Tandoori Chicken Tikka Bowls are inspired by the flavors of my favorite Indian restaurants around town. These bowls are bursting with flavor, are much healthier than the restaurant variety. I also love how they are so easy to make on a weeknight!

I love how this meal comes together so quickly since there are so few steps involved! Tandoori chicken and chicken tikka are popular dishes that you will find at almost any Indian restaurant. I often find that these dishes can be dry when I order them while dining out. To fix this problem, I made my own recipe that you can use to get the most tender juicy chicken with all of the delicious tandoori masala spices!

What is Tandoori Chicken?

Tandoori chicken and chicken tikka are actually two different dishes in Indian cuisine. Chicken tikka involves coating the chicken with yogurt and spices and then grilling them on wooden skewers. However, Tandoori chicken involves coating the chicken with aromatic spices and marinating in an oil, lemon juice, and spice mixture. Chicken tandoori is then cooked at high heat in a tandoor oven, which gives the chicken its signature flavor. A tandoor oven is a traditional clay oven that gets very hot.

This Tandoori Chicken Tikka is a mixture of both cooking styles! We are going to coat pieces of boneless chicken with yogurt and spices, and then cook at high heat. While I do not own a tandoor oven, the oven can be used to get a similar effect by cooking at high heat and finishing off with broiling for a couple minutes to brown the edges of the meat.

What Do I Need to Make Tandoori Chicken Tikka Bowls?

While the full ingredients list is available below, here are some tips on what you will need to make this easy recipe for bowls made with this tandoori chicken tikka!

• Boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into one inch pieces (you could also substitute for other cuts of meat such as chicken thighs)
• Plain 0% fat Greek yogurt
• Garlic cloves
• Paprika
• Cayenne powder
• Fresh ginger root
• Garam masala
• Brown basmati rice
• Red onion
• Cilantro

Other veggies I like to add to this recipe include red or yellow bell pepper. I also like to garnish my bowl with some fresh lime juice. The pop of citrus helps to enhance the aromatic spices and elevates the whole dish!

How to Prepare the Best Tandoori Chicken Bowls

While the full recipe instructions are available below, here are some tips to prepare this tandoori chicken tikka recipe!

• First, we will set our rice to cook according to the package directions and preheat our oven to oven to 375F. While we wait for the oven to preheat, we will prepare our chicken! To make our chicken tikka marinade, we will whisk together our plain yogurt, crushed garlic cloves, paprika, cayenne powder, minced fresh ginger root, and garam masala until well combined. The first time I prepared this recipe, I had way too much cayenne in it and it was very spicy. The second time I made this I halved the cayenne and it was much better! You can always adjust the amount of cayenne to suit the level of spice you prefer! I do recommend you keep it in the mix at a small level even if you do not like lots of spice, because it helps give the chicken a great smoky flavour.
• Now, we will then toss the boneless chicken pieces with the thick marinade in a medium mixing bowl until well coated. You can marinade the chicken in this sauce in the fridge for one hour up to overnight, or you could cook the chicken right away if you don't have the time. Now it is time to cook our chicken! For better results, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place an oven proof wire rack on top of the parchment. If you do not have an oven proof wire rack, you can always place the chicken directly onto the parchment. Another important detail is that you should not keep any leftover marinade. Since it has been in contact with the raw chicken, you cannot use it unless it has been fully cooked, which is not how we are preparing our chicken in this recipe.
• Place the marinated chicken pieces onto the rack and place in the oven to cook for approximately twenty five minutes, until the juices run clear and the internal temperature at the thickest point reaches 165F. Now that our chicken cubes are ready and our rice is fully cooked, we can assemble our easy dinner or quick lunch!
• Place the cooked rice in each bowl, top with the chicken chunks, sliced red onion, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and cilantro. Squeeze lemon wedges over each bowl and add any additional veggies you wish. Serve immediately and enjoy!

I love how this recipe uses the Greek yogurt in the marinade, as it helps keep the chicken moist and protects against ending up with a dry chicken tikka!

Other Recipes You Will Love

If you enjoyed this recipe, here are some more of my favorite dishes that are sure to be a crowd pleaser!

• Easy Mulligatawny Soup
• Trinidadian Style Curry Chicken
• Easy Portuguese Chicken Mozambique
• Spiced Chicken and Chickpea Stew
• Chickpea Turmeric Shrimp Bowls
• Traditional South African Bobotie