Chicken Kathi Roll | Chicken Tikka Paratha Roll Recipe

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Cooking With Anadi

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Kathi Rolls are actually unbelievably easy to make, and it’s well worth it! If you’re not in India, then definitely make these kathi rolls so you can take on one of the most popular street foods! These rolls are so delicious - they merge the greatness of the Spicy Egg Roll but with the addition of juicy tandoori chicken. This recipe sure is a keeper, and you’ll be coming back to this when you want one of the most popular Indian street food dishes right from the comfort of your own home!

I loved having chicken tikka kathi rolls back in Delhi. They were one of my favorite street food options! Who can resist the juicy, tender chicken, the warm omelette, and the zesty mint chutney!

Of course, I can’t get this anywhere in Canada. After every visit, immense feelings of nostalgia run through my veins. I have to say that I definitely miss experiencing the streets of India.

The good news though is that recreating my favorites with my own twist really brings me back to the good old days of my teen years! These Indian street foods are so near and dear to my heart, and it thrills me to be sharing these recipes with you so no matter where you are in the world, you too can enjoy the awesomeness of Indian street foods! I know that these meals are so special to me, and they taste amazing. To have the opportunity to show you how to make these delicious street foods is such an honor, so I hope you try out this recipe and let me know in the comments what you think!

Tools Needed

• Nonstick pan
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Cutting board
• Knife

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need:

• Eggs
• Chicken Tikka
• Ghee
• Paratha
• Mint Chutney
• Salt
• Onion
• Tomato
• Other veggies, if desired

How to Make Chicken Tikka Kathi Rolls

Marination

The chicken is marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, Kashmiri deggi mirch and salt. The lemon juice and yogurt help to tenderize the chicken slightly and enhance the flavor from the spices, ginger and garlic. The marination time is quick, only about 20-30 minutes. A key ingredient in this recipe is the deggi mirch, which adds a lot of color, yes, NO FOOD COLORING here!

This quick marinade is adapted from my The BEST Chicken Tikka at Home recipe and the first and second marinade is combined to one for this quick lunch variation.

Cooking the Chicken

Oven-broiled method: This recipe attempts to replicate the char and smokiness achieved in a tandoori using your oven broiler. To do so, simply place the marinated chicken pieces on a wire rack, over a baking sheet and place directly under the broiler.

As the chicken cooks, the marinade may drip on the pan and start to burn. To avoid smoking, pour about 1/2 Cup water on the baking sheet and place baking sheet back in the oven. The chicken will take about 15-20 minutes to finish cooking, flip chicken halfway along the cooking process to evenly char the chicken.

The chicken tikka pieces are then tossed in butter to serve. You can skip this step if using chicken thighs as the dark meat is already extremely juicy.

Pan-seared method: This method is great if you don’t have an oven or prefer pan-searing instead. The chicken also cooks much faster, however as pan-searing any meat goes, be careful of the cooking time or you will risk drying out the meat.

To pan-sear, simply add some oil in a pan on medium heat and add the chicken tikka on the pan. I like to turn up the heat to medium high to add a nice sear to the chicken. The chicken should be ready in 10-15 minutes.

Making the Egg Roll

This is one of my favorite part of this recipe. Start with an 8 inch omelette pan and heat on medium-low and add some ghee.

In the meanwhile, whisk two eggs until well combined.

Add the whisked eggs to the hot pan.

Once the bottom of the egg starts to set, place white paratha or tortilla on the eggs.

Use a spatula to gently press on the eggs to ensure it coats the underside of the bread.

Keep cooking for 4-6 minutes until the eggs are fully cooked. Then, flip the egg paratha and lightly toast the bread, about a minute or so.

Fillings

The classic fillings include a mint chutney/pudina chutney, a red hot sauce (I use Frank’s hot sauce), thinly sliced onions, tomatoes and top with the chicken tikka. The combination is classic for a reason, however, I still need to figure out what type of chutney my favorite street food vendor uses, the flavors are so unique.

Once your roll has finished cooking, place it on your work surface.

Spread your cilantro-mint chutney in the center.

Then, add a few drops of hot sauce.

Now, add your sliced onions.

Add the sliced tomatoes.

Then, top with the chicken tikka pieces.

And that’s it! Now, gently wrap your kathi roll.

And wrap the bottom in aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Serve hot and enjoy!

The Quick Marinade, and What It Leaves Out

This is a shortcut marinade, and it helps to know what it is a shortcut from. Boneless chicken — one breast, cut into cubes — goes into 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 1/2 tbsp deggi mirch, one and a half teaspoon salt, 5 tbsp plain yogurt, 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and 1 tsp garam masala, with the traditional two-stage marinade collapsed into a single step. The full chicken tikka recipe this is adapted from runs a longer spice list, with cumin and coriander powder measured out separately; here the garam masala carries both, since ground cumin and coriander are the backbone of any garam masala blend. If you have the time and want the deeper flavour, marinate in two stages and add a teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder to the second one. The cubes matter more than people expect — keep them even, around an inch across, or the small pieces dry out while the big ones are still pink in the middle.

Three Ways to Cook the Chicken: Broiler, Pan or Air Fryer

A real tandoor cooks these on skewers over charcoal, and that is where the char and the smoke come from; none of the home methods reproduce it exactly. The broiler gets closest. Thread the cubes onto skewers or lay them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, and pour about 1/2 cup — ½ cup — of water into the pan underneath, so the marinade that drips off steams instead of smoking. Fifteen to twenty minutes under the element gives you those blackened edges. Pan-searing is faster: oil in a pan over medium heat, turned up to medium-high for colour, and the chicken is done in about 10 to 15 minutes — but it browns rather than chars, and it is easy to overshoot into dry. An air fryer sits neatly between the two, skewered or loose in a single layer, giving drier heat than a pan and better edges than a slow broiler with no water tray needed. Whichever route you take, toss the cooked pieces in butter before they go into the roll, unless you used thigh meat, which is juicy enough on its own.

If You Cannot Get Paratha