Grilled Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is a traditional Indian dish full of bold and spicy flavors! A 30 minute marinade and a few minutes on the grill will deliver this tasty dish! 


The first time I tried Indian food was in California with my sister Misty. I think I must’ve been about 12 years old and when she took me to this little hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant I thought it looked a little sketchy. But I’ve always been a lover of food and Misty swore up and down that this was some of the best food on the planet. So I tried it.

Oh m’gash. Samosas, where have you been all my life?! And just like that I was a goner. It only took about 2.7 seconds for me to be completely hooked on Indian cuisine.

When I was working at that Chinese restaurant in high school, my best friend happened to be working at the only Indian restaurant in town. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant you probably know that at the end of your shift you reek of grease and food. My hair would absorb the smells from the kitchen and Chinese-food-smelling hair is about the last thing you want when you’re going to hang out with friends. So on weekends when Kelsi and I both worked, we’d do a food-swap instead of meeting up with everyone else.


Traditionally, tandoori chicken is made in a tandoori clay oven. Oh shoot, I just lent mine out….  Lies. I don’t have a tandoori clay oven. In fact I’m not sure I know anyone personally who has a tandoori clay oven in their backyard. But it’s okay, you don’t have to dig a hole for clay in your backyard because this dish can be made on the grill and I promise it’s just as good as if you’d built yourself a clay oven. Technically you can bake it too but I think the flavor from the grill helps give it that rustic touch that you’d get in an authentic restaurant. We had it over coconut lime rice and we also grilled up some naan with mango chutney – sooooo yummy! Make this – pronto!

INGREDIENTS
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
marinade

  • ½ cup plain yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Place marinade in a large zip lock bag and add chicken breasts. Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  2. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Cook chicken on the grill over medium heat 5-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
  3. Suggested serving options: cooked rice, lime wedges for drizzling, extra cilantro, indian flatbread (naan) and mango chutney
NOTES
*coriander and garam masala are spices you can find at most markets, I know I've found them at Target and Harmons - if they aren't with the regular spices, try the Asian section of the market.


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