Chicken Malai Tikka

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp unsweetened yogurt
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sour cream
1tbsp ginger and garlic paste
3 green cardamoms, seeds only
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
2 heaped tsp white pepper
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp cheddar cheese, finely grated

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Sprinkle lemon juice and salt over the chicken pieces, cover and set aside.

2) Mix the yogurt, half the butter, the cream, ginger and garlic, cardamoms, cumin, nutmeg, white pepper powder, the oil, and cheese and blend into a smooth paste. Pour over the chicken, making sure it is all well coated, and marinate the meat for atleast 2 hours, covered, in the refrigerator.

 3) Remove chicken from the refrigerator atleast 1 hour before grilling. Baste the chicken generously with the marinate & butter.Place it on a grill stand and turn over the chicken. Baste Chicken again with the marinate.Grill them in an oven for 30-40 minutes or till done.

 4) The other way to grill/bake can be to soak 4 - 6 wooden skewers in cold water for 15 minutes to prevent them burning. Skewer the chicken and barbecue, or grill under a preheated grill, for 10 minutes on each side until light brown and cooked through, or simply bake in a preheated 180°C / 350°F / gas mark 4 oven for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Halfway through cooking, baste with the remaining butter (melted).
Serve hot or cold on the skewers.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   MEDIUM
              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**  Do not overgrill the chicken tikkas. The best tikkas are the ones which are juicy. This can be obtained by turning them & basting them with oil/butter every 10 minutes while they get grilled.