Double marinated boneless pieces of chicken make Chicken Reshmi kabab. The long and thin pieces of meat are first tenderized by marinating with lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, and salt. The second marinade is white and made up of hung curd, fresh cream, and several aromatic spices and herbs. It is refrigerated for a couple of hours for proper marination and then grilled on a pan using a mixture of ghee and cooking oil to a perfect golden exterior. Go through my easy recipe to learn the steps to make Chicken Reshmi kabab at home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Chicken reshmi kabab is a widely popular Mughlai appetizer in India, commonly served at restaurants, celebrations, and festive gatherings.
- Serve it hot as is or with mayonnaise, tomato sauce, green chutney, fresh salad, onion rings, a lemon wedge, or with roomali roti.
- Chicken reshmi kabab offers a creamy, mildly spicy, and earthy taste.
- Other similar recipes are chicken malai kabab, murgh malai tikka, Afghani chicken kabab, and chicken seekh kabab.
The Ingredients:
For the first marination:
- 500 grams chicken (washed, dried, cut into thin, long, boneless pieces)
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
- ½ tsp salt
For the second marination:
- 3 tbsp hung yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cream
- 1 tsp green chili paste (or crushed roughly)
- 1 tsp white pepper powder
- ½ tsp green cardamom powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
- Salt as per taste
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
To roast the chicken pieces:
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
- Skewers (steel or bamboo, as many as required)
A chat with a family friend who is famous among us for her rich Mughlai dishes sparked it. Her voice lit up when she brought up Chicken Reshmi kabab one weekend while we talked about home-cooked dinners. She walked me through the recipe, explaining every ingredient, every step, and trick. My pen moved fast across the pages of my kitchen journal, catching even small things she warned mattered from years of trial. Afterward, I flipped back through those scribbles just to make sure timing and amounts stayed true on paper.
That following weekend, I prepared it for my husband along with our two boys – what came out surprised me completely. Juicy pieces, full of flavor, cooked just right, carried a soft mix of creamy warmth and gentle heat. He liked how close it tasted to something from a dining spot, whereas the kids returned twice more to finish every bit. Watching them enjoy it shifted how I saw the time spent cooking, suddenly feeling like luck had led me here, hands holding a recipe that works without fail.
How to Make Chicken Reshmi Kabab? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Take 500 grams of chicken. Wash them nicely and pat dry. Then cut them into thin, long, boneless pieces and keep them in a bowl. Add 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp of salt, and 2 tsp of lemon juice (half a lemon) to the chicken pieces and coat them nicely. Leave the bowl in the fridge for half an hour for the first marination.
Step 2: For the second marination, take 3 tbsp of hung yogurt, ¼ cup of fresh cream, 1 tsp of green chili paste (or crushed roughly), 1 tsp of white pepper powder, ½ tsp of green cardamom powder, ½ tsp of garam masala powder, ¼ tsp of nutmeg powder, salt as per taste, and finely chopped coriander leaves in a separate bowl. Mix them nicely.
(Pro tip: The marinade should be white in color. So, do not use coriander leaves paste.)
Step 3: Add the marinated chicken pieces kept in the fridge to the mixture. Coat every piece very nicely. Cover it with a lid and keep it in the fridge again for a couple of hours.
Step 4: Now, take each long piece of the marinated chicken, fold it in half, and insert it into the skewer. Repeat the steps to make as many skewers as required.
Step 5: Heat a grilling pan and put 1 tbsp of cooking oil and 1 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter) when hot. Brush nicely on the entire surface.
Step 6: Place the skewers gently on it. Let it cook on one side for about a minute on a medium to low flame before flipping it.
Step 7: Flip them a couple of times to cook nicely on all sides and achieve a nice golden color. Remove them when done.
Step 8: Your tasty, spicy, and creamy homemade chicken Reshmi kabab is ready. Garnish them with a few finely chopped coriander leaves on top and serve hot. Use a fork to take out the chicken pieces from the skewer and enjoy.
Recipe Card
Chicken Reshmi Kabab
Ingredients
For the first marination:
- 500 grams chicken washed, dried, cut into thin long boneless pieces
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tsp lemon juice half a lemon
- ½ tsp salt
For the second marination:
- 3 tbsp hung yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cream
- 1 tsp green chili paste or crushed roughly
- 1 tsp white pepper powder
- ½ tsp green cardamom powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
- Salt as per taste
- Coriander leaves finely chopped
To roast the chicken pieces:
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp ghee clarified butter
- Skewers steel or bamboo, as many as required
Instructions
- Take 500 grams of chicken. Wash them nicely and pat-dry. Then cut them into thin long boneless pieces and keep in a bowl. Add 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp of salt, and 2 tsp of lemon juice (half a lemon) to the chicken pieces and coat them nicely. Leave the bowl in the fridge for half an hour for the first marination.
- For the second marination, take 3 tbsp of hung yogurt, ¼ cup of fresh cream, 1 tsp of green chili paste (or crushed roughly), 1 tsp of white pepper powder, ½ tsp of green cardamom powder, ½ tsp of garam masala powder, ¼ tsp of nutmeg powder, salt as per taste, and finely chopped coriander leaves in a separate bowl. Mix them nicely. (Pro tip: The marinade should be white in color. So, do not use coriander leaves paste.)
- Add the marinated chicken pieces kept in the fridge to the mixture. Coat every piece very nicely. Cover it with a lid and keep it in the fridge again for a couple of hours.
- Now, take each long piece of the marinated chicken, fold it in half, and insert it into the skewer. Repeat the steps to make as many skewers as required.
- Heat a grilling pan and put 1 tbsp of cooking oil and 1 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter) when hot. Brush nicely on the entire surface.
- Place the skewers gently on it. Let it cook on one side for about a minute on a medium to low flame before flipping them.
- Flip them a couple of times to cook nicely on all sides and achieve a nice golden color. Remove them when done.
- Your tasty, spicy, and creamy homemade chicken Reshmi kabab is ready. Garnish them with a few finely chopped coriander leaves on top and serve hot. Use a fork to take out the chicken pieces from the skewer and enjoy.
