Sindh cuisine
Chicken Malai Tikka Karachi
Chicken Malai Tikka Karachi is a traditional Sindh Pakistani dish. Karachi's Chicken Malai Tikka is the city's most popular mild BBQ — bone-in chicken pieces marinated in a luxurious cream and cream cheese marinade, then grilled to silky golden perfection. Rich, mild, and completely irresistible.
Malai tikka swept through Karachi's restaurant scene like a delicious tide, and for good reason — it offers something the city's bold, spicy BBQ doesn't always provide: a dish that's accessible to everyone at the table, from children to spice-averse guests, without compromising on flavour richness.
The use of processed cheese (cream cheese or spreadable cheese) in some Karachi versions reflects the city's openness to incorporating non-traditional ingredients. Karachi's version of malai tikka tends to use bone-in chicken (unlike the boneless boti version), marinated more generously in cream and cheese for extra richness, and served with a drizzle of butter right off the grill. The bone-in pieces stay juicier and have more flavour than boneless, making Karachi's malai tikka particularly satisfying. Fun fact: malai tikka became Karachi's fastest-growing BBQ item in the 2000s as rising incomes meant more restaurant dining — and cream-based dishes, once considered a luxury, became more widely available. A delicious consequence of economic development.
Ingredients
Instructions
- SLASH DEEPLY: Make 3-4 deep cuts in each chicken piece to the bone. Cream marinade is thicker than oil-based — the cuts must be deep to allow penetration. HINT: Cuts also help bone-in pieces cook more evenly.
- RICH MARINADE: Whisk cream, cream cheese, and yoghurt until perfectly smooth. Add all remaining ingredients. The marinade should be thick, creamy, and pale. Taste it — it should be delicious even uncooked.
- OVERNIGHT MARINATE: Coat chicken thoroughly, pushing cream into the cuts. Marinate overnight minimum for bone-in pieces — the cream needs time to penetrate to the bone for full flavour.
- ROOM TEMPERATURE: Remove chicken from fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Cold bone-in pieces cook very unevenly — room temperature is essential.
- MEDIUM HEAT: Grill on medium heat (NOT high). Bone-in pieces take longer than boneless — 12-15 minutes per side. The cream must caramelise gently, not burn. Baste with butter every 3 minutes.
- GOLDEN FINISH: Malai tikka should be pale golden all over. The bone-in pieces need slightly longer cooking than boti — check by cutting near the bone; no pink means done. Final butter baste and serve immediately.
Chef's Secrets
Common Questions
How long does Chicken Malai Tikka Karachi take to make?
Total time is 40m — 15m prep and 25m cooking.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 4 servings, and is rated easy difficulty.
Which region of Pakistan is Chicken Malai Tikka Karachi from?
Chicken Malai Tikka Karachi is from Sindh, Pakistan — one of the country's most distinctive culinary traditions.
What do you serve with Chicken Malai Tikka Karachi?
Serve with mint raita and soft naan. The bone-in pieces are best eaten with hands at the table — not knife and fork. Lemon wedges on the side.
Goes Well With
Chicken Malai Tikka
Cream and cheese-marinated chicken grilled until charred and smoky — Lahore's favourite non-spicy appetiser that melts on your tongue.
Bihari Boti — Karachi's Partition Kebab
Paper-thin strips of beef tenderloin, pounded flat, marinated overnight in mustard oil and poppy seeds, skewered flat and grilled. A Karachi classic born from the Bihari community's journey at Partition.
Honey Chilli Chicken
The showpiece Pakistani Chinese starter — shatteringly crispy chicken cubes in a glossy, fiery-sweet glaze that is all heat first, honey second, and completely impossible to stop eating.
What Cooks Are Saying
Absolutely delicious! The flavours are spot on — tastes just like what I grew up eating.
Really enjoyed this. Leftovers tasted even better the next day.
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