Hariyali Chicken Tikka | Green Chicken Tikka Kebab

Hariyali Chicken Tikka (chicken hariyali kabab)– A scrumptious, Indian appetizer! Boneless chicken chunks marinated in a super flavorful and aromatic green spice paste and grilled to perfection!

Hariyali Chicken Tikka is featured in the menu’s of most restaurants all over India. As delicious as they are, they somehow get lost over the more popular chicken tikka and chicken malai tikka kebab’s. I love cilantro/coriander, and it happens to be one of my favorites, wait!!  it is my favorite herb!

No dish is complete without a little sprinkle of this aromatic herb in my dishes. So obviously, this hariyali chicken tikka, marinated in a tantalizing and flavor-packed cilantro marinade, have always been amongst my favorites!

What is hariyali?

For the uninitiated, Hariyali stands for green in Hindi, and murgh is chicken.

So what’s in this hariyali paste? It includes;

• Cilantro/coriander leaves
• Mint leaves
• Whole spices
• Ginger and garlic 
• Cumin seeds
• Ground turmeric.
• You can add in other greens like spinach, fenugreek, scallion/spring onion greens, green bell peppers etc., also serves the purpose of sneaking in veggies to your fussy kids.

For this Indian style, green grilled chicken, add in whatever greens you like along with cilantro and mint and give this dish your own unique flavor. I’ve just stuck with cilantro and mint, added whole spices instead of ready-made garam masala for that extra flavor. These hariyali murgh tikka kebabs were juicy, succulent, with an intoxicating and delicious aroma, just like the restaurant ones.

If you are looking for a change from the regular chicken tikka, try this green kabab next time! If you love cilantro as much as we do, I bet you will love this recipe too!

You may also enjoy these Indian chicken starter recipes

• Chicken Seekh Kebab
• Galouti Kabab
• Murgh (Chicken) Malai Tikka
• Chicken 65 (baked)

Let’s move on to make this yummy hariyali chicken tikka dry recipe!

How to make hariyali chicken (murgh) tikka – Step by step instructions

Step 1: Marinate the chicken (1st marination)

Transfer 400 grams of chicken chunks into a sufficiently large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of ginger garlic paste, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Hariyali spice paste

Meanwhile, make the green spice paste. Transfer 1/2 cup of cilantro, 1/4 cup of mint, 1/4-inch ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, 3 cloves, 4 peppercorns, 3 green cardamom, 1/2-inch cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, and 2-3 green chillies into the blender. Add about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of water, grind to a smooth paste.

Step 3: Marinate the chicken (2nd marination)

After the chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, add this ground green spice paste, 1 tablespoon of heavy cream/malai, 2 tablespoons of hung curd/greek yogurt, and 1 tablespoon oil to the chicken, mix well. Cover and let it marinate for about 4-5 hours or overnight for best results.

Step 4: Bake

Remove the chicken out from the refrigerator at least an hour prior to grilling. The chicken should be at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Skewer the chicken pieces, transfer to a baking tray lined with aluminum foil.

Bake for about 20 -25 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces), turning once in between and basting with ghee until the chicken is cooked through. Broil for an additional 3-4 minutes to get that charred look. Serve hot with onion rings, salad, lime wedges, and a dip of your choice.

Note

Since this hariyali chicken tikka recipe is all about the green spice paste, you can add your own variations by including other greens like spinach, fenugreek, scallion/spring onion greens, green bell peppers etc.

★ If you try this easy Punjabi hariyali chicken tikka, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Thanks so much 🙂 

You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter 

Hariyali Chicken Tikka | Green Chicken Tikka Kebab

Freda Dias

A tantalizing Indian appetizer, chicken marinated in a spicy cilantro-mint paste, and grilled to perfection.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Marination time 5 hrs

Total Time 45 mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 400 grams chicken breasts/thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks

For the 1st marinade

• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

For the 2nd marinade

• 1/2 cup cilantro/coriander leaves, along with tender stems
• 1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
• 2 to 3 green chillies, adjust as per desired heat
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/4 inch ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon tumeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Whole spices (3 cloves, 4 peppercorns, 3 green cardamom, 1/2 inch cinnamon)
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt/ hung curd
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream/ fresh malai
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Ghee, as required for basting

Instructions

 

• Transfer the chicken chunks into a sufficiently large bowl, add lime juice, ginger garlic paste and salt. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, make the green spice paste. Transfer the cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and green chillies into the blender. Add about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of water, grind to a smooth paste.
  
• After the chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, add this ground green spice paste, heavy cream/malai, hung curd/greek yogurt and oil to the chicken, mix well. Cover and let it marinate for about 4-5 hours or overnight for best results.
  
• Remove the chicken out from the refrigerator at least an hour prior to grilling. The chicken should be at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Skewer the chicken pieces, transfer to a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Bake for about 20 -25 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces), turning once in between and basting with ghee, until the chicken is cooked through. Broil for an additional 3-4 minutes to get that charred look.
  
• Serve hot with onion rings, salad, lime wedges and a dip of your choice.
  

Notes

Since this hariyali chicken tikka recipe is all about the green spice paste, you can add your own variations by including other greens like spinach, fenugreek, scallion/spring onion greens, green bell peppers etc.

Measuring cup used, 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml 

Keyword Hariyali Chicken Tikka

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!