Recipe: Indian Chicken Kebabs (Tikka Kebabs)

Indian Chicken Kebabs (Tikka Kebabs)
By Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research
Makes 4 servings.

Grilling, that all-American pastime, is an easy way to cook summer meals, but unfortunately, it may increase the risk of cancer. The high heat of grilling, along with the typical smoke and flare-ups, creates two types of carcinogens. Luckily, there are easy methods to prevent these problems.

One of my favorite grilled dishes, the Indian kebabs called tikkas, avoids the health risks posed by grilling with a few simple techniques that also add great flavor and color. Resembling tandoori chicken on a stick, my tikkas are made with lean, skinless chicken breasts that have barely enough fat to drip and cause smoking. Cut in small pieces, the boneless meat cooks quickly, leaving less time for harmful compounds to form.

Scientists have found that marinades greatly reduce the risk of carcinogens forming, so I developed a spicy yogurt marinade that also makes these kebabs succulent and imbues them with spicy flavor. After marinating the chicken for a few hours (or even overnight), I thread the chicken onto skewers, alternating them with pieces of green pepper, wide crescents of red onion and chunks of fresh pineapple. This makes each kebab a generous serving that uses just three ounces of chicken.

Although unexpected in an Indian barbecue, the fruit's tropical tang nicely compliments the curry flavors of this dish. Served over rice, or tucked into a warmed pita bread along with some shredded lettuce, these tikkas make a well-rounded, complete meal.

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 tsp. ground
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 oz. boneless skinned chicken breast, cut in 24 pieces
8 1-inch cubes fresh or canned pineapple
1 medium red onion, cut in 20 wedges
1 large green bell pepper, cut in 20 pieces
Canola oil cooking spray

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, curry powder, salt and pepper. Mix in chicken to coat on all sides. Cover bowl and refrigerate 2 to 8 hours.

Preheat grill or broiler. Soak skewers in water at least 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from marinade, scraping off and discarding most of marinade. Onto each skewer thread a piece of pineapple, then chicken, onion wedge and green pepper. Repeat, minus pineapple, until each kebab contains 6 pieces of chicken, 5 onion wedges, 5 pieces of pepper and 2 pineapple cubes, one cube at each end.

To help prevent charring, spray kebabs with cooking oil spray. Cook skewers 4 to 5 minutes, making sure they are far enough from the heat source to avoid charring. Turn and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, about 4 minutes.

Serve kebabs. Kebabs go especially well with freshly-cooked brown rice or tucked inside pita bread lined with lettuce leaves.

Per serving: 161 calories, 2 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 14 g. carbohydrate, 23 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 81 mg. sodium.