Indulge in our favorite Chicken Malai Boti! Tender chicken, marinated in creamy yogurt, is grilled or pan-fried to perfection, creating a mouth-watering dish that’s sure to please.
What is Malai Boti?
“Malai” translates to cream, and “boti” means a piece of meat. These bite-sized pieces of chicken are marinated with in a creamy dressing, then grilled or pan fried.
This is a simple, yet classic meat dish that you will keep making over and over again.
It is especially perfect for the summer grilling season, but you can also pan-fry it to enjoy it all year round!
If you are looking for more easy kabab and grill recipes, try some of these:
- Tandoori Chicken: Pakistani BBQ Chicken
- Seekh Kabab – Pakistani Ground Beef Skewers
- Gola Kabab Recipe
Chapli Kabab
Ingredients for Chicken Malai Boti
- Chicken – Boneless chicken pieces are ideal for this recipe. We love to use boneless chicken breasts, but you can also use boneless chicken thighs.
- Green Chili, Garlic, Ginger – the flavors of fresh ginger, garlic, and chili come through in this recipe!
- Cashews – give the chicken boti a nutty and creamy flavor and bring together the marinade.
- Spices – fennel, cumin, green cardamom, and white pepper – these spices complement the creamy marinade.
- Greek yogurt and heavy cream – both yogurt and cream help tenderize the chicken while it is marinating.
You can make this recipe on an outdoor grill or use an indoor griddle or a cast iron pan for this recipe!
How to make Chicken Malai Boti?
Prepare the marinade for the chicken
For the marinade start by making a thick paste with
- Cashews
- Ginger, garlic, and chili
- Whole and ground spices – fennel, cumin, cardamom, white pepper
Use a blender to grind the spices together with the cashews, garlic, ginger and chili. If you need, add a little milk to help make the paste.
Then stir in the paste with the heavy cream, and yogurt.
Marinate the chicken
Coat the the chicken completely and let it marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
The longer it marinates, the better the chicken will taste.
Grill or pan fry the chicken
- If the chicken is in the fridge, remove it from the refrigerator a few hours before you plan to cook so that it has time to come to room temperature.
- Cook the chicken on a grill, griddle, or cast iron pan.
- You can either thread pieces of chicken onto skewers or leave them as cubed chicken.
- Heat your griddle pan/skillet to medium heat. Brush the griddle or pan with oil/butter or ghee and transfer the chicken to the preheated pan or griddle.
- Cook on each side for 5-7 minutes.
Tips for Chicken Malai Boti
- The marinade is the key for tender chicken malai boti. The longer you let the chicken marinate, the more tender your chicken will be.
- Traditionally, malai boti is made in a tandoor (traditional grill). Follow the directions to smoke your chicken to get a touch of that classic smokey flavor!
- You can adjust the level of heat in the chicken malai boti by adding fewer or no chilis.
Serve this chicken malai boti with a side of naan, roti or paratha, along with sliced onions, cucumbers and tomatoes.
The chicken malai boti goes really well with so many different chutneys. Some of our favorites:
- Green Chutney
- Mint Raita: Easy Yogurt Sauce
- Khajur Imli Chutney: Sweet and Tangy Tamarind and Date Sauce
If you’re looking for side dishes to pair with chicken malai boti, here are our favorites:
- Kachumber Salad: Easy Side Salad
- Corn Bhel: Easy Corn Chaat Salad
- Laal Aloo: Spicy, Tangy Potatoes
- Lachha Paratha: How to make flaky plain Paratha?
If you give this Chicken Malai Boti recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Chicken Malai Boti
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts approx 500 gms make, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste
- 3-5 Green chillis adjust to taste
- 1 ½ inch Ginger pieces
- 2 cloves Garlic optional optional
- 50 grams Cashews
- 1 tablespoon Roasted cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon Green Cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon White Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt or hung curd
- 2 tablespoons Heavy cream or fresh cream
To finish
- 2 pieces charcoal see charcoal smoke instructions
Instructions
Prep the chicken
- Clean chicken, and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces, and add to a large bowl with vinegar & salt. Mix well, wash off the vinegar. Transfer chicken to a sieve or colander to drain out the excess water.
Prepare the marinade
- Soften cashews in boiling water or the microwave. And strain. Stovetop: Place cashews in a small pot, cover with water, bring to boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Strain the cashews. Microwave: Place cashews in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Cool, and strain cashews.
- Grind all the whole spices, ginger and garlic, green chili, and cashews to make a thick paste. Add a little milk if needed.
- To a large bowl, add the chicken with the spice paste, yogurt and cream. Coat the chicken thoroughly.
- Set aside for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cook the Chicken Malai Boti
- If the chicken is in the fridge, remove it from the refrigerator a few hours before you plan to cook so that it has time to come to room temperature.
- Cook the chicken on a grill, griddle or cast iron pan.
- You can either thread pieces of chicken onto skewers or leave as cubed chicken.
- Heat your griddle pan/skillet to medium heat. Brush the griddle or pan with oil/butter or ghee and transfer chicken to the pre-heated pan or griddle.
- Cook on each side for 5-7 minutes.
Optional – Charcoal Smoke the Chicken
- Place the cooked chicken onto a pan with a tight fitting lid with a small piece of foil.
- Carefully, heat the charcoal on the stove until it turns red, and immediately place the charcoal in the pan onto the foil. Pour a one half teaspoon of oil on the charcoal and it will start smoking heavily.
- Cover the pan immediately and let the chicken smoke for about five minutes. The chicken will get a smoky flavour just like a tandoor oven.
- Garnish with sliced onions, and serve with naan or paratha along with your favorite chutneys and sauces.