Chicken Chettinad Tikkas

These are a one of a kind of tikkas I came up with the other day. I asked my husband what he wanted to eat for dinner. He thought about it and suggested I make something with south Indian flavors. I knew I wanted grill some chicken- so I decided to come up with a recipe for chicken tikkas but not with the usual suspects. I added some south Indian flavors to it.  Instead of the lemon juice, I used tamarind. It provides the same tanginess but also adds an earthy flavor lemons don’t have.

For the spices, I used a combination of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. I roasted them with curry leaves and ground everything up. Everything was mixed with the greek yogurt and marinated for several hours. It resulted in a super flavorful chicken. Everyone loved it, especially my husband.

I think this chicken will be part of the summer meals repertoire- it is perfect to serve with grilled corn and other vegetables. Try it- you will love it.

• 2 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 lemon, cut in half

Roast the spices and grind. Keep aside.

• 10 curry leaves, roasted and ground.

Mix the ground spices, salt, curry leaves, yogurt and tamarind together. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours if not over night.
Cook on the grill outside or under the broiler.

Serve with a squirt of lemon juice.