Chermoula chicken Tikka recipe

How to make Chermoula chicken recipe | Chicken Tikka chermoula

Chermoula sauce is great and healthy alternative to basil pesto sauce, as it doesn't need cheese.

What is chermoula 
Chermoula is a sauce is made by using fresh cilantro leaves and parsley leaves. These green leaves are mixed with garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Nuts are used to give the sauce a smooth texture.
This beautiful green Moroccan Chermoula sauce is great on grill fish, chicken and roasted winter vegetables like cauliflower and squash.
You can prepare some great delicious dish using chermoula sauce.  Dishes can be made using chermoula sauce are

• Roasted Lamb Chops with Chermoula and Skillet Asparagus
• Chermoula Aubergine with Bulgar and Yoghurt
• Shrimp Chermoula
• Grilled Chicken with Chermoula and Corn Salsa

Today I am going to share a new recipe with Chermoula sauce, A chermoula chicken Tikka.

Use of fresh cilantro and parsley  can make a chicken more tender,  juicy and tasty
So cooking a chicken using chermoula sauce in an oven and over charcoal fire make a perfect chicken ,that is full of juicy and favours. You can cook  on gas top method using a pan or tawa as well.
So it is the best Chermoula chicken Shewer recipe to try and enjoy a healthy meal.

For more recipe using Ovalclay Tandoor

•  Healthy Recipe Tandoori Crab 
•  Tandoori Chicken

       Chermoula chicken  recipe


Chermoula chicken is a healthy recipe made by using chermoula sauce. This green sauce is made by using cilantro leaves with parsley.
Prep time          cooking time            serving

120 min              15 min                             2
Author :- Mobasir hassan
Ingredients 

• 7 - 8 boneless chicken leg pieces
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (coriander) 
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 10-12 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon chilly flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder ( or green chili paste) optional
• 4 teaspoon Olive oil
• 2 teaspoon greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoon cashew nuts ( or any nuts)
• 2 teaspoon butter ( for busting on chicken)
• Salt for taste

How to make the recipe

Preparation

1. Making chermoula sauce :-  wash and clean the cilantro and parsley leaves and roughly chopped them.
2. In a mixing grinder or food processor add the garlic cloves, cilantro and parsley leaves, salt, cumin powder, half of the pepper powder, olive oil, lemon juice and cashew nuts.
3. Blend them into a fine paste using little water as required.
4. This is our chermoula sauce. You can add green chili to give it a spicy flavour as well.
5. Take the chicken pieces and mix with salt, remaining lemon juice and pepper powder. Let them marinated for 1/2 hours.
6. Take the chermoula sauce in a mixing bowl and add the Greek yogurt, remaining olive oil, salt and whisk together to make a smooth thick marination.
7. Mix the marinated chicken pieces with this marination and refrigerate for one and half hours.

Making the chermoula chicken

1. If using wooden sticks then soak them in water for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven at 240°C for 15 minutes and line a baking tray with aluminum foil.
3. Thread the marinated chicken pieces into the sticks or iron shewer and place over the tray.
4. Apply olive oil or butter over them and grill for 15 minutes or till crisp. 
5. You can even cook them in BBQ or in a tandoor.
6. Take a iron Shewer and thread the chicken pieces one by one keeping a minimum gap in between them. 
7. Place the shewer inside a preheated tandoor and cook for around 10 minutes 
8. Rotate the shewer while and brush butter at an interval while cooking them.
9. Cook till they become crisp and tender.
10. Remove and serve hot with green chutney or sauce.

                           Serving tips
• Serve chermoula chicken with cilantro mint sauce or green chutney.
• You can even serve Lachcha onion and lemon wedges with them.
                           Recipe notes
• You can use any other nuts instead of cashew nuts.
• Use kitchen towel while handling the Shewer.
Below you can read the step by step method with photos for the recipe to understand better....
Preparation
1. Clean and wash  the Cilantro and Parsley leaves and roughly chopped them.
2. Take a Mixture grinder or food processor and add the Garlic cloves and cilantro parsley mixture, salt and half of the Olive oil, cumin powder, cashew nuts and  blend to a fine paste.
 Transfer the sauce in a bowl and keep for later use.
3. Now  take the chicken pieces and apply little salt, pepper powder and lemon juice.
Let it marinated for 1/2 an hour.

4.  Take the prepared Chermoula sauce and add the Greek yogurt, remaining pepper powder, chilly flakes, salt and olive oil.
 To give it a more spicy flavors, you can add paprika powder or green chili paste. Otherwise it's okay for taste and flavours.
5. Mix the mixture finely using a Whisk.

6. Now add the chicken pieces to the mixture and keep it refrigerated for 1 more hours.
These will help to absorb all the flavor of cilantro and parsley.

7. Bring the chicken mixture out of refrigerator and Shewer the chicken pieces into the iron Shewer and cook in an Ovalclay Tandoor for 10 -15 minutes, basting butter on it.

8. Remove the chicken pieces from the Shewer on a plate and garnish it and serve hot.

9. You can cook the chicken pieces using a oven too.  Foil the baking tray and add the chicken pieces on it. Brush some butter over the chicken and cooked in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces  while cooking in oven to roast from all sides properly. Bring out and serve the Chermoula roast chicken hot  .

For more recipe related to chicken

* Best Crispy Chicken

* Healthiest chicken Tikka ever