Chicken Malai Boti or malai tikka is a staple Pakistani kabab dish which is super delicious, luscious, delectable, succulent, super creamy and tender and just amazing. Chicken chunks are dunked in malai or fresh cream along with a few spices and then charred in the oven or barbecued over the grill. Enjoy these creamy malai boti with creamy texture as a side dish or a full meal along with Roghni Naan or Turkish Naan.
The Chicken Malai Boti or Murgh Malai Tikka (as they call it in Pakistan and India) are soft, tender, juicy little pieces of chicken which are made on stove top or in an oven after being marinated in a special blend of spices, herbs and full fat cream. The marinated chicken makes it a delicious recipe.
It is a great addition to your main course recipes. Make it for your daily lunches or a dinner party or you can serve it at any gathering as well. The best part is this chicken malai boti recipe is super easy to make and even a novice can make it easily by following some easy steps. This is going to be your next favorite dish for the barbecue parties.
Loves kababs? Try our Chapli Kabab recipe as well.
Table of Contents
why this recipe works?
- This chicken malai boti recipe is super easy to make.
- The texture of these chicken pieces is soft, juicy and moist from inside and golden brownish crispy from outside.
- Enjoy the Chicken Malai Boti as an appetizer or serve it as a complete meal.
what is chicken malai boti?
Malai boti is a combination of two Urdu words. Malai means cream and boti means pieces or bites of chicken. So this dish's name is pretty self-explanatory.
Other common names for this recipes are Malai Chicken Tikka or Murgh Malai Tikka. Murgh means Chicken and Tikka means Barbecued meat in Urdu language.
These kababs got this name because they literally melt-in-the-mouth and are super creamy.
Another thing that sets them apart from other tikkas or chicken kababs is that these kababs use minimal spices or masalas and yet they taste amazing.
ingredients & substitutions for chicken malai boti
Pro Tip # 1
Always use room temperature ingredients for baking (unless otherwise specified) as they incorporate better and give perfect baked treats.
- Chicken breasts: use chicken breasts and cut them in about 1 - 2 inch of boneless chicken cubes. While they are best done with chicken breasts but you may use boneless chicken thighs as well.
- Heavy cream: use fresh heavy whipping cream for this recipe. You may use single cream too with 15 - 18 % fat content.
- Yogurt: use full fat yogurt to get the best possible results. You may also substitute it with greek yogurt or low fat yogurt.
- Lemon juice: use fresh lemon juice. It provides tangienss and tenderizes the chicken pieces as well. You may also use bottled lemon juice.
- Fresh coriander: use fresh coriander for best results. Chop it finely.
- Green chilies: chop them finely or make a paste. Use as many green chillies as you like. Too little green chillies will make your Chicken Boti bland. You may also use jalapeno peppers as well.
- Ginger + Garlic: chop the ginger and garlic cloves finely. You may use garlic paste and ginger paste (½ teaspoon each) as well.
- Black pepper: use freshly cracked black pepper for best taste. You can substitute it with white pepper powder as well.
- Salt
variations
- Barbecue Flavor: once the chicken pieces are done grilling, baking or frying smoke them with a big pieces of charcoal. Place a piece of charcoal on the stove top until it burns and turns white in color. Place it over a foil cup in your frying pan, or the serving dish and dizzle some drops of oil and cover the pan or serving dish for 3 - 4 minutes. The charcoal smoke aroma will add more flavor to these pieces of chicken.
- Paratha Rolls, Wraps or Sandwiches: make paratha rolls, wraps or sandwiches using the chicken malai boti as the filling.
how to make chicken malai boti
These are basic process shots for this recipe. For detailed instructions refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Combine chicken pieces and all other ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2. Mix it well and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. Place the marinated chicken pieces in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours.
3. Insert the chicken pieces in wooden or steel skewers.
4. Place the skewers on a wire rack in the baking tray.
5. Brush the kababs with remaining marination.
6. Then brush the kababs with oil and bake in the preheated oven at 425 F for 10 - 12 minutes.
serving suggestions
- Chutney: sever these Malai Chicken Botis with the traditional Pakistani Green Chutney or Mint Chutney.
- Choice of Naan: these chicken malai botis go great when you pair them with traditional Pakistani naans and any bread of your choice such as Pita Bread.
- Serve these chicken pieces with lemon wedges. Squeezing lemon over the chicken pieces will add more flavor.
different cooking methods
- Frying: Add cooking oil to a large frying pan and let it heat up for about 3 minutes. Place the kabab skewers on the frying pan and let it fry at medium heat for 6 - 8 minutes each side.
- Air Fryer: Place the chicken skewers in the air fryer at 330 F for around 10 – 12 minutes until the chicken turns to golden brown color and until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. You can use a grilling tray accessory to get the grill marks on the skewers.
- Grilling: Place the chicken pieces into the wooden or metal skewers and grill them from top and bottom side for about 8 minutes each. The total grilling time will be about 16 minutes.
pro tips
Overnight Marination: For best possible results marinate the chicken and place it in the fridge for overnight. The spices will seep through the chicken pieces and will result in a very flavorful, moist and tender kababs the next day.
Wooden skewers: in case you are using wooden skewers for the chicken pieces, make sure to dip them 10 - 15 minute in water before using them to avoid burning of the wooden skewers while burning.
common questions
Meat tenderizer or papaya paste are used to tenderize the meat in most of the kababs recipes from Pakistan and India. However, this recipe does not require meat tenderizer. As the name suggests it is used to tenderize the meat, however, chicken does not require it. Just marinate the chicken as mentioned in the recipe steps and you'll get the tenderized, moist and soft chicken pieces.
yes, absolutely. Follow the recipe and place the chicken botis or pieces into the wooden skewers. Take a large frying pan and add oil for shallow frying. Place the wooden skewers in the pan once the oil is hot. Fry at medium heat for about 4 - 6 minutes and change the sides. Fry again for about 4 - 6 minutes. Taken them out once the chicken boti has changed its color golden brown.
you are right. This Malai Chicken Boti Recipe uses minimal of spices, which is unlike the regular Pakistani and Indian cuisine recipes. Because we are using minimal spices you won't see some regular Pakistani spices such as Garam Masala, Turmeric, Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder etc. We only use black pepper powder or white pepper powder.
Yes, by all means. I use metal skewers for chicken kababs all the time and they are perfect to make Chicken Tikkas.
Yes, we can double this recipe easily.
how to store chicken malai boti
- Place the leftover chicken pieces in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- The leftover malai chicken pieces can be stored in the freezer in a ziploc bag or an airtight container for about 3 months. Thaw them overnight before serving and warm in the microwave oven.
related kabab and chicken recipes
Did you make this recipe and loved it? Give it a 5-star 🌟 rating with a comment. Join our Now Delish newsletter to get a free ebook and weekly recipes. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Tiktok as well.
Recipe
Chicken Malai Boti
Ingredients
- 500 g boneless chicken pieces (2 large chicken breast pieces)
- ¼ cup yogurt (62 g) full fat
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream (60 g)
- 3 - 5 green chilies
- ½ cup coriander leaves (17 g)
- 1 teaspoon garlic (chopped) (3 g)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (chopped) (2 g)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder (2.3 g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon oil for brushing
Instructions
- Take a large bowl and add chicken pieces to it.
- Add all the other ingredients and spices to the chicken pieces.
- Mix and place in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours or overnight.
- Thread the chicken pieces on wooden or steel skewers. Bake in the oven at 425 F for 10 - 12 minutes until the chicken pieces are golden brown.
