Malai Boti aka Malai Tikka are melt-in-the-mouth chunks of boneless chicken marinated in a mildly flavoured cream sauce made with fresh herbs. The chicken is so succulent and perfect to enjoy with a green chutney as an appetizer or put into parathas or wraps for a full meal. You can grill, bake or pan-fry this versatile dish!
This Malai Boti (or Malai Tikka) is a simple, no-fuss recipe where you just chuck in a couple of staple pantry ingredients into the chicken and let them work their magic. A great dish to make-ahead for parties or family dinners!
Table of Content
What Is Malai Boti
Malai means cream and boti means bites of chicken. Chicken Malai Boti gets its name from its extremely tender, melt-in-the mouth texture. It is also sometimes referred to as Malai Chicken Tikka or Murgh Malai Tikka.
It's a luscious Pakistani BBQ delicacy made with chicken marinated in a cream and yogurt sauce. It is also lighter in appearance because no coloured spices like red chili powder, garam masala or turmeric are used.
You do experience the best taste when the malai chicken is made on a grill but you can definitely cook it on a stovetop and or bake in an oven. I have included a hack to get that grilled restaurant-like flavour.
There are different variations of Malai Chicken Boti recipe on the web. The North Indian version slightly differs in marination technique and ingredients.
You might also like my Hariyali Chicken (Green Chicken Curry) which is made with a very similar marinade with an extra zestiness of fresh mint.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken - this is the perfect recipe for boneless chicken breasts. If you have issues with dry chicken then this marinade will ensure that chicken is tender. Thigh chicken will work too.
- Cream - I used cooking cream (single cream) which has a fat content of 15-18%. You can use heavy/double cream too.
- Yogurt - any yogurt will work; full-fat, low-fat or Greek.
- Lemon Juice - tenderizes the malai chicken.
- Green Chilies - add as many or less as you like. Keep in mind there are no other chilies in this recipe so if you add very few green chilies your malai boti will taste bland. You can use Serrano pepper or even jalapeno.
- Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) - gives a fresh herby taste. It cannot be substituted with ground coriander. You can use parsley or mint, different flavour profile but they will still add freshness.
- Spices - salt, white pepper, coriander powder, cumin powder and freshly cracked black pepper are used in this recipe. If you use black pepper powder the colour of your marinade will darken.
- Ginger and Garlic - fresh imparts the best flavour. Please don't use the jarred ginger and garlic paste.
- Oil - any neutral cooking oil like canola, vegetable, rapeseed will do.
How To Make Malai Boti (Malai Tikka)
Step#1 - Blitz the fresh coriander, lemon juice and green chilies in a mini blender. Add this green paste to the chicken.
Step#2 - Also add white pepper, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, crushed black pepper, cream and yogurt. For best results, marinate overnight.
Step#3 - Thread the chicken pieces on skewers and fry on medium heat. Using a brush coat with the leftover marinade. Keep turning the skewer to give colour and charred look on all sides. Cover in between so that the malai tikka is cooked from inside out.
Step#4 - Serve the chicken malai boti with green chutney and naan!
For a barbecue aroma, just as if you have cooked on a grill, you can smoke the chicken skewers with charcoal. Burn a piece of coal till it turns white. Place a square of foil in your pan, put the coal and drizzle some oil. Immediately cover and let the aroma develop for 8-10 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Overnight marination is key here to attain soft, melt-in-the-mouth pieces of malai chicken.
- Don’t overcook the chicken especially if you are using chicken breasts.
- To save time, you can skip putting chicken pieces on the skewer and directly add the meat to the pan and cook.
- If you are cooking the malai boti on a grill or in an oven, make sure you soak the skewers in water beforehand or they will burn.
What To Serve With Malai Boti
A green chutney made with mint and coriander goes so well with this chicken malai boti. I have included a recipe in the card below. Add some roti or naan on the side and enjoy a fulfilling meal.
Also you can turn this into a paratha roll (wrap) by putting the malai tikka pieces on a cooked paratha with slices of red onion and a drizzle of green chutney and plain or sweetened yogurt. That’s surely my fave way!
FAQs
Store it in the refrigerator for upto 4 days. Heat in the microwave for a couple of seconds until warm.
This is one of those very few recipes that work great with boneless chicken breasts. The marinade ensures that the meat stays tender. You can also use boneless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken.
Definitely! Place the chicken skewers in a single layer on a baking tray. Spritz with cooking oil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 220°C (425°F) until cooked through. Flip the skewers half way.
Throw in the chicken along with the entire marinade into a medium-sized pot. Let cook on medium heat with a dash of oil. The marinade will turn into a masala (thick sauce). You can add some water if your prefer a looser gravy.
Video
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Malai Boti (Murgh Malai Tikka)
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lb) boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut in 4cm (1.5") cubes
- 3-4 green chilies
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup cooking cream aka single cream
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh coriander
- 3 tablespoon cooking oil
Green Chutney (optional)
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup fresh coriander with tender stems
- 1 green chili
- ¼ teaspoon black salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoon yogurt
Instructions
- In a mini blender, make a paste of green chilies, fresh coriander, lemon juice and a tablespoon of yogurt from the same. You can also add the ginger and garlic in the same blender instead of grating it separately.
- Add this green paste to the chicken along with with cracked black pepper, white pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, ginger, garlic, yogurt and heavy cream.
- Mix everything together and leave the chicken to marinate overnight.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature so that it cooks better. Then thread the chicken onto skewers. I used four 25 cm (~10") long skewers.
- Add oil to a griddle and let it heat up. Alternatively, you can also cook the chicken skewers on an outdoor grill or bake in an oven.
- Place your skewers on the griddle and fry them on medium heat. Using a brush, baste with the leftover marinade for maximum flavour.
- Turn the skewer when one side is cooked. Cover the pan for 3-4 minutes giving the chicken the chance to cook from inside. Give the chicken colour on all sides and cook for a total of 15-18 minutes. You can check with a meat thermometer, if it says 75°C (165°F), the chicken is ready.
- Blitz all the green chutney ingredients together. This chutney is not mandatory to serve with this malai boti. It is your personal preference.
- Place the malai tikka skewers on a plate and serve with the mint and coriander chutney.
Notes
- You won't get the same creamy, tender chicken unless you marinate it for 12 hours. But if you are on a time crunch please do give at least an hour for everything to gel together.
- To save time, you can skip putting chicken pieces on the skewer and directly add the meat to the pan and cook.
- For a barbecue aroma, you can also smoke the malai tikka with charcoal.
- If you are cooking the chicken on a grill or in an oven, make sure you soak the skewers in water beforehand or they will burn.
- To bake, place the malai boti skewers in a single layer on a baking tray. Spritz with cooking oil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 220°C (425°F) until cooked through. Flip the skewers half way.
Nutrition
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This post was originally published on July 1, 2019 and has been updated with new pictures, video and an improved recipe. Here is the old picture:
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