Malai Chicken Kebab

  
Malai chicken kebab is a moist chicken kebab that is highly loved by Indians as well as many others. Here in Kuwait, I’ve  seen that the Arab crowd devours chicken kebabs…..and many other north Indian food for that matter. 

   
 
Charred and succulent cubes of chicken pieces with the amazing flavor from the spices, saffron and cream accompanying drinks, raitas and relishes and mounds of fluffy pulao or biryani is enough to tempt anyone in the world. 
  
   
The one who made me fall in love with these kebabs is my besty, my food guru, my cooking inspiration, my ethatha (sister❤️). I love the kebabs she makes……actually i love whatever she makes, even if it is just a lemonade it will taste out of this world. Ok, back to the kebabs- yeah…the main feature about all of her meat dishes is how juicy and tender it will be everytime, just all the time. She says the key to getting juicy, tender chicken are cooking them right and using the magic ingredient….raw papaya

   
 
She always tells me not to overcook the chicken, which will give you hard, rubbery meat. 15 minutes cooking time is enough actually, especially when cooking with breast pieces. 

 
Raw papaya, my friends is the best! It is a natural meat tenderizer. I used it for this kebab and it was juicy and tender like never before. I think you cannot mess up when you use this ingredient. I researched on how this works and read that papaya has enzymes that breaks down the collagen and other connective tissue in meats. It’s  that simple! 

If you are a kebab lover, definitely make these. 

  

INGREDIENTS:

  • 500 gms chicken breast
  • 3 tbsp yoghurt
  • 3 tbsp cream
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 11/2 tsp pepper powder
  • 2 chopped green chillies
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
  • 2-3 tbsp butter/ghee for the marinade and 1-2 tbsp butter/ghee for basting while grilling
  • 1 tbsp raw papaya paste
  • 2 tbsp saffron water (soak few strands of saffronin warm water for 5 minutes)
  • 1 tbsp rose water
  • Salt to taste

METHOD:

  1. Soak the chicken pieces in all the above ingreidents except salt and marinate overnight. 
  2. Add in the salt just before grilling. Grill till cooked. Remember to baste the chicken with a little ghee twice while grilling. 

  

Notes:

✔️ You can use boneless thigh piece if you prefer that. 

✔️ To make the papaya paste, peal the papaya and and make a paste out of it in a blender. 

✔️ Do not overcook the meat. 

✔️ You have to marinate this overnight to get tender kebabs. 

   

 

Malai Chicken Kebab

Charred and succulent cubes of chicken pieces with the amazing flavor from the spices, saffron and cream
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

INGREDIENTS

  • 500 gms chicken breast
  • 3 tbsp yoghurt
  • 3 tbsp cream
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 11/2 tsp pepper powder
  • 2 chopped green chillies
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
  • 2-3 tbsp butter/ghee for the marinade and 1-2 tbsp butter/ghee for basting while grilling
  • 1 tbsp raw papaya paste
  • 2 tbsp saffron water soak few strands of saffronin warm water for 5 minutes
  • 1 tbsp rose water
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

METHOD

  • Soak the chicken pieces in all the above ingreidents except salt and marinate overnight.
  • Add in the salt just before grilling. Grill till cooked. Remember to baste the chicken with a little ghee twice while grilling.

Notes

Notes:
* You can use boneless thigh piece if you prefer that.
* To make the papaya paste, peal the papaya and and make a paste out of it in a blender.
* Do not overcook the meat.
* You have to marinate this overnight to get tender kebabs.

 

15 thoughts on “Malai Chicken Kebab

  1. looks yummy, what is the rice I see in these pictures because that looks so good. Can you share that recipe as well?
    Thank you for sharing these recipes and tips.

    1. Thanks Sneh! That rice in the picture is kabsa. I made it with a kabsa spice mix which i got from dubai. I will post a kabsa recipe for you sometime dear.

  2. Walaikimsalaam! Thanks a loot sunithatha! Seriously, your comment always brings a biiiig smile on my face.
    No, the recipe for that rice is not there on the blog. Had made kabsa. But that was a very easy recipe. My sis had sent this kabsa spice mix from Dubai. I prepared with that, super simple. I think the brand name of that spice mix is marroush.
    Happy you liked the brownie. Do sent fotos next time. Would love to see.

  3. These look so delicious, Sadia! There are so many flavors going on in the chicken. I appreciate the tips about the papaya. I always tend to overcook chicken as I’m so afraid it will not be cooked through. I need to just get over that, and not cook it so long. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and recipe!

  4. hi sadia, can u please tell me if u made papaya paste out of the green skin or the flesh inside

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