Low Carb Indian Chicken Tikka Bites

These Low Carb Indian Chicken Tikka Bites are one of the simplest, quickest dishes I make, and you can cook it either in an oven, an air-fryer, or my favorite, simply in a skillet with lots of ghee.

I make these when I just couldn't be bothered to cook anything complicated, and as an added bonus, my picky eater loves this chicken kebab recipe.

What is Chicken Tikka?

Chicken Tika actually means a chicken nugget, if you will. That's the closest I can come up with for a translation.

So..umm..Indian chicken nuggets? Sounds weird, tastes amazing!

What is the difference between Chicken Tikka and Chicken Tikka Masala?

I have a super simple, very authentic recipe for an Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala.

The main difference is that chicken tikka is a dry dish, sort of like a chicken kebab.

Chicken Tikka Masala on the other hand, is chicken in a tomato-based gravy or sauce. In that case, the chicken isn't the star of the dish, as much as it is the gravy.

But for Chicken Tikka kebabs? It's ALL about that Chicken.

Traditionally, tikka is a tandoori dish and they're baked in a clay oven. Since I do not just happen to have a clay oven that reaches 800F in my back yard (if you do, I want to be your best friend), I use a skillet or my air fryer to make these.

What Can I Serve with these delicious little Indian Chicken Nuggets?

Once you learn how to make Chicken Tikka, you will come up with a variety of uses for it.

1. It actually tastes AMAZING when added the leftover Butter Chicken Sauce, but it would also taste great with some plain Basmati Pilau I also like to serve it with this simple Green Chutney.
2. For a low-carb version, I usually just serve this with side vegetable as it's plenty flavorful by itself. A traditional way to make a side salad would be sliced red onion, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and lemon or lime juice.
3. You could serve with naan if you weren't concerned with carbs
4. Serve as an appetizer with little fancy toothpicks
5. The most keto-friendly and delicious way would be to cook these, and then blend them into the leftover Makhani sauce you saved from this recipe.

Make Your Own Ghee

Here's an easy, food proof way on how to make your own homemade ghee for a fraction of the cost, and in under 20 minutes.

Step-By-Step Photos for Making Chicken Tikka

Step 1: Mix together the yogurt, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.

Step 2: Add in all the yummy spices like turmeric, cayenne, paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and salt.

Step 3: Add the cut up chicken and allow the mixture to marinate for a while. You can use chicken breast or thighs for this recipe.

Step 4: Heat some ghee in a pan.

Step 5: Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook, allowing it to sear to mimic the smoky, tandoori-grilled taste you'd get in a clay oven.

Step 6: Finish up with a nice, tart squirt of lemon or lime juice for a burst of tang at the end.

Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Chicken Tikka Bites at Home

• Marinate that chicken with yogurt for as long as you can, up to 24 hours. The lactic acid in dairy helps to break down the protein and tenderizes it just beautifully. This is especially needed if you're using chicken breast. But honestly, sometimes I just marinate for 30 minutes and it turns out just fine.
• If you're dairy-free or kosher, use lemon juice instead of the yogurt to provide the same tenderizing. You can also substitute oil instead of the ghee.
• Adjust the cayenne pepper to your family's taste. Remember you can always add cayenne pepper afterward, and the presence of the ghee coating each piece helps the cayenne adhere to it well, so you can spice up your portion after you've dished out portions for the non-spice tolerators in your family.
• Use ghee if possible as it has a high smoke point, which makes these chicken bites sear like champs. Here's an EASY recipe to make your own ghee.
• If you don't want to make your own ghee, you could try this one.
• Double up on this recipe and use the leftover chicken in the butter chicken sauce you have leftover.

If you and your family love these delicious Chicken Tikka Bites as much as I do, make sure you share this recipe with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so you can make them again soon.

Low Carb Indian Chicken Tikka Bites

Easiest ever high protein, low carb Chicken Tikka bites made a delicious but exotic version of humdrum chicken, one that the whole family is bound to love. 

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Course: Main Courses

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chicken tikka masala, Keto Indian Food, low carb chicken kababs

Servings: 4

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Twosleevers

Click on highlighted ingredients or Equipment to see exactly what I use to make this recipe

Equipment

• skillet
• Silicone Tongs
• PHILLIPS AIR FRYER
• Measuring Cups
• OVAL MEASURING SPOONS

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pounds chicken thighs , or breast, boneless skinless, cut into bite size cubes
• ▢ 1/2 cup Full-Fat Greek Yogurt
• ▢ 3-4 cloves Minced Garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Minced Ginger, minced
• ▢ 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons Turmeric
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Ghee
• ▢ 1 Lemon, juiced

Instructions

• Mix together chicken, yogurt, garlic, ginger, cilantro, salt, garam masala, cayenne, cumin, coriander, paprika, and let the chicken marinate for an hour or up to 24 hours. If you're using chicken breast, give it at least an hour for the yogurt to marinate the chicken
• When you're ready to cook this, heat a skillet, and when it's hot, add two tablespoons of ghee. You want a skillet that's large enough to let your chicken rest in a single layer across the pan, or be ready to cook it in batches. You want to quick cook this at high heat, frying in the ghee, not braise this.
• Carefully place the chicken in the skillet, and after 3-4 minutes, using tongs, turn the pieces to sear the other side. Once both sides are seared, you can reduce the heat a little to finish cooking the pieces, but all in all, you're looking at about 10 mins at most in the skillet, especially if you cut into bite-sized pieces as instructed
• Spritz the lemon juice across all the chicken right before serving.

Air fryer instructions

• If you're trying to avoid fat, you can cook this in an air-fryer at 400F for 12 minutes, turning half way through. They're a little dryer than the skillet method but the meat is still tender due to the yogurt marinade.
• Spritz the lemon juice across all the chicken right before serving.

Watch The Video

• Marinate that chicken with yogurt for as long as you can, up to 24 hours. The lactic acid in dairy helps to break down the protein and tenderizes it just beautifully. This is especially needed if you're using chicken breast. But honestly, sometimes I just marinate for 30 minutes and it turns out just fine.
• If you're dairy-free or kosher, use lemon juice instead of the yogurt to provide the same tenderizing. You can also substitute oil instead of the ghee.
• Adjust the cayenne pepper to your family's taste. Remember you can always add cayenne pepper afterward, and the presence of the ghee coating each piece helps the cayenne adhere to it well, so you can spice up your portion after you've dished out portions for the non-spice tolerators in your family.
• Use ghee if possible as it has a high smoke point, which makes these chicken bites sear like champs. Here's an EASY recipe to make your own ghee and I'll post the video here as well.
• If you don't want to make your own ghee, you could try this one.
• Double up on this recipe and use the leftover chicken in the butter chicken sauce you have left over.

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Cooking Group Keto Group

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 27g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

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If you're looking for more air fryer recipes btw, check out my Air Fryer Cookbook below!