Chicken Tikka Skewers with Carrot-Ginger Slaw & Warm Naan
610 cal · 46g protein · 48g carbs · 23g fat
Toddler tip: Slide the chicken off a skewer and cut it up — the marinade is mild and yogurt-based, no heat. Naan torn into strips is her favorite part.
Low-carb fork: Skip the naan and serve the skewers over the slaw with an extra spoon of yogurt.
Ingredients
Tikka Skewers
- 2 lbsboneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cupplain Greek yogurt (nonfat is what's in the fridge and works fine here)
- 2 tbsptikka masala spice blend (mild — not a hot curry powder; if it's not on the shelf, sub 1 tbsp garam masala + 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp ground coriander + ½ tsp turmeric)
- 1 tspsweet paprika
- 1 tbspneutral oil, for blooming the spices
- 3 clovesgarlic, grated
- 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
- 2lemons — 1 juiced for the marinade, 1 cut into wedges for the table
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 8metal skewers (wooden ones scorch this close to a high broiler — if metal isn't an option, soak them 30 min and wrap the exposed ends in foil)
Carrot-Ginger Slaw
- 1 lbcarrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 2 tbsprice vinegar
- 1 tbspneutral oil
- 1 tspfresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsphoney
- ¼ cupcilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- to tastekosher salt
To Serve
- 4 piecesnaan
- ½ cupplain Greek yogurt, for spooning over
Instructions
1Bloom the spice first — this is the step that makes the dish. Warm 1 tbsp neutral oil in a small skillet over medium, add the tikka blend and paprika, and stir 30–45 seconds until it darkens a shade and smells like a restaurant kitchen. Scrape it straight into your mixing bowl and let it cool a minute, then whisk in the yogurt, garlic, ginger, the juice of 1 lemon, and the salt. Fold in the chicken cubes, cover, and refrigerate 30 min to 4 hours (this is the step to do in the morning if you can) — but don't go past 4 hours, because lemon juice on lean breast turns the texture chalky overnight.
2Make the slaw now, while the chicken marinates — it needs the sitting time, and you do not want to be grating a pound of carrots while skewers are under the broiler. Whisk the rice vinegar, oil, ginger, and honey in a large bowl, add the grated carrots and cilantro, toss, and salt to taste. Cover and leave it on the counter; it gets better for the next half hour. (A food processor shredding disc turns 10 minutes of box-grating into 2.)
3Set an oven rack about 6 inches under the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Line a sheet pan with foil, then set a wire rack on top if you have one — elevating the skewers lets both sides char instead of the undersides steaming in their own marinade. No rack? Oil the foil well, or the marinade will glue the chicken down and tear it when you flip.
4Thread the chicken onto the skewers, leaving a little space between cubes so they char instead of steam, and wipe the drippy excess marinade off as you go — a thin clinging coat blisters, a thick puddle just boils. Lay them across the rack.
5Broil 5–6 min, flip the skewers, and broil another 3–4 min until the edges are charred in spots and the biggest cube reads 160°F at the center. Rest them on the pan 5 min — they coast to 165°F and stay juicy. Lean breast goes from done to dry in about 90 seconds, so start checking early rather than trusting the clock.
6While the skewers broil, get the plates and the yogurt out and cut the lemon wedges — the slaw is already done and waiting.
7When the skewers come out, turn the broiler OFF and warm the naan on the still-hot oven rack for 2–3 min — a live broiler will blacken it in seconds. Or do it in a dry skillet, 1 min per side. Serve the skewers with the slaw, warm naan, a spoon of yogurt, and lemon wedges. Leftover slaw weeps overnight — drain the liquid off and re-salt lightly before serving it again.