Delicious hariyali chicken kabab will blow your mind with its immensely flavorful smoky grill cubes of chicken smothered with mint-coriander marinate and their vibrant green color!
If you are looking for a chicken kabab with somewhat different kind of flavor profile, then this hariyali chicken kabab is just the perfect option for you. Hariyali which means something green is the most apt name of this smoky grilled hariyali chicken kabab because of its vibrant green color which comes from two of my favorite herbs of all time.
Any guesses? Yeah, it’s easy! Those two herbs are nothing but refreshing mint and energizing coriander or cilantro whichever name you are familiar with.
Hariyali chicken kabab is simply the smoky grilled cubes of chicken smothered in coriander-mint paste which gives a stunning flavor to the chicken cubes that will make you addictive and you will keep on reaching for more.
Hariyali chicken kabab is also one of the most ordered dishes in any Indian restaurant thanks to its attractive looks and incredible taste!
Chicken kabab is one of our favorite genres of food (if anything of that sort exists!) and we freak out on any variety of chicken kabab, be it tandoori chicken or a classic chicken kabab or today’s hariyali chicken kabab.
Indian spices add something amazing to the grilled pieces of meat that you can’t resist them. Same is the case with this hariyali chicken kabab where your mouth will have the burst of minty fresh flavors mingled in the succulent chicken cubes along with the mellowness of coriander leaves or cilantro.
Mint has very strong flavor which you may already be aware of; if not then use it sparingly if using for the very first time, otherwise you may get overwhelmed by its overpowering strength of capturing your senses.
Hariyali chicken kabab is very different from any other chicken kabab and has its distinct signature taste and look. This chicken hariyali kabab has right amount of tanginess along with the smokiness and that’s what makes it almost irresistible.
To make your hariyali chicken kabab the best kabab ever, I recommend you to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs. You may use chicken breasts if that’s what is only available to you but the maximum juiciness will be achieved if using chicken thighs.
Chicken breast, being the leanest meat, has the tendency of becoming dry when exposed to high heat during grilling and may get overcooked very easily.
To avoid that and ensure very juicy and soft hariyali chicken kabab, best option is to use chicken thighs which has higher fat content, hence retain moisture in the meat and it’s very difficult to overcook them.
The hariyali chutney or green chutney which is used to marinate the chicken in this hariyali chicken kabab is a very popular condiment in itself and I have a video for you showing how easy it is to whip it up in minutes.
This hariyali chutney is a great dip for any of your chicken kabab, but when you mix it with yogurt and marinade the chicken cubes with it, the meat gets infused with superb mint-coriander flavors and transforms itself to a delicious hariyali chicken kabab!
This is the best recipe for outdoor barbecue when you are enjoying the best time of summer; but since I don’t have one, I made my hariyali chicken kabab indoors using my trusted oven. I used the broil setting and placed by chicken skewed into the skewers at the top most shelf i.e. nearest to the heat source.
This seems to replicate the outdoor barbecue and gives you maximum smoky flavor possible using your oven. Whichever technique you use, be assured that you will churn out the best ever hariyali chicken kabab right at your plate! Enjoy!
- Boneless chicken breast – 400 gm
- Thick yogurt – 3 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 2 tsp
- Coriander leaves – 1 cup, tightly packed
- Mint leaves – ½ cup,
- Spinach leaves – ½ cup, chopped
- Ginger – ½ inch piece
- Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves
- Green chilies – 1 or 2, thinly chopped
- Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
- Melted butter – 1 tsp
- Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Bamboo skewers – 8 to 10
- Wash the chicken breast and cut into bite size pieces.
- Add salt, melted butter, lemon juice and red chilli powder on the chicken pieces rub well. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Combine the spinach leaves, coriander-mint leaves, ginger, garlic and green chilies into a blender and grind into a smooth paste.
- Now add the yogurt and powdered spices into the ground green paste and coat the chicken pieces very well in it.
- Cover the marinated chicken and keep it aside at least for 2 hours so that chicken gets the flavors of green paste and spices. The yogurt will also tenderize the chicken.
- Soak the wooden skewers in normal water for about 4-5 minutes to prevent them from burning in the oven.
- Thread the pieces of chicken onto the skewers and brush some more oil on top of them.
- Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 10 minutes.
- Place the chicken skewers in the oven and leave to grill for about 10 minutes on each side.
- Keep checking and turn the skewers after first 10 minutes to cook evenly from all the sides.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges and spicy green chutney.
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