Tandoori Chicken Tikka Skewers
Tandoori Chicken Tikka Skewers – These grilled kebabs are loaded with tender pieces of chicken coated in yogurt and fragrant spices. They’re a tasty and handy appetizer, side, or main protein to enjoy with your favorite Indian-inspired dishes!
Why We Love This Tandoori Chicken Tikka Kebab Recipe
Handy and hearty grilled kebabs are always a great idea for a quick and casual meal! And there are just so many terrific variations from nearly every global cuisine. Take for example our Greek Chicken Souvlaki, Honey Sriracha Chicken Skewers, and Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers… So different, but all with the same simple “meat on a stick” concept.
These vibrant zesty Tandoori Chicken Tikka Skewers are a fabulous addition to our global lineup of kabab recipes! They are coated with a delicious blend of tangy Greek yogurt and vibrant Indian spices. Every bite of chicken is tender and flavorful, just like your favorite classic tandoori dishes – but these take way less time and effort to prepare. Chicken kebabs are great to throw on the grill (no tandoor clay oven needed) and pair well with Indian side dishes, or a simple green salad and roasted potatoes!
Pro Tip: You can make tandoori masala seasoning on your own for this chicken skewers recipe, but it’s sold in most major grocery chains, making this a quick and easy recipe to throw together.
If you want to make your own, see this recipe to combine garam masala, kashmiri pepper, turmeric, and cumin. You can use the same spice blend to make Chicken Tikka Masala!
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken thighs – boneless and skinless (or chicken breasts)
- Greek yogurt – plain, whole or low fat
- Tandoori masala seasoning – store-bought or homemade mixed with Roasted Garam Masala
- Garlic paste and ginger paste – these concentrated pastes have incredibly deep, robust flavors (you can also use blended ginger garlic paste)
- Lime juice – or lemon juice
- Salt – a pinch to finish
How to Make Tandoori Chicken Tikka Skewers
Set out a large rimmed baking dish and fill it with water. Soak 12 wooden skewers in the water until it’s time to thread on the chicken and grill.
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-size 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces.
To a large mixing bowl, add the yogurt, tandoori masala seasoning, garlic paste, ginger paste, lime juice, and salt.
Mix well to combine.
Taste the mixture. If it doesn’t taste salty enough, add a little extra salt. *Some tandoori seasonings have additional salt already added.
Place the chicken chunks into the tandoori marinade. Mix well to coat the chicken pieces. Then cover and marinate for 30 to 120 minutes.
Pro Tip: If marinating longer than 30 minutes place the bowl in the refrigerator.
Get the Complete (Printable) Tandoori Chicken Tikka Skewers Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
When ready to grill, preheat the grill (or grill pan) to 400°F. Set out a rimmed baking sheet, or a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Thread the chicken pieces onto the wooden skewers until evenly distributed over 12 skewers. Use a basting brush to paint extra marinade over the top of the skewers if some comes off during the threading process.
Grill the tandoori chicken kebabs for 12 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes, until fully cooked.
Remove the tandoori chicken tikka skewers from the grill and serve warm with mint chutney, cucumber raita, and rice.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these tikka chicken skewers as an appetizer or satisfying snack. They are yummy to eat on their own, or pair with a homemade cool and creamy Raita (yogurt sauce). Or pair it with Green Mango Chaat for a heartier but not-too-heavy snack.
The chicken tikka kebabs are also a perfect way to prepare for a delicious full meal with classic Indian dishes like Paneer Tikka Masala or Instant Pot Butter Chicken Curry.
As a main dish, I suggest you pair alongside a thick piece of Naan or Roti plus your favorite Indian cuisine side dishes. We love refreshing Kachumber salad, aromatic Indian Rice, Saag Paneer, or just a helping of simple steamed basmati rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
It has a bit of spice but no, this is not really considered a spicy dish. The flavor is smoky and spice-full vs spicy. Now, that doesn’t mean there is no heat… But the spiciness is less than a mild jalapeno, so unless you are particularly sensitive to spice you’ll enjoy this dish.
This tandoori chicken tikka recipe makes 12 kebabs, which is approximately 4 servings. That means each person should get 3 skewers.
Yes, these are very easy to make ahead! The grilled tandoori chicken tikka skewers can be made a day or two in advance of serving. Enjoy cold or briefly reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
We love to meal prep with this recipe! Make the skewers on a Sunday or Monday, and enjoy them for several days as a quick lunch or simple dinner. They will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Looking for More Easy Kebab-Style Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers
- Antipasto Skewers with Herb Vinaigrette
- Korean Chicken Skewers
- Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
- Tuna Chickpea Kofta with Harissa Yogurt Dip
Tandoori Chicken Tikka Skewers Recipe + VIDEO
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ – 2 ½ pounds boneless chicken thighs
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons tandoori masala seasoning
- 2 tablespoons garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Set out a large rimmed baking dish and fill with water. Soak 12 wooden skewers in the water until its time to thread on the chicken and grill.
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-size 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, tandoori masala seasoning, garlic paste, ginger paste, lime juice, and salt. Taste the mixture. If it doesn't taste salty enough, add a little extra salt. *Some tandoori seasonings have additional salt already added.
- Place the chicken chunks into the tandoori marinade. Mix well to coat the chicken pieces. Then cover and marinate for 30 to 120 minutes. *If marinating longer than 30 minutes place the bowl in the refrigerator.
- When ready to grill, preheat the grill to 400°F. Set out a rimmed baking sheet, or a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Thread the chicken pieces onto the wooden skewers until evenly distributed over 12 skewers. Use a basting brush to paint extra marinade over the top of the skewers if some came off during the threading process.
- Grill the chicken skewers for 12 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes, until fully cooked.
- Remove the chicken skewers from the grill and serve warm.
This was very good! Used the tandoori spice recipe from All Recipes & added some chili spice to it. Also skewered & grilled some pieces of bell pepper & red onion to go with it. Made Paleo Grubbs’ garlic naan recipe to wrap up the chicken & peppers. Yummy but a tad dry. My daughter made a quick mayo, garlic, butter sauce she learned about at a Greek restaurant and that gave it the moisture it needed 🥰. Thank u for this recipe!
Yummy flavors for chicken easier to cook too as skewrers vs breasts, thank you
These tandoori chicken tikka skewers were a crowd favorite! They were packed with flavors and smelled soooo good!
I absolutely love the flavor of this chicken! We served it with rice, but I am thinking it would be great on the skewers with some veggies!