Recipe for grilled tikka-masala-style chicken

The first time my husband Ted and I took our great-nephew William to The India Club, a seedy-on-the-outside London restaurant that has been our favorite for many years, he was six or seven years old. The restaurant, located in London's theatre district, boasts a comfortable ambience and a well-rounded menu of classic Indian dishes. After the waiter left with our order, Will decided what he really wanted for dinner -- chicken tikka masala -- and off he marched into the kitchen, to ask the chef to make it for him. (We assume the staff found Will as adorable as we did!) This grilled chicken combines the spices of a typical tikka masala sauce into a yogurt-based marinade that flavors and tenderizes the meat. It will be perfect for summer picnics.

Grilled tikka-masala-style chicken  {gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: yogurt, Sriracha, lemon, garlic, cumin, allspice.

Inspired by a recipe in The Sriracha Cookbook. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
3 Tbsp Sriracha
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp fresh black pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt

Directions

Place the chicken in a large plastic (ziploc type) bag. In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, and pour this over the chicken. Make sure the meat is completely coated, and marinate for at least 8 hours, and up to 36 hours.

Heat a grill to highest heat. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Wipe off all of the marinade and discard. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on each side (thicker pieces might need an extra minute) until the chicken has just a bit of give when you press on it.

Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More chicken:
Slow cooker chicken vindaloo, from The Perfect Pantry
Chicken satay, from The Perfect Pantry
Sriracha chicken wings, from White on Rice Couple
Beer braised chicken with Sriracha, from Appetite for China

Grilled tikka-masala-style chicken  {gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: yogurt, Sriracha, lemon, garlic, cumin, allspice.

Inspired by a recipe in The Sriracha Cookbook. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
3 Tbsp Sriracha
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp fresh black pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt

Directions

Place the chicken in a large plastic (ziploc type) bag. In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, and pour this over the chicken. Make sure the meat is completely coated, and marinate for at least 8 hours, and up to 36 hours.

Heat a grill to highest heat. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Wipe off all of the marinade and discard. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on each side (thicker pieces might need an extra minute) until the chicken has just a bit of give when you press on it.

Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More chicken:
Slow cooker chicken vindaloo, from The Perfect Pantry
Chicken satay, from The Perfect Pantry
Sriracha chicken wings, from White on Rice Couple
Beer braised chicken with Sriracha, from Appetite for China

Comments

That sounds and looks so good and makes me want to cook something on the grill!

This looks seriously good!

I wish we had a grill. This sounds (and looks) beyond delicious. I'm hoping our new apartment has enough space on the balcony for a small grill- and I'll get to try this!

Hi Lydia
A nice twist to the traditional tikka recipe :-). Must be nice and garlicky.

@Karina you could do it inside the house on a cast iron griddle and by placing a cast iron griddle press for cooking faster and grill marks.

This inspires me to break out the BBQ Lydia!!!! Not that we don't BBQ all year round, but Mothers Day seems like the perfect time!!!

Kalyn, Bellini: I'm a year-round griller, lucky enough to have my grill on a screened porch, right outside my kitchen door. I've been known to go out there in boots and mittens in the winter!

Jan, oh yes it is.

Karina, I hope your new apartment has everything you want -- a great kitchen, a balcony, and a studio!

Sri, garlicky and with that wonderful musky quality. It really reminds me of a proper tikka masala sauce.

I so miss grilling and seeing this makes me miss it even more

Yet another reason to have Sriracha on hand, Lydia! This chicken looks so delicious. I'm in the mood for grilling and ready to enjoy dinner on our screened porch. It just needs to warm up a tad. ;-)

Shirley

GREAT recipe - easy.

First Saturday home all day in a long time...looking forward to grilling and yard work tomorrow!

thanks for the inspiration

Grilling boneless leg of lamb with Tandoori seasonings. I'm marinating the lamb and my daughter is doing everything else. Thank goodness for daughters!! Happy Mothers' Day everyone!

Now THAT is how you grill chicken. That looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

Maris, sounds like you could use a stovetop grill pan! I'd miss it, too.

Shirley, aren't there just an infinite number of great things to do with Sriracha?

Carol, should be warm enough to grill this weekend. Hope you try this.

Pauline, your daughter *is* wonderful! Have a happy Mothers' Day.

Chelsey, yes, it is. Hope you'll try it.

I've just recently discovered Sriracha, thanks to Kalyn's recipe for Sriracha deviled eggs that she posted recently. This will be another great way to use it. Thanks!

Hi Lydia,
We made this last weekend, and it was one of the best grilled chicken I have had ever!! I used some tandoori masala instead of the allspice. All in all it was perfect and I plan to make it often. Thanks

Nam, thanks so much for trying the recipe. I'm so glad you like it! And special thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. I'm truly grateful.

chicken is almost done marinating........cant wait, mouth watering etc etc etc :)