Weeknight Tandoori Chicken Food

CHICKEN TANDOORI

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Make shallow cuts in the chicken thighs with a sharp knife. Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.
• Pulse 2 tablespoons yogurt, the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, 11/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor to make a paste. Toss the chicken in the mixture and let marinate 15 minutes.
• Place the chicken on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil, turning once, until slightly charred and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon paprika, the cilantro and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Top the chicken with the yogurt sauce and serve with rice, if desired.
• Per serving: Calories 237; Fat 9 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 115 mg; Sodium 1,266 mg; Carbohydrate 8 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 30 g

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the marinade, toast the cloves, whole chiles, both types of cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds in a cast-iron skillet until fragrant, 3 minutes or so, shaking the pan. Then, pour the spices into a spice grinder and grind them until you get a fine powder.
• In large bowl, whisk together the spice mixture you just made with the yogurt, oil, malt vinegar, salt, ground cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger until well combined. It should smell amazing! Taste and adjust with more salt if it needs it.
• Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade and set aside; you're going to make a sauce out of this reserved marinade.
• Prick the chicken thighs with a fork. Add the thighs to the rest of the marinade, and toss to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour in the fridge, and at most overnight.
• When you're ready to cook, line a baking sheet with foil, and turn your broiler on. Place each chicken thigh on the baking sheet, making sure each one is coated with the marinade, but isn't swimming in it. Cook the chicken thighs under the broiler until starting to blacken, about 5 minutes. Then turn the oven to 350, and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees F, another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• While the chicken is cooking, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan, along with 1/2 cup water and the honey. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, whisking all the time. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl or gravy boat for serving.
• Serve the chicken thighs on a platter with a fresh squeeze of lime and a drizzle of the sauce.

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken: Clean the chicken and pat it dry. If using chicken breasts cut them in half. Using a knife, cut deep slits into the chicken.
• Apply wet rub: In a small bowl, mix all the wet rub ingredients together to form a paste. Smear the rub in between the slits and if there is any left over, rub it over the entire chicken breasts.
• Prepare marinade: In a medium size bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in the bowl with marinade and mix well, making sure each chicken breasts is fully coated.
• Marinate chicken: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours.
• Preheat oven and baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and over it, place a grill rack.
• Place the chicken breasts over the grill rack leaving a bit of space in between each piece.
• Bake: Bake the chicken for 30 minutes. 15 minutes in, brush some butter over each piece. After the first 30 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over, brush with more butter and bake for another 15 minutes.
• Garnish with lemon slices, parsley and serve.

WEEKNIGHT TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the garlic powder, coriander, cumin, ginger, salt, and cayenne with a fork. Dredge the chicken in the spice mixture and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle any remaining spices on top, and sear until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• Add the coconut milk and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the chicken is done all the way through (no longer pink), 8 to 10 minutes.
• Layer in bowls with brown rice on the bottom, then spinach, chicken, sauce, yogurt, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

CHICKEN TANDOORI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
• Add in the chicken and stir until evenly coated on all sides. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight in the fridge.
• Before cooking the chicken, take it out of the fridge and allow it to get to room temp, about 30 min should be enough.
• Heat a large heavy-bottom pan or a grill over medium-low heat. Lightly oil with some olive oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.
• Cook the chicken for 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
• Serve over cooked basmati rice with cilantro and lemon wedges if desired. Enjoy!

TANDOORI CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 4 deep slits evenly spaced on the top side of each piece of chicken (see photo).
• Whisk all the Marinade ingredients together in a large shallow dish or large Ziploc bag. Remove 1 1/2 tablespoons Marinade and add to a small bowl along with all Cilantro Yogurt Dip ingredients. Whisk, cover and refrigerate.
• To the remaining marinade, add chicken and turn to coat. Cover/seal and marinate in the refrigerator 8-24 hours.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking.

WHOLE ROASTED TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Roughly chop the garlic, ginger, and red chilies, Using a mortar and pestle, pound into a smooth paste. (Alternatively, use a blender to blend into a smooth paste).
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the Greek style yogurt, lemon juice, ginger garlic chili paste, kosher salt, garam masala, ground cumin, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ground cardamom, ground cayenne, dried fenugreek leaves, red-orange food coloring powder, and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Mix well until evenly combined, then set aside.
• Spatchcock (also known as butterfly) the chicken and remove all of the skin except for on the wings and wingtips. (Note: Refer to my Spicy Thai Roast Chicken post for step-by-step photos and instructions on how to spatchcock a chicken. You need to cut on either side of the spine using kitchen shears and remove it, then flip the chicken over and press down on the breast plate to flatten it. If your chicken came with any giblets, you can remove them and either save for another use or discard.) Use paper towels to pat-dry and clean the chicken well and remove any slimy or bloody bits from the inside cavity. Using a sharp knife, make a few deep slits on the breasts, thighs, and legs.
• Place the chicken breast side down in the marinade bowl and using your hands (wear disposable gloves), rub the marinade all over. Then flip the chicken over and rub the marinade all over the top part until fully coated. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in the fridge. Allow to marinate for 6-8 hours, or 24 hours for best flavor.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge 45 minutes before you're ready to roast to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Lightly brush the rack with 1 teaspoon of olive oil (or spray with cooking spray). Place the chicken breast side up on the wire rack and tuck the wing tips underneath if you can. Pour 2 cups of water into the baking tray (to prevent dripping marinade from burning while the chicken cooks.)
• Place the chicken in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons canola oil to a small sauce pot and add any remaining marinade from the bowl. Simmer over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until darkened and slightly thickened. Remove the chicken from the oven at the 20 minute mark and baste with the thickened marinade using a silicone pastry brush. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. (Note: To check for doneness, insert a digital food thermometer into the inner thigh area close to the breast but not touching the bone. It should register 73°C/165°F. If you don't own a digital thermometer, you can check if the chicken has cooked through by piercing the same area with a knife. The juices should run clear.)
• Turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes, until the wings and meat has charred around the edges.
• Transfer the baking tray to a cooking rack and allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Arrange red onion slices, cucumber slices, and lemon wedges on a large serving platter. Place the chicken on the platter, either whole to carve at the table or cut into pieces. Garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves and serve with Cilantro and Mint Sauce, roti or naan, a simple salad, and warm steamed rice.