Chicken tikka

Not to be confused with chicken tikka masala.

Chicken tikka

Chicken tikka
Course	Hors d'oeuvre
Region or state	Indian subcontinent
Associated cuisine	Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani
Main ingredients	Chicken, curd (yogurt), red chili powder, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice
Variations	Paneer tikka
Cookbook: Chicken tikka   Media: Chicken tikka

Chicken tikka is a chicken dish in the Indian subcontinent and amongst the South Asian diaspora. It derives from Mughal cuisine, as the Mughals brought the tandoor oven from Central Asia and the Persian habit of marinating meat in yoghurt, combined with the Indian habit of cooking with spices. The dish gave rise to the British chicken tikka masala.

History

Further information: Mughal cuisine

The English word "tikka" is borrowed from Hindi टिक्का tikkā "small pieces of meat", itself a borrowing from Classical Persian تکه tikka, "pieces". ^[1]

Chicken tikka was created in the reign of the Mughal Emperor Babur (r. 1526–1530) by marinating pieces of chicken meat in yoghurt and spices, and then grilling them in a tandoor oven. ^[2]

Chicken tikka was created in Mughal India using Persian marinading of meat in yoghurt and Central Asian tandoor roasting with Indian spices. In 20th century Britain, a sauce was added to satisfy the British liking for gravy with meat. The dish has evolved further to a taco filling in the US, and to a pizza topping in India. Tacos originated from Mexico. Pizzas originated from Italy.

Dish

Chicken tikka consists of small pieces of boneless chicken baked after marinating in Indian spices and dahi (yogurt). It is flavourful and tender, essentially a boneless version of tandoori chicken. ^[9]

The pieces are brushed with ghee (clarified butter) at intervals, while being continuously fanned, to increase flavour. It is typically eaten with green coriander and tamarind chutney, served with onion rings and lemon, or used in preparing chicken tikka masala. ^[10]

• 
  Chicken tikka, New Delhi
• 
  Indian chicken tikka with salad
• 
  Chicken tikka, Assam

Variants

It is a dish in Punjabi cuisine. The Kashmiri version is grilled over red-hot coals, and does not always contain boneless pieces.

A chicken tikka sizzler has the dish served on a heated plate with onions.

The Afghan variant is less spicy than those in the Indian subcontinent, and can use beef and lamb in place of chicken. ^{[11] [12]}

In Britain, the dish was transformed in the late 20th century by the addition of tomato, cream, and spices into chicken tikka masala. ^[2]

• Variants
• 
  Chicken tikka biryani
• 
  Chicken tikka kebab
• 
  Chicken tikka zeera (with cumin)
• 
  Chicken tikka masala

See also

• Chicken lollipop
• Çiğ köfte
• North Indian cuisine
• Pakistani meat dishes

References

1. "tikka". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Merriam-Webster.
2. Iyer 2022, pp. 132–134.
3. Collingham, Elizabeth M. (2006). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors . Oxford University Press. p. 232. ISBN   0-19-517241-8.
4. Godeau, Lucie (2 August 2009). "Chicken tikka masala claims its origins in Scotland". The Sydney Morning Herald . Agence France Presse . Retrieved 19 May 2017.
5. Glenn, Jane K. (2022). The joy of eating : a guide to food in modern pop culture. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 238. ISBN   978-1-4408-6210-6. OCLC   1264746520.
6. Sen, Colleen Taylor (2004). Food Culture in India. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 137. ISBN   0-313-32487-5.
7. Boyer, Christopher R. (2014). "Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food" . Hispanic American Historical Review. 94: 153–154. doi:10.1215/00182168-2390303 . Retrieved 22 July 2024.
8. Helstosky, Carol (2008). Pizza: A Global History. London: Reaktion. pp. 21–22. ISBN   978-1-86189-391-8.
9. Chapman, Pat (1993). Curry Club Tandoori and Tikka Dishes. London: Piatkus. ISBN   0-7499-1283-9.
10. "Chicken Tikka Recipes". Deccan Chronicle . 12 January 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
11. Chapman, Pat (2007). India: Food & Cooking. London: New Holland Publishers. ISBN   978-1-84537-619-2.
12. "Popular hariyali chicken tikka is mouthwatering". Gulf Times . 17 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.

Sources

• Iyer, Raghavan (2022). On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World. New York: Workman Publishing. ISBN   978-1523511211. OCLC   1374192575.