Summer Grilling: Chicken Tikka & Cilantro-Mint Chutney

When I reach for an Indian cookbook, my go-to is Curried Favors: Family Recipes from South India. You might recognize the name from her line of simmer sauces (the coconut curry is delish!) available at Costco and other stores. So, why Maya Kaimal, not Madhur Jaffrey, widely thought of as the authority on Indian cooking? I do have Madhur Jaffrey’s Illustrated Indian Cookery (both books live in the kitchen, which tells you something). But I picked up Maya’s book about 10 years ago, and at that point there were only three recipes I wanted — samosas, chicken tikka (not masala), and cilantro-mint chutney.

Even though I now have a broader repertoire when it comes to cooking and eating Indian food, I come back to these dishes again and again because you can’t go wrong with good marinated grilled chicken and a fresh chutney. If you have folks around your table who think they don’t like Indian food, the tikka is a good on-ramp. It’s simple, flavorful and clean. And, it introduces a good number of the core ingredients/spices used in Indian curries and Indian cooking overall.

Though it’s not traditional, I served the chicken with some grilled red bell peppers and zucchini, so we could get it all done at once. Of course, we had some Trader Joe’s naan (garlic or plain) from the frozen section — love that stuff, it blows away the version in the bakery aisle. Just don’t do what I did, thinking it would be a great idea to warm them on the grill wrapped in foil. They may have been fine when they came off, but they ended up steaming and getting a little flabby as we got everything on the table. It didn’t stop me from eating it, but still.

Other great sides, depending on what time of year you make the tikka, are these cumin-roasted carrots and AOC’s roasted curried cauliflower.