Description
These chicken malai kababs bring together tender, marinated chicken with a creamy yogurt coating that keeps everything juicy and flavorful as you grill them to perfection. Your dinner table becomes a showcase for these skewered bites that taste like they came straight from a restaurant kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Marinade base:
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon hung curd
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Protein and binding:
- 500 grams boneless chicken
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoons grated cheese
Seasonings and spices:
- 2 green chilies
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 pinch cardamom powder
Finishing:
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander
Instructions
- Pat dry 500 grams of boneless chicken thighs that you’ve cut into 1.5-inch cubes using paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Combine 2 tablespoons room temperature cream cheese, 3 tablespoons thick fresh cream, 1 tablespoon hung curd, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 2 finely chopped green chilies, 1 teaspoon white pepper powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until smooth.
- Stir 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1 tablespoon cornflour into your marinade so the texture becomes thick and clingy.
- Add your chicken pieces to the marinade and coat each one thoroughly using your hands, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before you cook them.
- Thread your marinated chicken onto skewers with small gaps between each piece to help them cook evenly, making sure wooden skewers have been soaked in water first.
- If grilling, preheat your grill to medium-high heat and cook your kababs for 12 to 15 minutes at that temperature, turning halfway through and basting with 1 tablespoon melted butter or ghee.
- If using your oven, preheat to 400°F and bake your skewers on a wire rack for 12 to 15 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes at 500°F to develop color.
- If pan-cooking, heat a grill pan over medium heat with a bit of butter or ghee and cook your kababs for 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally until all sides turn golden.
- Remove your cooked kababs from heat and let them rest for one minute before you plate them.
- Finish your kababs with chopped coriander or mint and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice right before serving them hot.
Notes
- Boneless chicken thighs stay much juicier than breast meat and soak up the creamy marinade better, so stick with thighs for the best texture.
- Marinate your chicken for at least 2 hours, but leaving it overnight in the refrigerator helps the flavors develop more deeply into each piece.
- Watch your kababs carefully while cooking since the cream cheese and cheese in the coating can brown quickly, so rotate them frequently and baste with butter to keep them moist.
- If the marinade feels too thick to coat the chicken evenly, thin it slightly with a tablespoon of cream at a time until it clings to each piece without being runny.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13-18 minutes
- Category: Grilled Chicken
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 228 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg