixture before the chicken goes in.

Sesame coating

0 gUsed to coat the battered chicken (step 6)
01
to taste
nut/seed
Tip into a shallow dish for coating.

Everything else

01
Chicken thigh · Murgboneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
600 g
poultry
02
Butter · Makhanmelted, for basting
to taste
dairy
03
12 g4 cloves
aromatic
04
3 g2 chillies
vegetable
05
45 g3 tablespoons
dairy
06
~0.3 gpinch
salt
07
9 g6 chillies
vegetable
09
100 g2 eggs
egg
10
4 g4 tablespoons
herb
11
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Pound 12 g garlic and 4 g green bird's-eye chilli to a paste.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the paste with 45 g greek yoghurt, the marinade spices and 0.3 g salt.
  3. Add 600 g chicken thigh pieces and turn until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours, or overnight.
  4. For the batter, crush 12 g green bird's-eye chilli into a bowl. Add 60 g plain flour, 100 g egg, 4 g chopped coriander leaf and salt to taste; whisk to a thick batter.
  5. Heat the grill to medium. Line a baking tray with foil, set a wire rack over it and brush the rack with oil.
  6. Tip the sesame coating into a shallow dish. Dip each marinated chicken piece in the batter, then roll it in the sesame coating and thread onto soaked wooden skewers. Set on the wire rack.
  7. Grill on the top shelf for 6–7 minutes. Baste with melted butter and grill for 5 more minutes, until the sesame is nutty and brown.
  8. Slide the chicken off the skewers.

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.

White sesame seed
  • Sesame seeds

    Use 100% of the weight. Toast lightly in a dry pan until fragrant; works identically in gravies, spice blends, and tadkas.

  • Poppy seed

    Use 80% of the weight, soaked in hot water and ground to a paste. Perfect for thickening kormas and royal gravies without altering the pale colour.

  • Black sesame seeds

    Use 100% of the weight. It has an earthier, slightly more bitter flavour and will dramatically darken the dish.

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.

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.

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.

Greek yoghurt
Ground cardamom
  • Cardamom seed

    Grind the same weight; remove the pods first for a cleaner, stronger powder.

  • Green cardamom pod seed

    Grind the same weight of the seeds from green pods; discard the husks for the best flavour.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use the same weight; it is the same spice and works directly.

Ground black pepper
  • Black peppercorn

    Use 1:1 by weight; pulverise in a spice mill or mortar to a fine powder for immediate, punchy heat.

  • Coarsely ground black pepper

    Use equal weight; offers the same bite, though it gives a visibly speckled finish and firmer crunch.

Plain flour
  • Whole wheat flour

    Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.

  • Rice flour

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.

  • Cornflour

    For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

Egg
  • Chickpea flour

    For binding, use about 10 g chickpea flour mixed with 20 ml water per egg and rest for 10 minutes. Denser and nuttier; not suitable for baking or coating in the same way.

  • Full-fat natural yoghurt

    Use about 30 g per egg for moisture and binding in koftas or fillings. Adds tang and softness; will not set or glaze like egg.

  • Tofu

    Use the same weight, mashed, for egg-like bulk in curries. Soft and bland; add extra spices and do not expect it to bind.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Similar dishes

Murgh Malai Tikka
Creamy Chicken Skewers with Green Chilli & Coriander
Murgh Malai Tikka tastes creamier and richer from cream and cheese, with mild vinegar tang and gentle chilli warmth, while this dish is more peppery, fresh and nutty from sesame and black pepper.
  • Same: Murgh Malai Tikka shares chicken thigh, Greek yoghurt, garlic, green bird's-eye chilli, coriander leaf and butter with this dish, and both are grilled chicken skewers.
  • Different: Murgh Malai Tikka adds double cream, cheddar cheese, ginger, malt vinegar, cornstarch and a garam/chaat masala dusting, but it lacks this dish's sesame coating, egg-and-flour green chilli batter, cardamom and black pepper.
Haryali Murgh Tikka
Spiced Green Chicken Skewers with Mint, Coriander & Chilli
Haryali Murgh Tikka tastes herby, tangy and gently spicy from mint, coriander and lime, while this dish tastes savoury, peppery and nutty from sesame, black pepper and fresh chilli.
  • Same: Haryali Murgh Tikka shares with this dish chicken thigh skewers, a Greek yoghurt marinade, garlic, green bird's-eye chilli, salt and grilling.
  • Different: Haryali Murgh Tikka has lime, mint, coriander leaf and stem, green bell pepper, ginger, turmeric, garam masala and chaat masala, while this dish has sesame seeds, egg, plain flour, ground cardamom and a green chilli batter coating instead.
Anardana Murgh
Pomegranate & Chilli Spiced Chicken
Anardana Murgh tastes lightly sour from pomegranate and warm with gentle chilli heat, while this dish is savoury and peppery with fresh green chilli and coriander.
  • Same: Anardana Murgh shares chicken thigh, green bird's-eye chilli, coriander leaf and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Anardana Murgh uses pomegranate powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, ginger, garlic, onion and vegetable oil and is cooked with onions and stock, while this dish uses yoghurt, sesame, butter, flour and egg and is grilled.
Bohri Chicken
Mild-tasting Chicken
Bohri Chicken tastes mild and aromatic with cream and ghee richness, while this dish tastes peppery, chilli-fresh and nutty from sesame.
  • Same: Bohri Chicken shares chicken, garlic, ground black pepper, coriander leaf and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Bohri Chicken uses double cream, ghee, lime juice, onion, ginger, mint and a dough seal and is braised under a lid, while this dish uses yoghurt, egg, flour, sesame, cardamom and green chilli and is grilled as skewers.