Bihari kababs and Chicken tikkas are both super popular Indo-Pakistani barbecue delicacies. Bihari kababs come from the land of Bihar, made traditionally with beef. Their key traits are subtle spice levels and silky smooth melt-in-mouth protein texture. So naturally, I just hadddd to create a fusion recipe, yaáll know how much I love that. Taking the characteristics of the Bihari kababs, I made a spice blend, fit for a gorgeous chicken tikka! This tikka is such a great example of South Asian recipes where even low spice levels bring about super flavorful dishes, just like the great Balochistani Chicken Sajji. Ok, I am tooooo excited! Let’s begin!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe needs very few ingredients but you might be unfamiliar with them. Let’s talk about it.
Skinless Chicken – For a proper tikka cut you either need breast pieces with wings attached or whole chicken legs. You also have to deeply score the chicken along the lengths to allow the marinate to seep in. Neutral Oil – Any vegetable oil, ghee or butter will do. Spices – Salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, black pepper, and garam masala powder. Fried Onions – Crispy brown fried onions are easily available in any Indian Pakistani grocery store, if you don’t want to fry it yourself. I usually fry some at home, takes around 5 minutes. You can use my crispy fried onions tutorial if you have questions. Yogurt Ginger garlic paste Meat Tenderizer – see “Tenderzing the chicken” section below Optional – Coal for smoke and roasted poppy seeds. Both are flavor and aroma enhancers and are easily skippable if you don’t have them on hand.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Tenderizing the Chicken
The chicken texture for this tikka is super soft and more like kababs. To achieve this texture you need to add a meat tenderizer to the chicken.
Raw papaya paste – This is the best, tasteless option out there. You simply buy a jar of green papaya paste or whip up some at home. This will give you the exact texture we are going for. Meat tenderizers. 1/2 teaspoon of a meat tenderizer will also get the job done. Yogurt and Vinegar – This is a weak tenderizer. You need overnight marination for this combination to work on the chicken muscle fibers.
IMPORTANT TIP: Once you’ve added the papaya paste or meat tenderizer to your chicken, DO NOT marinate for more than 2 hours. If you prefer longer marination times, go for yogurt and vinegar instead.
Instructions
I’ve put together all the steps in a simple pictorial for you to see how easy this is to make. PROPTIP: Turn on the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes towards the end to get that nice grilled/charred crispy bits.
Expert Tips
Here’s a recap of all the things that’ll make you ace this recipe:
Score the chicken pieces deeply to allow the marination to penetrate through. Don’t throw away any leftover marinade. Glaze it on the chicken when you flip it over. If you are baking the tikka, turn on the broiler for the last 1 to 2 minutes to give it that charred crispy top. If you are marinating the chicken in advance for a barbecue party, skip the meat tenderizer and only add it 30 to 40 minutes before grilling or baking. Go for bigger chicken cuts for this recipe to give it the proper chicken tikka feel. Glazer the chicken with oil after once ready, to prevent it from drying out.
Pairing and serving suggestions
Honestly, it works perfectly as a stand-alone dish. Serve it with sliced onions and lemon on top with mint green chutney on the side. Damnnnnn, I am salivating. But on days, you feel like having “meals” type meals, here are some classic suggestions
Pair with a homemade paratha, roti, or naan. If you are leaning towards flatbreads, a side of aloo ki tarkari (potato curry) or cholay ka salan (chickpea curry) would go perfectly with it. To keep it low-carb, pair it with a hearty nice salad like my evergreen kachumbar salad. A simple pea pulao/ matar pulao and yogurt.
Similar Recipes for you
If you liked my Bihari tikka, you will love these Pakistani Chicken recipes. Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!
