Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls

Name: CHICKEN TIKKA PARATHA ROLLS RECIPE
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: PT-481427H47M18S
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken tenders cut into cubes (about 5-6 tenders); 4 tbsp plain yogurt; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp ginger & garlic paste; 1 to 1.5 teaspoon salt according to your preference; 1 tsp cumin powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1-2 tsp chili powder (or cayenne); ½ tsp chaat masala; ¼ tsp garam masala; ¼ tsp turmeric powder; Optional: 1/4 tsp of orange food color (I use this one); 1/2 cup plain yogurt; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp cayenne or red chili powder; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1 cup fresh cilantro / coriander leaves; ½ cup fresh mint leaves; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1-2 green chilis (serrano preferred); 2 garlic cloves; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ cup yogurt; 2-4 tablespoon of water, as needed; 6 frozen parathas (I use Dawn or Kawan flakey parathas); Tamarind chutney (I use store-bought); 1/4 onion, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This is my favorite recipe for Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls, inspired by the best ones I've eaten in Pakistan (especially Taimoori Roll Paratha, "TRP", in Islamabad)! These paratha rolls pack a punch with a delicious smoky and spicy tikka flavor, a killer combination of sweet, tangy and spicy chutneys, and the flakey crispiness of parathas. And to make things even better, they're very easy to make and take less than an hour of active work.

Chicken tikka paratha rolls on a wooden cutting board garnished with cilantro. Rolls are golden and flakey and filled with red and juicy chicken tikka boti and chutneys. Picture from the top at a close up

hand holding a chicken tikka paratha roll at an angle above a wooden board with more paratha rolls. You can see the inside of the roll which is filled with red chicken tikka boti and chutneys

I love to serve these Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls any time I am hosting, especially during the month of Ramadan, and everyone always raves about them.

Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

THE STORY BEHIND THIS RECIPE

I was recently in Pakistan and the 'street food' I love eating the MOST is paratha rolls (or roll parathas). They are just so incredibly flavorful and indulgent. I am especially a huge fan of Taimoori Roll Paratha, famously known as "TRP", in Islamabad, which my husband and I eat quite frequently.

Once I got back to the US, the cravings hit me and I needed to make my own recipe. Now, I have made many chicken paratha rolls in the past, but I wanted to improve the recipe and add the delicious smokey, charred flavor of chicken tikka (grilled chicken). So I cooked the chicken the same way I do for my famous Chicken Tikka Sliders, added a spicy yogurt mayo sauce inspired by TRP, and added 2 types of chutney. The result was the best paratha roll I've ever made or eaten!

COMPONENTS OF CHICKEN TIKKA PARATHA ROLLS

These Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls have 4 main components:

Parathas. This is a buttery, flakey flatbread popular in the Indian subcontinent. While you can make your own parathas, they are quite a bit of work, so I recommend using frozen parathas to save yourself time! I love using the frozen parathas from the brands Dawn and Kawan, both of which can be found easily in Indian / South Asian supermarkets
Chicken tikka boti. This is the star of this recipe, of course! The chicken is marinated in my go-to mix of spices, yogurt, ginger, garlic and olive oil. It is then grilled in the oven on the "broil" setting and turns out almost exactly like authentic chicken tikka
Spicy yogurt mayo sauce. A simple and fresh sauce made with yogurt, mayo, cayenne, paprika and garlic
Condiments and chutneys. This is where you can play around with things, but I like to add sliced onions, chopped cilantro, green chutney and tamarind chutney

2 hands breaking a chicken tikka paratha roll into half; more seen in the background

2 hands holding 2 halves of a chicken tikka paratha roll showing the juicy interior. more rolls seen in the background

VIDEO TUTORIAL

Check out this quick video to see how these Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls are made:

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="yQdOq2jE" upload-date="2024-03-25T00:07:27.000Z" name="Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls" description="How to make Pakistani Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls" player-type="default" override-embed="default"]

PROCESS WITH PHOTOS

The full detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's quickly go over the process with photos for the visual people.

First, marinade the boneless chicken by mixing together all the ingredients:

chicken and marinade ingredients in a glass bowl

marinated chicken tikka mix in a glass bowl

Once marinated, thread the chicken onto skewers and place them on a baking tray:

3 skewers with marinated chicken on them on a baking dish, a bowl with more chicken on the side

6 skewers with chicken tikka on them on a baking sheet, ready to go into the oven

Grill the chicken by cooking it on the broil setting of your oven, flipping the skewers midway:

hand turning chicken tikka skewers to cook the other side

Remove from skewers and give the chicken a rough chop:

grilled chicken tikka boti on a wooden cutting board

grilled chicken tikka boti on a wooden cutting board, cut into big chunks

Prepare the spicy yogurt mayo sauce:

ingredients to make a yogurt sauce in a small bowl

Now, gather all condiments, cook the parathas, and it's time to assemble! Start with a smear of the yogurt sauce:

a cooked frozen paratha on a sheet of parchment paper

cooked paratha with yogurt sauce spread on top

Add the chicken and sliced onions:

a cooked frozen paratha on a sheet of parchment paper with grilled chicken tikka boti on top

a cooked frozen paratha on a sheet of parchment paper with grilled chicken tikka boti and sliced onions

Drizzle over the green chutney and tamarind chutney:

a cooked frozen paratha on a sheet of parchment paper with grilled chicken tikka boti, sliced onions and green chutney

a cooked frozen paratha on a sheet of parchment paper with grilled chicken tikka boti, sliced onions, green chutney and tamarind chutney

Carefully roll up the paratha tightly:

hands rolling up a paratha roll to assemble it

an assembled and rolled paratha roll on a wooden board with parchment paper on top

And it's time to serve & enjoy!!

6 chicken tikka paratha rolls on a wooden cutting board garnished with cilantro. Rolls are golden and flakey and filled with red and juicy chicken tikka boti and chutneys. More chutneys in the background

TIP TO MAKE PARATHA ROLLS CRISPY AND FLAKY

Here's a golden little tip for you to make your paratha rolls crispy and flaky! Once you're done assembling the paratha rolls, pop them in the air fryer for just 3-4 minutes at 325F to get the best texture. This is especially helpful because the parathas will start to cool down and soften as you assemble them. You can also reheat the rolls using the same trick.

RELATED RECIPES

If you like this recipe, you will love my other Pakistani recipes too!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How to store Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls

You can keep the paratha rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for ~1 day, or in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat them in the air fryer at 300F until they are warm and crispy.

Can I prepare these Chicken Tikka Paratha Rolls ahead of time?

You can prepare the chicken, sauce and condiments in advance, but I recommend cooking the parathas and assembling the rolls when you're ready to serve for the best results.

Should I individually wrap the rolls?

If you want, you can wrap each roll in wax paper individually. However, I don't find this necessary so I typically skip this step.