Chicken Malai Tikka (Baked)

About this recipe

Malai tikka is typically associated with tandoors and restaurant kitchens, but this oven-baked version proves that home cooks can achieve silken, charred, impossible-to-dry-out chicken without special equipment. The secret is the marinade: cashew paste creates a silken coating while cream enriches without heaviness, and white pepper's subtle heat prevents the dish from becoming one-dimensional white-sauce blandness. The high moisture content of the marinade works against drying out—the chicken stays impossibly creamy inside while the oven develops charred edges where it meets the tray. Greek yogurt provides tang that lifts the cream's richness, cheddar adds savory umami, and kasuri methi contributes an almost fruity complexity that distinguishes this from generic cream curries. This is restaurant-quality without the restaurant price. The technique that matters is the oven temperature: 230 Celsius is high enough to develop char in just 14 minutes without cooking the chicken through. Halfway through baking, brush more marinade over the pieces to build layers of coating. The residual heat does the final cooking; pull the pieces out while they still look slightly underdone in the center—carryover heat finishes them. Dust with chaat masala while hot so it clings to the slightly sticky exterior. Serve this as a snack with mint chutney and onion rings for crunch, or alongside basmati rice and a cool raita. It's excellent cold the next day, tucked into lunch boxes or served at room temperature as part of a spread. Pairs with both Indian and international sides. Makes enough for three generous portions or four as an appetizer.