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.
Essential for This Recipe
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Yogurt Culture/Starter
Make fresh yogurt for raitas and marinades at home — authentic and cheaper than store-bought
Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)
Freshly ground adds bite and heat to karahi, meat curries, and marinades
Whole Cumin Seeds (Zeera)
The foundation of tarka (tempering) in dals and curries — adds earthy warmth to every Pakistani dish
Coriander Powder (Dhania)
Citrusy and warm, essential for curry bases and curries throughout Pakistan
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.
Cite This Recipe
Writing about Pakistani food? Use these ready-made citations.
<a href="https://pakistani.recipes/recipes/honey-chilli-chicken/honey-chilli-chicken/">Honey Chilli Chicken</a> — Pakistani Recipes
Hina Jatoi. "Honey Chilli Chicken." Pakistani Recipes, 2024. https://pakistani.recipes/recipes/honey-chilli-chicken/honey-chilli-chicken/
Hina Jatoi. (2024). Honey Chilli Chicken. Pakistani Recipes. Retrieved 2026-05-22, from https://pakistani.recipes/recipes/honey-chilli-chicken/honey-chilli-chicken/
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.