Seven sisters and brothers growing up together entailed just what you’d imagine – laughter, tears, jokes, arguments, secrets, games, and plenty of midnight snacks. I’m happy to report our sibling dynamic hasn’t changed very much over the years. Especially the midnight snacking part.
When the weather was pleasant, my parents liked to barbecue. My dad would invite a whole bunch of people, gather the equipment, load the car and drive us to the park. It was so much fun for us kids – we got to run around, eat and play with our cousins and friends.
Once there my parents got down to business. My father and his buddies lit and fanned the fire, while my mom and her crew got busy skewering the meats. A staple at every barbecue was this tikka – succulent, juicy, moist pieces of chicken on a stick. What’s not to love?
Fast forward to now, and you’ll see that my siblings have carried forward this tradition. My brothers and brothers in law man the grills, and my sisters and sisters in law marinate the meats. My parents are still in the center of it all of course – but now they have a tad more help.
Because of the cold weather, I had to grill these indoors. You may want to smoke the chicken, to make it more flavorful, but my kids were starving and I didn’t get to it. I like to serve this with pita and yogurt or hummus. Try it out – it might just start to become a tradtion in your family.
This is how the chicken tikka skewers are made :
1. Soak about 10-12 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
2. Chop one large or two small boneless chicken breasts.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk 1.5 tbsp tandoori masala powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tbsp oil, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp salt, and the juice of half a lime.
4. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
5. Chop one tomato, half an onion and half a green bell pepper.
6. Skewer the chicken and vegetables, alternating between the veggies.
7. Heat and grease a grill pan. Place the chicken skewers on the heated pan. Cook the first side for 3 minutes. Flip it over. Lower the flame, and cook for 10 minutes or until done. Squeeze some lime juice over the skewers once cooked.
Serve over a salad or with pita and yogurt dip.
