1-2 hours4 - 6 people6-inch bamboo skewers

Tikka-Spiced Chicken Kebabs

By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

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4 - 6 people

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1-2 hours

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Medium

Tikka-Spiced Chicken Kebabs
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Recipe Details

Course: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch

Difficulty: Medium

Total Time: 1-2 hours

Cooking Technique: Pressure Cook

Diet: Gluten Free

Yield: 4 - 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled, minced
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground dried turmeric
  • 1 tsp. mild paprika
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. table salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, as needed, for garnishing
  • 8 6-inch bamboo skewers

No, you can’t grill in an Instant Pot. (Not yet, at least— although they’re always inventing new pots!) But you can turn out some pretty fine tikka kebabs, flavored with a rub worthy of a spice bazaar. These skewers are great fare for a Super Bowl party. Invest in a package of bamboo skewers, way more skewers than needed for this recipe. They are great to have on hand for all sorts of fare off the grill and also make excellent cake and cupcake testers.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Stir the chicken pieces, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, brown sugar, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the brown sugar dissolves and the chicken pieces are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring once.
  2. Divide the chicken cubes among eight 6-inch bamboo skewers, threading about four pieces on each skewer and leaving a little room between each piece.
  3. Pour the broth into the insert set in a 5-, 6-, or 8-quart Instant Pot. Set a pressure- and food-safe rack or trivet in the insert. Pile the skewers on the rack and lock the lid on the pot.
  4. Set your Instant Pot to Pressure Cook or Manual on High Pressure and cook for 12 minutes. If using a MAX model, Set the pot for Pressure Cook on MAX for 10 minutes. When the pot has finished cooking, use the quick-release method to bring the pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Use kitchen tongs to transfer the skewers to a serving platter. Remove the rack or trivet from the pot.
  5. When the pot has finished cooking, use the quick-release method to bring the pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Use kitchen tongs to transfer the skewers to a serving platter. Remove the rack or trivet from the pot.
  6. Press Sauté and set it for High for 10 minutes.
  7. Stir the liquid in the insert as it comes to a full simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s reduced to about a third of the volume before you began simmering (that is, until it’s about 1/2 cup), about 8 minutes.
  8. Turn off the heat and whisk in the yogurt until smooth. Use hot pads or silicone baking mitts to pick up the (hot!) insert and drizzle the sauce over the kebabs, pouring any extra sauce to be served on the side in a bowl. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over kebabs as a garnish.

Notes

Beyond
• Serve these with any sort of chutney you like as well as purchased na’an (Indian flatbread)., Other Pots
• For a 3-quart Instant Pot, you must halve almost all of the ingredient amounts except you must use 1 cup broth in the insert.
• For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you can increase almost all of the ingredient amounts by 50 percent (using 12 skewers) except you must leave the broth in the insert at the stated 11/2 cups.
• For a 10-quart Instant Pot, you must increase the broth in the insert to 21/2 cups. You can complete the recipe as stated,
increase the remaining ingredient amounts by 50 percent (using 12 skewers), or even double the amounts (using 16 skewers).

About the chef

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

In this duo, Bruce Weinstein is the chef and Mark Scarbrough, the writer. Together, they’ve published over 35 cookbooks, hit international best-seller lists, won national and international awards, and have been interviewed by the best, from Lester Holt to Barbara Walters. Weinstein also writes knitting books, designs patterns, and teaches knitting workshops. Besides writing their cookbooks, Scarbrough also teaches literature classes; has a podcast called Walking With Dante, where he takes you on journey from hell to paradise; and has written a memoir, BOOKMARKED: HOW THE GREAT WORKS OF WESTERN LITERATURE F*CKED UP MY LIFE.

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