Make Delicious Air Fryer Chicken Tikka at Home!

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Why This Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Recipe Works

• Authentic Indian recipe brought home: I always order chicken tikka at Indian restaurants, and I can attest that this homemade recipe tastes just like from the restaurants! Yes, no tandoor is required - just your air fryer which I feel most modern kitchens have these days!
• Perfect char: As mentioned before, chicken tikkas are a highlight at Indian restaurants. Their key characteristic is the incredible smokiness on the pieces of meat. The air fryer will be able to do this with ease!
• Easier and less messy than the oven: I’ve been making chicken tikkas in the oven for over the past decade I’ve been in Canada. The broiler method has been my closest way to achieve restaurant-style chicken tikkas at home ever since, but now that I have an air fryer, this is going to change. The problem with making the tikkas in the oven is that the baking tray and the wire rack get really dirty after each use, and it’s always a pain in the butt to clean up, especially if you don’t have a dishwasher! Plus, you really have to be extra attentive when the chicken tikkas are broiling in the oven. On the other hand, you just need to throw your chicken tikkas in the air fryer and there is much less supervision required!
• Quick cook time: I also observed that it is so much faster to cook the tikkas in the air fryer versus the oven! The cook time was quite honestly cut down by half!
• Versatile servings: You can have your tikkas as a starter or use them later on in famous curry recipes. I’ll outline all the ways you can enjoy your authentic chicken tikkas made in the air fryer later on in this post!

Questions You May Have!

Mistakes You Might Be Making When Making Air Fryer Chicken Tikka

Too much moisture in the marinade: Moisture really is the enemy when it comes to air frying! You need to ensure to remove as much excess as possible so that the air fryer can begin cooking the food as soon as possible, instead of spending time removing the excess. If you’ve got too much moisture, you’re going to end up steaming your food instead of air frying it, and this can impact the texture and char we want to get out of this recipe. See the images below when I sabotage some pieces of chicken tikka on purpose by adding extra yogurt that is right from the tub to my marinade!

Not using the right spice in the marinade: We are using Kashmiri mirch for this recipe. This spice blend is not too spicy but it will give you the bright red color. I never use food colouring!

Not preheating the air fryer: Cooking your chicken from a cold basket is pointless, and this can result in inconsistent cook times. Preheat the air fryer so that it’s fully warmed through, and that when you add the food it will start to cook immediately.

Overcrowding the basket: Having the pieces of chicken touch each other is a huge no-no. We need that hot and dry air in the air fryer to circulate properly on all sides of the chicken so that it’s properly cooked and charred. Otherwise, you’ll end up with pale spots on the parts of chicken that are touching each other, and then a burnt char on the other sides since those sides were exposed to the hot air for too long. See what happens below when we overcrowd our chicken tikka pieces in the air fryer with our marinade that has too much moisture!

Not doing the two-cook method: I am guilty that my previous recipe used to do this! I would just straight cook the chicken at 440 F, which is a very high temperature. I found that now if I start the chicken at 375 F to tenderize and cook the chicken through, then blast the heat at 400 for just a couple of minutes I’ll get so much more flavor and juiciness and an even better char! See what happens below with our overcrowded and overly moist marinade without preheating the air fryer and cooking the thighs at an arbitrary time and temperature. These thighs looked decent, but I found that there was no cohesion back in the chicken tikkas, and the spices were burnt and separate from the char. Not good at all!

Tools Needed to Make Chicken Tikka in the Air Fryer

• Cutting board
• Salt crock
• Air fryer
• Air fryer liners
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Chef’s knife
• Mixing bowl
• Tongs
• Basting brush
• Ramekin

Ingredients for Indian Chicken Tikka

You can find the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post to save the recipe for later and to see all ingredients and their quantities. By default, this recipe is for 8 chicken thighs, which will yield about 16 tikkas.

For the First Marinade

• Lemon juice: You can also use lime juice, which I’m using here.
• Kashmiri mirch:Gives a lovely red colour without too much heat. Paprika can be a decent substitute if you don’t have Kashmiri mirch. As I outline in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Making Cooking Fun!!, using a suitable substitute when appropriate can save you an unnecessary trip to the grocery store if this is going to be a niche ingredient for you in the future. However, if possible, I do suggest you get the real deal! Check your local South Asian grocery store or Amazon.
• Salt: Key seasoning to taste.

For the Second Marinade

• Chicken: I’m using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you’re using skin-on and bone-in, you’ll want to remove the bone and de-skin the thighs.
• Yogurt: For best results, I suggest you follow my Hung Curd recipe. This little extra step goes a long way! What hanging the yogurt does is remove the excess moisture from the chicken so that you get perfect results without the air fryer having to cook off extra moisture from the marinade. You just need some plain yogurt for hung curd. Full fat or lower fat won’t matter. I used to add the yogurt directly from the tub into the marinade, but hanging my yogurt has made a significant difference.
• Ginger-garlic paste: I always recommend you make your own. It is just ginger, garlic, and some water in a blender! Be sure to check out my complete recipe - it comes together in just 15 minutes and you can make a large batch of it!
• Garam masala: An iconic Indian spice that adds a great aroma, completing the marination.
• Lemon: Ideally freshly squeezed lemon juice, but bottled lemon juice will work fine too (ensure it’s not from concentrate!).
• Turmeric: A small amount to brighten the colour of the marinade.
• Liquid smoke: This extra touch has really been a game changer! It helps to create the signature char of an authentic chicken tikka. If you’re making these on the barbecue, you won’t need this step.
• Mustard oil: My top recommendation to get a fantastic smoky char on the chicken. If you don’t have it (like I didn’t today!), then vegetable oil or any neutral oil will work fine too.
• Kashmiri chili powder: To further develop the bright red colour of the chicken tikka and to add more flavour.
• Corn starch: This helps tenderize the chicken and ensure that the marinade doesn’t get stuck to the chicken pieces.
• Salt

How to Make Air Fried Chicken Tikka

For the First Marinade

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken thighs with lemon juice, Kashmiri mirch, and salt. Mix well and marinate for 20–30 minutes.

For the Second Marinade

To the same bowl, add all the ingredients for the second marinade. Mix well until the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.

Mix well, cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

To Air Fry and Serve

Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.

Place the rack inside the air fryer basket and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer, leaving space between each piece.

Air fry at 375°F for 10 minutes. At the 5-minute mark, flip the chicken pieces and baste both sides with melted butter.

Increase the temperature to 400°F and cook for another 5–7 minutes, basting with more butter as needed, until lightly charred and cooked through.

Serve hot with cilantro mint chutney, lemon wedges, melted butter, and a sprinkle of chaat masala if desired.

Enjoy!

Tips for Restaurant-Quality Chicken Tikka Made in the Air Fryer

• The longer your marinate the chicken, the better! If you can marinate it overnight or even for a full day, you’ll get the most flavorful results.
• Use mustard oil for the best char and flavour in your chicken tikka. This is a great choice because it has a high smoke point
• If you’re wondering how many chicken thighs to make to serve a crowd, usually a portion is 1 and a half chicken thighs to 2 per person.
• Pour some molten butter on top of your chicken tikkas if serving as an appetizer for the most incredible experience!

Serving Suggestions for Air Fried Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka can be served on its own as an appetizer, it appears on the menu at restaurants. Here’s how to serve these as an appetizer:

• As skewers: Place them on a bamboo skewer or metal skewer with roasted onions and peppers. You could also marinate the onions and peppers with the chicken.
• Brush on some molten butter with a basting brush as needed along with a pinch of chaat masala
• Lemon wedges to squeeze some fresh juice on top of the chicken pieces.
• Cilantro Mint Chutneyfor dipping!

You can have these with some rice, including Steamed White Rice, Jeera Rice (cumin-spiked rice), Indian-Style Cilantro-Lemon Rice, Pudina-Dhanya Pulao (Mint-Cilantro Rice), Haldi Rice (turmeric rice), or a Light and Healthy Vegetable Pulao. Bread is also delicious with tikkas, such as Tandoori Naan, Lachha Paratha, or Rumali Roti. This is also a great appetizer before other mains for lunch or dinner, such as Delhi-Style Chole, Restaurant Baignan Bharta, or Dum Aloo.