Love my kebabs and Skewers
These BBQ tandoori chicken skewers combine juicy chicken thighs with a creamy marinade packed with ginger, garlic and Indian spices. Cooked directly over the charcoal, the outside develops a lightly charred crust while the chicken remains tender and succulent inside.
They are easy to prepare in advance and take around 16 minutes to cook, making them ideal for a relaxed summer barbecue. Serve them with warm flatbreads, salad and a cooling mint yoghurt sauce for a simple but seriously flavoursome meal.
For the F1 Grand Prix cook for the UK, I had planned to do Chicken Tikka Masala. This was going to be cooked on the Kadai Firebowl, but due to some bad weather, this cook turned into Tandoori Chicken Skewers. Not a bad substitute at all!
I absolutely love kebabs/skewers. With minimal effort and time, you can create some amazing-tasting food!
I usually follow the steps below to ensure I get a really good cook:
- Marinate the meat for at least 8 hours and preferably overnight – this is exactly what I did with this cook. In fact, they marinated for nearer 24 hours.
- Cook the kebabs using Russian Skewers. These have been such a great purchase!
- Do not overcook the meat. This can be difficult with kebabs but a combination of the marinade and aiming for a 15-minute cook usually does the trick.
Why Chicken Thighs?
Boneless chicken thighs are my preferred choice for these skewers. They contain more fat than chicken breast, which gives them more flavour and makes them much more forgiving over direct heat. Breast will work, but it needs closer attention to prevent it from drying out.
Preparation and Cook
As with all my cooks, I took the marinating meat out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before I wanted to start cooking.
Next up was lighting the BBQ, with two zones. I bank the charcoal to one side and remove the grate, so I don’t use baskets at all. Doing this really does make it easier to manage the cook. Thread the Chicken onto the Russian Skewers and then get cooking.
Cook the skewers over direct heat for approximately 12–16 minutes, rotating them every 3–4 minutes so the chicken colours evenly. Move them to the indirect side if the marinade starts to burn before the chicken is cooked. The chicken is ready when its thickest pieces reach at least 75°C internally. When I take them off, I then wrap them in foil whilst I cook the pita.
Thermapen ONE Digital Meat Thermometer — Instant 1 Second Readings, IP67 Waterproof Food Thermometer for Meat/Baking/BBQ/Sugar/Oil, Accurate Thermometer with Calibration Certificate
The Verdict
These skewers turned out even better than I expected. The marinade created a lightly charred, almost crisp coating, while the chicken thighs remained tender and juicy inside. You get plenty of garlic and ginger, gentle warmth from the Kashmiri chilli and a rich, creamy finish.
They are now firmly on my list of reliable BBQ recipes: easy to prepare ahead, quick to cook and ideal stuffed into a warm flatbread. Definitely a keeper!!
Tandoori Chicken skewers
How long should I marinate tandoori chicken?
At least four hours will give the chicken good flavour, but overnight is better. Your current eight-hour recommendation is reasonable. I would avoid suggesting substantially longer than 24 hours because prolonged marinating can affect the texture.
Can I use chicken breast instead?
Yes, but thigh meat is more forgiving and generally stays juicier over direct heat. If using breast, cut it into evenly sized pieces and begin checking the internal temperature earlier.
Can I cook tandoori chicken skewers in the oven?
Cook them on a rack over a lined tray at approximately 220°C/200°C fan for 15–20 minutes, turning once, and finish briefly under a hot grill for more colour. Only publish this after testing it yourself or clearly identify it as guidance rather than a tested Love2BBQ method.
Can I prepare the skewers in advance?
Yes. Marinate the chicken the day before, then thread it onto skewers shortly before cooking. Keep the chicken refrigerated until you are ready to light the BBQ.
What temperature should chicken skewers reach?
Check the thickest piece with an instant-read thermometer. It should reach at least 75°C internally.
Tandoori Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 4 Skinless and Boneless Chicken Thighs
- 5 cm Root Ginger (peeled and grated)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
- 4 tbsp Double Cream
- 2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil
- 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Kashmiri Mirch (Chilli Powder)
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients except the chicken thighs in a bowl. Dice the thighs and add to the marinade mixing well.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and marinate for a minimum of 8 hours.
- 20-30 minutes before you want to cook take the marinating chicken out of the fridge and then prepare the BBQ.
- Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Food preparation gloves are useful here, as this can be a messy job!!!
- Place the skewers over the direct-heat side of the BBQ and then turn every 4 minutes. If the chicken looks like it is burning just move the skewer to the indirect area. The plan here is to cook for 16 minutes in total without burning the chicken.
- Remove from the BBQ and wrap in foil whilst you cook your pita or flatbread. You can cook the pitas directly on the BBQ which take 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
