Chicken Tikka
Recipe

Indian-Style Marinated
Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Chicken Tikka is a typical Indian dish made with skewers of meat marinated in yogurt and spices. It's a simple, tasty dish that is super-easy to make: the spices ensure the meat is well-flavored, and the yogurt keeps the chicken moist even using a hot, direct heat like a grill to cook. In our recipe, we keep the spice mixture simple - our mix of three spices include ones that are easy to find almost anywhere. If you want to experiment, you can also add more Indian spices.

A flavorful, homey dish like this calls out for a similarly flavorful wine in a rustic style. No refined white Burgundies need apply! Our "Steal" this week is an affordable Italian Pinot Grigio that has a kiss of oak that marries well with the smoky grilled flavors. For our "Splurge", we are staying in Italy with the Cortese di Gavi from Pio Cesare. This bottling has a bright fragrance, medium body and a hint of spiciness.

Wine Pairing

"Splurge"
2011 Pio Cesare Cortese di Gavi, Piedmont, Italy
A fun alternative to the usual whites. The aromatic nose plays up the spices in the dish. ($22)
Buy at Wine.com

"Steal"
2011 Zenato Pinot Grigio,
Veneto, Italy
Not the most traditionally styled, with candy, lemony flavors and a hint of oak. ($13)
Buy at Wine.com

Chicken Tikka Ingredients:

1.5 lbs skinless chicken breast
1 red onion
1 yellow bell pepper
2 cups plain, whole-milk yogurt
2 cups jasmine rice
3 limes
2 tbsp dried coriander
1 tbsp dried cumin
1 tbsp cayenne
1/2 tbsp olive oil
handful fresh cilantro

Chicken Tikka Cooking Instructions:

1.) Mix chicken, 1 cup yogurt, juice from 2 limes, coriander, cumin and cayenne in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Let marinate for 2 - 12 hours.

2.) When you're ready to start cooking, cut chicken into cubes. Slice onion and bell pepper into large rings. Juice and seed limes and roughly chop cilantro.

3.) Prepare kabobs by threading alternating pieces of chicken, onion and bell peppers onto skewers.

4.) Bring 4 cups of water to boil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Season water with salt and add olive oil. When at full boil, add rice and cook for 20 minutes covered. When fully cooked, fluff with a fork and reserve.

5.) Over a hot charcoal or gas grill, cook skewers, turning once to cook chicken evenly, until just fully cooked. About 9-12 minutes.

6.) Plate chicken and rice. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro, and garnish with slices of the remaining lime and the extra cup of yogurt for dipping. Enjoy!


Next recipe: Coq au Vin: Chicken Braised in Red Wine