Chicken Tikka Sandwich Filler

Once you try this homemade chicken tikka sandwich filler you’ll never get store bought again!

Chicken tikka sandwich filler. C’mon, we’ve all been there at least once. I’ve had a few good ones in my time, but far too many bad ones. As such, I thought it was time to recreate the classic and show you how easy it is to make at home. AND it’s approximately 14287283x more delicious. Follow me…

Chicken Tikka

The heart and soul of this recipe is of course the chicken. Here I use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You’ll need to butterfly the breasts right through to make 4 even sized skinnier chicken breasts. This speeds up the cooking process and increases the surface area of seasoning. You’ll also want to get your chicken out the fridge 15mins before needed. This will ensure it doesn’t seize up and go chewy when it hits the hot pan.

Homemade Tikka Seasoning

The seasoning mix is actually incredibly easy, and all spices can be found in all major supermarket/grocery stores. We’ll use half now to coat the chicken, then save half for later. Alongside this you’ll want an oil with a high smoking point like vegetable oil. This is because we’ll be frying at high heat.

Authentic Char

Chicken tikka is notorious for having a gorgeous char. We obviously won’t be achieving it authentically here, but by frying over high heat the breasts will char slightly, which will add a huge amount of beautifully smoky flavour.

Chicken Tikka Sandwich Filler

Right, chicken tikka cooled and diced, let’s turn this into a sandwich filler. Alongside the chicken and second half of your spices here’s what you’ll need:

• Yogurt & Mayo – a 50/50 split. Plain unsweetened yogurt & full fat mayo.
• Red Pepper, Shallot & Garlic – I dice these up very small and keep them raw, but you can cook them off and cool like the chicken if you prefer the texture/flavour.
• Lemon – Brightens up the dish.
• Coriander/Cilantro – A classic, even if you’re not a fan just a pinch will do wonders.
• Tomato Puree – Deepens the flavours and turns the sauce into more of a tikka sauce.

How can I serve this?

The obvious choice is in a sandwich, but plonking it in a pita or wrap works perfectly, as does plonking it on a baked potato.

How to store this?

This is best tightly covered in the fridge for 2-3days (longer at your discretion).

If you like the sound of this cold chicken tikka, be sure to check out my Chicken Tikka Style Slow Cooker Chicken Curry!

For more sandwich ideas check out these beauties too:

• The Ultimate Egg Mayo
• Halloumi & Chorizo Sandwich
• Egg & Bacon Sandwich
• Chicken Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Alright, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken tikka sandwich shall we?!

How to make Chicken Tikka Sandwich Filler (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 7 votes

Chicken Tikka Sandwich

By: Chris Collins

Once you try this homemade chicken tikka sandwich filler you'll never get store bought again!

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Equipment

• Frying Pan & Tongs
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Medium Mixing Bowl & Spatula
• Small Pot (for spice mix)

Ingredients 

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Chicken Tikka

• ▢ 2 large Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp (approx 9oz/250g per breast)
• ▢ 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• ▢ 3 tsp Garam Masala
• ▢ 2 tsp Chilli Powder
• ▢ 1.5 tsp EACH: Cumin, Paprika, Turmeric
• ▢ 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt

Sandwich Filler

• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120g Plain Unsweetened Yogurt
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120g Full Fat Mayo
• ▢ 1/2 Red Pepper, very finely diced
• ▢ 1/2 Lemon, juice only
• ▢ 1 Banana Shallot, very finely diced (or 2 small shallots)
• ▢ 1 clove of Garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 tbsp finely diced Coriander/Cilantro (or to preference)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Sugar
• ▢ Salt & Pepper, to taste

To Serve (optional)

• ▢ Bread (sandwich)
• ▢ Pitas
• ▢ Baked Potato

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Instructions 

• Firstly, I highly recommend making this in advance to develop the flavours.
• In a small pot combine 3 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1.5 tsp cumin, paprika & turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1/2 tsp salt. Place to one side.
• Butterfly your breasts right through to make 4 even sized breasts. Coat in 2 tbsp veg oil and HALF your spice mix (save other half for later).
• Heat up a large pan over high heat and fry your chicken breasts until nicely charred on each side and hot through the centre (some char = authentic flavour). Place to one side to rest, scraping out any little bits of char/chicken as well. Important to rest for the chicken to retain moisture and completely cool. Once cool, dice into tiny cubes.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl combine 1/2cup/120g yogurt and mayo, 1 tbsp tomato puree and finely diced coriander/cilantro, 1 finely diced shallot, red pepper, garlic, the juice of half a lemon, the rest of your spice mix and 1/2 tsp sugar.
• Stir in diced chicken then season to taste. Cover in cling film and rest in the fridge until needed, then serve as a sandwich, in a pita/wrap or on a baked potato!

Video

Notes

a) Make Ahead - Making this ahead of time will give time for the flavour to develop, and, will tenderize the chicken so it goes extra soft. Even just 30mins will help, but overnight works best.

b) Chicken Temp - Important to get the chicken out the fridge 15mins before frying. Placing cold chicken on a piping hot pan will cause it to seize up and go chewy. It's also important to allow the chicken to completely cool before combining with the sandwich filler, or it'll cause the yogurt/mayo to start congealing. 

c) Red Pepper/Onion - You can fry these to soften and caramelize if you prefer the texture/flavour over raw. Just allow them to completely cool like the chicken.

d) Leftovers - I usually keep this covered in the fridge for 2-3days (longer at your discretion) and serve straight from the fridge.

e) Calories - divided by 6.

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Nutrition

Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.44g | Protein: 18.61g | Fat: 20.84g | Saturated Fat: 3.518g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11.24g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.831g | Trans Fat: 0.064g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 380mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 2.9g | Vitamin A: 653IU | Vitamin C: 15.2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 0.99mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

For more delicious sandwich recipes check out my second blog Something About Sandwiches! Yeah, I’m kinda secretly obsessed with sandwiches…