Easy Chicken Tikka Boti Recipe

This Easy Chicken Tikka Boti Recipe is a quick and delicious Pakistani BBQ recipe that takes under 30 minutes to cook. The marinade comes together in 15 minutes and because the chicken pieces are cut so small, 30 minutes of marination is all that's required.

Pakistani cuisine offers numerous grill-friendly recipes, including grilled tandoori lamb chops, Bihari kebab, chicken malai tikka, and hariyali (green) chicken tikka. This chicken tikka boti, along with its red meat equivalent, beef boti kebab, is perhaps the most well-known and easiest of all these Pakistani recipes.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• The ingredients
• Substitutions & variations
• Step-by-step instructions
• Expert tips
• Recipe FAQS
• Other recipes you may like
• Easy Chicken Tikka Boti Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

• Easy-to-source ingredients - All of the ingredients, including the spices are easy to source. I can usually find them all at my local grocery store or on Amazon.
• Cooks in under 30 minutes - Once marinated and prepped, the chicken is so simple and quick to cook, it's a great recipe to have at your fingertips.
• Great meal prep option - I like to marinate and store the chicken in batches in my fridge and freezer as part of my weekly meal prep, just like I do with my chicken shawarma bowl recipe.
• A variety of serving options - The chicken boti tastes great with some naan and green chutney. It also makes great sandwiches, wraps, or rice bowls.

The ingredients

• Chicken - I like to use chicken tenderloins cut up in 1.5-inch cubes for this tikka boti recipe.
• Ginger - Fresh ginger, crushed using a mortar and pestle will result in the best flavor for this easy chicken tikka boti recipe.
• Garlic - I make my own garlic paste for all my recipes. As a shortcut, you can use a garlic press. About 10 garlic cloves will equal 1 tablespoon.
• Lemon - Lemon juice adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat through its acidity.
• Vinegar - Vinegar also helps as a tenderizer and since its flavor profile is different from the lemon, it adds a depth of flavor to the recipe.
• Cooking Oil - Adding an oil that has a high smoke point to the marinade helps keep the chicken juicy and succulent when it's cooked.
• Food coloring - This is not necessary but gives a restaurant finish to the chicken boti kabab. If you don't like using food coloring, you can try beet powder instead.
• Spice blend - The spices used in the blend are fairly simple and I can usually source them through my local grocery store.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements and recipe instructions.

Substitutions & variations

• Turn this into Chicken Malai Boti - Add ½ cup yogurt and ½ cup heavy whipping cream (malai) to your marinade; this becomes a whole different recipe!
• Make Chicken Tikka Masala with the leftovers - Make a curry using onions, tomato paste, yogurt, and cream. Add any leftover chicken tikka pieces to this to create a quick and easy chicken tikka masala recipe.
• Use this to recreate other meals -I love adding leftovers to salads like my Thai chicken salad with mango or to make my pizza rolls recipe.
• Air fry the chicken boti - Not in the mood to grill, or the weather won't permit it? Air fry the chicken boti at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes (the time will vary a little according to the air fryer model)
• Cook indoors on a grill pan - Don't have an air fryer and want to cook indoors? Use soaked wooden skewers instead of metal skewers to cook the chicken boti in a grill pan on your stovetop.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 5 - Once the chicken is a nice golden brown and cooked through, serve it directly on the skewers or remove the chicken pieces carefully and serve with some cilantro mint chutney, tamarind dipping sauce, kachumber salad, and Pakistani street-style air fryer corn.

Expert tips

• Soak our wooden skewers - If you are going to use bamboo wooden skewers to grill your chicken make sure to soak them in water overnight.
• If cooking indoors use a piece of charcoal to smoke the meat - If you're cooking your chicken boti indoors, you can still give it a smoky flavor. Place the cooked chicken boti in a pot along with a small dipping bowl. Place heated and lit coal in the bowl and pour a tablespoon of oil (any type will do) on the hot coal. Cover the pot as soon as the coal starts to smoke and keep it covered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the bowl with the coal and cover the pot till it's time to serve the chicken.

Recipe FAQS

Other recipes you may like

For more Pakistani chicken recipes like this, check out 15+ chicken recipes from Pakistan. If you decide to try this recipe, please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture, then tag me on Instagram! Thank you!