An Indian takeaway classic, but cooked in the air fryer to make it quicker and lighter. This Air Fryer Chicken Tikka is perfectly cooked chunks of chicken seasoned in tikka spice with added vegetables and served with dips and naan bread for an easy dinner that is ready in under 15 minutes and only needs a couple of minutes of prep.
One of our goals for this year was to order less takeaway in a bid to save money, and be a little bit healthier. It's so much easier to stick to that goal when we make our own healthier alternatives to our favourite takeaways and this Chicken Tikka in the air fryer is made a couple of times a month. All the flavour, but much lighter at under 300 calories per portion.
Mouth watering juicy chicken in a mild tikka seasoning with some peppers and onions. It's a really easy dish to put together and there are lots of different ways you can serve it too. It's a great way to try Indian flavours too and it's mild enough for kids to enjoy.
If you are looking for more air fryer chicken recipes, why not try our delicious Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken, kid favourite Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken, versatile Air Fryer Whole Chicken, simple Air Fryer Chicken Breast or our easy Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken breast - You can use chicken breasts or skinless and boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. We used chicken breast to keep it leaner, but thighs have more flavour. Make sure to cut them into even pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Onion - We used a brown onion, but you could use a red onion too.
- Bell peppers - Any colour goes here, but we like adding red pepper because it is sweet.
- Oil - A good quality olive oil.
- Tikka seasoning - To save time, use a good quality store bought one. However, you could make your own tikka seasoning, and then you can adjust the spice levels. You could use tikka paste too, which would add a lot more flavour, but it adds a lot more calories because of the oil.
Air Fryer Chicken Tikka Variations
This is a really simple recipe, which is what we love about it, so there isn't too much that you can change. However, if you wanted to adjust the spice level of this air fryer chicken tikka, then feel free to add in some chilli powder to your tikka seasoning.
You can also add extra vegetables if you wanted. They will need to be quick cooking vegetables like courgette, aubergine and mushrooms.
For extra flavour, you could marinate the chicken in some yogurt and lemon juice with the seasoning blend too. This helps to make the chicken really tender and it's ideal if you want to prep this ahead of time.
For a vegetarian version of this, you can swap the chicken for paneer. Try our Paneer Tikka recipe.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Tikka - Step by Step
- Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine everything.
- Step 2: Transfer to the air fryer basket.
- Step 3: Air fry at 200°C for 15 minutes, shaking the basket a few times during cooking.
- Step 4: Scatter over the chopped coriander (cilantro) before serving.
Serving Suggestions
We think this air fryer chicken tikka makes a great starter, side dish or light lunch as it's so quick and easy. We served it with some naan bread, an easy homemade cucumber raita (mint yogurt) some cucumber tomato salad and a small bowl of mango chutney.
You could use our Easy Homemade Flatbreads , Chilli Naan or Peshwari Naan too. If you don't want to serve it with bread, then try our Oven Baked Rice, Turmeric Rice or Microwave Rice.
To make a more indulgent homemade curry, you could take this cooked mix and stir it into a masala sauce.
Extra Tips
- Not a fan of Indian spices? You could use Mexican, or even a mild Italian season blend instead.
- Make this into a more filling meal by serving it with some rice as well as naan, dip and salad.
- Like things on the spicier side? Add an extra teaspoon of chilli powder to the tikka seasoning.
- You can make air fryer chicken tikka in advance by marinating the chicken and then keeping it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer and try to keep everything in a single layer to allow the air to circulate and the chicken to get nice and crispy. If you have a small air fryer, then you can cook it in batches.
- Make sure the chicken is cut to the same size to ensure that it all cooks evenly.
- You can add some fresh tomatoes too, which adds a bit of freshness and helps add moisture if you overcook the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
You can freeze this chicken, however it will be a little dry once defrosted and reheated. It's so simple to cook in the air fryer, that it's best to just eat it from fresh.
As long as you use a gluten free seasoning mix and make sure there is no cross contamination, then this ca be gluten free.
This dish cooks in the air fryer for around 12 minutes, but the exact cooking time will depend on your air fryer. The best way to ensure that it is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 75°C/167°F at the thickest part of the meat.
We really can't rate the Ninja Foodi Max Dual highly enough. It has a huge 9.5 litre capacity, that allows you to cook two different things at once and it has 6 different cooking functions. It is 65% more efficient than an oven and uses 75% less fat than traditional cooking. And, it is also dishwasher safe.
More Indian Recipes
If you’ve tried this air fryer chicken tikka, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Tikka
Ingredients
- 300 g (10 oz) Chicken breast - cut into chunks
- 2 Bell peppers - red and green; diced
- 1 Onion - sliced
- 2 Tomatoes - quartered
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 tablespoon Tikka seasoning
- 2 tablespoon Fresh coriander (cilantro) - chopped
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine everything.
- Transfer to the air fryer basket.
- Cook on the Air Fry setting at 200°C for 15 minutes, shaking the basket a few times during cooking.
- Scatter over the chopped coriander (cilantro) before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Not a fan of Indian spices? You could use Mexican, or even a mild Italian season blend instead.
- Make this into a more filling meal by serving it with some rice as well as naan, dip and salad.
- Like things on the spicier side? Add an extra teaspoon of chilli powder to the tikka seasoning.
- You can make air fryer chicken tikka in advance by marinating the chicken and then keeping it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer and try to keep everything in a single layer to allow the air to circulate and the chicken to get nice and crispy. If you have a small air fryer, then you can cook it in batches.
- Make sure the chicken is cut to the same size to ensure that it all cooks evenly.
- You can add some fresh tomatoes too, which adds a bit of freshness and helps add moisture if you overcook the chicken.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Noelle says
Love my air fryer, can't wait to try this!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
I love making homemade chicken tikka but haven't yet tried it in the air fryer. It looks delicious, I'm definitely going to give it a go.
Amy | The Cook Report says
I am loving everything about this! Indian food is my favourite and this looks like the perfect thing to serve up for a party
Traci says
We absolutely LOVE chicken tikka here! What a simple recipe, packed with flavor. Thanks for sharing! :)
Tisha says
You can literally see all the flavor in this dish!!
Pam says
I have not jumped on the air fryer bandwagon yet, but with this recipe I'm ready! This will be the first one I try.
Cindy @ The Sweet Nerd says
This looks like a perfect last minute, weeknight, throw-together dinner! Hooray - I'm always looking for those. Healthy, too. Thanks for the Mexican spice tip - would work well for fajitas.
Suzy says
Ooh great recipe for my air fryer!
Natalie says
So easy and so delicious. My kid loves tikka and I love this Air fryer. Can't wait to make him this. But first I must get that fryer.
Cindy Gordon says
Another WIN for the air fryer! 100% yes!!!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme says
Love that you used the air fryer, this looks so easy to make. Pinning for later!
Julia says
This looks so easy to make! Gotta finally buy that air-fryer :)
kim says
Absolutely love this recipe! It's so flavorful and easy! Definitely one that I'll be making again and again!
Veena Azmanov says
This looks so delicious and super healthy too. Love the Air Fryer option to this recipe. This can be an awesome party option too.
Liz says
Such perfect timing! We got Indian food last night and my mom got Chicken Tikka and loved it! Now I can make it for her in my air fryer!