Tandoori Chicken

Like I've said in the past, since I was little, Indian food has always been one of my all time favorite cuisines. I love all of the spices and the crazy pop of flavor in each dish. Arguably the most "standard" Indian dish that everyone is familiar with would have to be tandoori chicken. While I don't have the tandoori (clay) oven that Indian restaurants traditionally use to prepare this dish with, I decided that the spice blend and yogurt coating couldn't be that hard to replicate on the BBQ, and actually, it was fairly easy to throw together! When prepared on the grill, it has a different sort of char than the traditional clay oven tandoori, but it was equally delicious.

To make your own tandoori chicken at home, you will need:

1 lb chicken breasts (or tenders or legs/thighs if you prefer dark meat)
1/4 cup of greek or plain yogurt (I use Trader Joes added fiber yogurt)
1 t Turmeric
1 t Garam masala
1 t garlic powder
1.5 t paprika
1 t cumin
1-2 t water to thin the yogurt marinade a bit (depending upon how thick the yogurt you use is will determine exactly how much water you need)
optional: a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice to enhance the flavors
also optional: a pinch of cayenne pepper for some added heat

To prepare the marinade, combine all the spices, yogurt and water in a bowl and stir thoroughly. Coat the chicken in the marinade, transfer to a plastic baggie in the fridge, and allow to marinate for a minimum of four hours, though you could let it sit overnight. When you're ready to grill, pop those suckers onto the grill and cook until chicken is cooked through!

Feelin' Frisky? Make tandoori chicken skewers like they serve in the restaurants by cutting your chicken into chunks and marinating some onions and peppers along with the it! Can't go wrong with some extra veggies! Pin It