Tikka Marinated Grilled Chicken

This is a traditional Indian recipe for grilling chicken - the richness of the marinade gives chicken a lovely depth of flavour, and the yoghurt helps to keep it moist and tender. There are two ways of cooking the chicken, depending on which part you're using. Grill cubes of breast meat on skewers hot and fast and you'll have tender, juicy kebabs. If you're doing joints or legs on the bone, grill them much more slowly to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked without being burnt on the outside.

Ingredients

• 4 breasts/legs good quality organic or free-range chicken
• 500ml yoghurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne or chili pepper
• Pinch ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt

Prepare your chicken - cut breasts into equal size cubes, score larger pieces. Season.

Mix everything together - yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne or chilli (if using) and ginger - you should have a fairly thick paste, stiff enough to stick to your chicken.

Add chicken and stir to ensure everything is well coated, then cover and let it marinate in the fridge for about 3 hours.

Light your barbecue, and let the charcoal burn down to white in colour.

Grill larger pieces of chicken slowly on a moderate part of your barbecue. When nearly cooked, grill the kebabs over a higher heat to ensure everything is ready at the same time.

Guest barbecue guru: EyeOnDubai