Chicken tikka

The English word "tikka" is borrowed from Hindi टिक्का tikkā "small pieces of meat", itself a borrowing from Classical Persian تکه tikka, "pieces". Chicken tikka was created in the reign of the Mughal Emperor Babur (r. 1526–1530) by marinating pieces of chicken meat in yoghurt and spices, and then grilling them in a tandoor oven. using Persian marinading of meat in yoghurt and Central Asian tandoor roasting with Indian spices. In 20th century Britain, a sauce was added to satisfy the British liking for gravy with meat. The dish has evolved further to a taco filling in the US, and to a pizza topping in India. Tacos originated from Mexico. Pizzas originated from Italy. == Dish ==

Chicken tikka consists of small pieces of boneless chicken baked after marinating in Indian spices and dahi (yogurt). It is flavourful and tender, essentially a boneless version of tandoori chicken. The pieces are brushed with ghee (clarified butter) at intervals, while being continuously fanned, to increase flavour. It is typically eaten with green coriander and tamarind chutney, served with onion rings and lemon, or used in preparing chicken tikka masala. File:Chicken Tikka, Delhi style (14023948639).jpg|Chicken tikka, New Delhi File:Chk Tikka.jpg|Indian chicken tikka with salad File:Chicken-Tikkasm.jpg|Chicken tikka, Assam == Variants ==

It is a dish in Punjabi cuisine. The Kashmiri version is grilled over red-hot coals, and does not always contain boneless pieces. A chicken tikka sizzler has the dish served on a heated plate with onions. The Afghan variant is less spicy than those in the Indian subcontinent, and can use beef and lamb in place of chicken. In Britain, the dish was transformed in the late 20th century by the addition of tomato, cream, and spices into chicken tikka masala. File:Chicken tikka biryani.jpg|Chicken tikka biryani File:Chicken Tikka Kebab.jpg|Chicken tikka kebab File:Zeera-chicken-tikka.jpg|Chicken tikka zeera (with cumin) File:Chicken tikka masala (cropped).jpg|Chicken tikka masala == See also ==