These chicken kathi rolls are made with chicken marinated in creamy yogurt and spices, then rolled up in a crispy paratha with peppers, onions, and green chutney.
In a large mixing bowl, add the marinade ingredients and stir well. Add chicken and toss well in the marinade. Refrigerate while you prep and saute other ingredients, about 15-20 minutes. You can marinate the chicken anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours.
Toss thinly sliced onions with salt, red chili and lime juice and set aside for later.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet or pan, on medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and peppers and saute for 3 minutes, until they begin to soften a bit.
Add marinated chicken and stir well. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring at regular intervals, until the chicken cooks through. Turn off the heat and stir in chopped cilantro
Heat a non-stick pan on medium-high heat. If making frozen Indian paratha, cook according to package instructions. For tortilla, drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil and place the tortilla in the pan. Using a spatula, keep rotating the wrap and cook for 2 minutes on the first side until light brown. Flip to cook on the other side for another 1½-2 minutes.
Spread about a tablespoon of the egg mixture on the browned side, flip and cook for 30 seconds, or until the egg cooks through.
Spread 1 tablespoon (or less) of green chutney on the cooked wrap. Add about ½ cup of chicken filling across the middle. Top with pickled onions and cilantro.
Starting from the side parallel to the filling, roll the paratha or tortilla all the way. Wrap in aluminum foil halfway or insert toothpicks to hold the wrap in place.
Chicken Breast or Thighs: Both work equally well. If using thighs, trim off the excess fat. For best results, pat dry chicken before cutting into bite-size pieces so the marinate sticks to it well.
Marination time: Since the chicken pieces are small, I find 20 minutes to be enough time for it to absorb the flavors from the marinade. However, if you need to attend to other things, you can refrigerate it up to 4 hours maximum.
Make it dairy-free: Instead of regular yogurt use cashew yogurt or coconut cream.
Onion Relish: An optional but highly recommended step which takes only 5 minutes. The heat of the filling mellows the pickled onions, making them slightly sweet and tangy.
Green Chutney: For the most authentic taste, make your own using this Cilantro or Mint Chutney Recipe.
Egg layer: An authentic Chicken Kathi roll has a layer of seasoned egg in it. That being said, if you want to skip eggs for any reason, this wrap will still deliver delicious flavors.
Roll Options: For best results, I prefer to use store-bought flour tortillas or frozen Indian parathas, like Kawan paratha or Malabar paratha from Trader Joes.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates based on a serving of 2 flour tortilla rolls per person. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.