Tender, spiced, zesty Malai Boti recipe with a 5-minute prep marinade that delivers fabulous results! Instructions for grilling, stove top, air fryer and oven in the post!

If I counted the number of times I ordered Malai Boti at a restaurant before and after having kids there's no question in my mind about which way the scales would tip. Malai Boti with it's softer texture, and less aggressive flavours is often considered one of the more kid friendly restaurant items. It ain't no Tawa Chicken.
It is often also a snoozefest - know what I mean?
The goal here was simple: create a Malai Boti recipe that is easy to whip up, but develops bold balanced flavours and a spice profile that can be easily adjusted to taste. Mission accomplished.
What goes in Malai Boti
- Dairy: I love the balance here between cream (unsweetened) and yoghurt for a tenderness but also a natural tang
- Cornstarch: Entirely optional, but here it helps to bind the marinade onto the chicken.
- White & Black Pepper: Where one brings the overt smokiness the other brings that back of the palate flavour that is just plain interesting
- Ginger & Garlic: Yes, I have seen recipes skip it and yes, I have regretted it when I have, so they both stay!
- Green Chili Paste: I like having this handy because it is just... handy, but you can always finely dice and equivalent amount of green chilies.
- Lemon Juice: not just for the acid, but also the oomph.
- Olive Oil: adding this straight into the marinade helps create a chicken that's ultra tender, but also doesn't need additional oil to cook!
- Chicken Breast: If you are team Chicken Thighs then you do do, but here I do much much prefer the clean flavour of chicken breasts which are a nice counterpoint for the clean wholesome masala.
- Dry Roasted Cumin & Coriander: it takes minutes to prep roasted cumin and roasted coriander and they are the easiest way to elevate your cooking. However, if you don't have any handy then just dry roast the powder in a clean pan before adding it in.
5 Tips for Making Malai Boti
Absolute MUST: Always cook a test piece to check it!
- Marinate as long as you can - 4 hours MINIMUM and for upto two days. If you have less time and ground papaya paste handy then I suggest you add a spoonful to your marinade.
- If using wooden skewers then soak them in water for 30 minutes before skewering the chicken
- Try to cut your chicken cubes as evenly as possible and then to skewer the meat on as evenly as possible - this will guarantee even cooking
- Regardless of the method - stovetop, grilling, baking, air frying - let one side develop some colour before flipping the chicken. Colour = flavour.
- Cook from room temperature. If you cook cold straight from the fridge chicken then the outside will cook far faster than the inside.
Malai Boti Cooking Instructions
TIP: No matter what cooking method you use remember to test a center pieces for doneness!
- Stovetop: medium high heat, 3 minutes per each side, I like to get all four for a cube of chicken
- Air Fryer: 6 minutes per side at 390F
- Oven: Cover the exposed ends of wooden skewers with foil (to be safe) and bake on a greased tray lined with foil for 18-20 minutes at 375F, flipping halfway. Broil for additional color - but watch this carefully!
- Grill: 6-8 minutes per side, but please bear in mind timings vary with grilling so keep a close eye on it!
If you love Malai Boti you'll love...
- Dum Ka Keema
- Tawa Chicken
- Chicken Paratha Rolls
- Chicken Seekh Kabab
- Gola Kabab
- Chicken Pakoras
- Paneer Reshmi Handi
- Dhaba Style Chanay ki Daal
Hope you enjoy this recipe! Would love to hear what you think below and see your recreations on Instagram @flourandspiceblog - Happy cooking!
Malai Boti
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken breast
- 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 3 tbsp cream (unsweetened)
- 2 tsp green chili paste (halve for mild)
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp roasted coriander powder
- 1.5 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ¾-1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ tsp garlic paste
- 1 ¼ tsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breast into even ¾-1 inch pieces - I got roughly 22 pieces from my 2 medium sized chicken breasts
- Combine the marinade ingredients with the chicken cubes and set aside to rest for a minimum of four hours and up to two days
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature
- If using wooden skewers soak them in water for 30-minutes
Cooking Instructions
- Stovetop: medium high heat, 3 minutes per each side, I like to get all four for a cube of chicken
- Air Fryer: 6 minutes per side at 390F
- Oven: Cover the exposed ends of wooden skewers with foil (to be safe) and bake on a greased tray lined with foil for 18-20 minutes at 375F, flipping halfway. Broil for additional color - but watch this carefully!
- Grill: 6-8 minutes per side, but please bear in mind timings vary with grilling so keep a close eye on it!
Hi Sarah! I'm excited to try this recipe 🙂 Can I substitute full fat milk for the cream? Also, I don't have green chili paste in the house. Is there an easy substitution? Or should I just get some?? Thanks!
Nadya! Apologies on the delay - so you can just sub more yoghurt for the cream, the fat in the cream is what makes the boti super soft but yoghurt will be better than milk for sure. Re: green chili paste, just chop up green chilies really find and add them in. I do find the paste comes so handy in all marinades - I use it for my chicken drumsticks, biryani, etc.
Hello Sarah, I’m living joining your followers!
What if we add ghee or butter?
Also mine dried out. I couldn’t tell when they were done so
Maybe I overcooked them?
Love
Tyaba Auntie
What a lovely surprise!!! I am SO excited to see this! You can absolutely add in ghee/butter, but I would probably baste with butter versus adding it in and yes I think your assessment of what happened is correct. Chicken like this cooks pretty quickly!
Can this be frozen safely? Is yes, at what stage? Thanks!
Hi Afsheen! It absolutely can, but like with anything with yoghurt in the marinade when you defrost and cook it will leave excess water. In my experience frozen marinades can change in flavour, but convenience is key right?