Tandoori chicken is marinated, seasoned chicken. I went down the path of cooking this after a conversation with a colleague. He mentioned the concept, which led to me looking it up and learning about it. I found a great piece on the history, and it turns out this dish may have originated all the way back in 3000 BC.
When I looked up the recipe, I saw the yogurt marinade, the use of cumin and paprika, and then that topping. I couldn't resist giving it a try, as the topping reminded me of tzatziki.
The chicken is traditionally cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor. It's a large clay oven that gets very hot (like twice what a normal oven can do), and where bread like naan is cooked against the clay wall. Because I don't own a tandoor, the next best thing is getting my oven as hot as I could. That being said, this isn't going to be a super authentic recipe, but it is going to be the kind you can make at home.
The interesting thing about this recipe for me was getting the oven to cook on broil to get the hot, cooking fast effect. Never have I considered broiling chicken as an alternative to standard oven cooking. I've only used the broiler really to slightly brown something or crispen it, and relied on the oven to do the main cooking.
In a small bowl, I mixed the yogurt, fresh cilantro, paprika, and lemon juice to create the topping.
I love paprika in general, and this recipe was no exception. Despite being cooked on high heat under the broiler, it was tender and moist. I LOVED how the outside got crispy, like the way grilled chicken does. And the speed this cooked! I'm so used to throwing chicken in and waiting forever. I definitely want to try the real thing at a restaurant when the opportunity comes up, but in the mean time, this was a really great homemade version of it. Two thumbs up.
Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (or yogurt)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2-3 garlic cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 piece of fresh ginger, about 2 inches in size (or 1 tablespoon minced ginger)
For the sauce:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups rice, cooked
Instructions:
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, tomato paste, and garlic together, then coat chicken breasts. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Place chicken in a cast iron skillet or broiler pan and broil on high for 7 minutes on each side, until browned. For thicker chicken breasts, put oven on 350 degrees F and continue baking for 10 minutes.
To make the topping sauce, mix yogurt, cilantro, paprika, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Serve on top of cooked chicken with rice.
adapted from chicken tandoori
The interesting thing about this recipe for me was getting the oven to cook on broil to get the hot, cooking fast effect. Never have I considered broiling chicken as an alternative to standard oven cooking. I've only used the broiler really to slightly brown something or crispen it, and relied on the oven to do the main cooking.
The chicken was marinated for a few hours (the recipe I looked at called for 30 minutes min, but I did about 3 hours since I had the time) in a mix of Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt would work), lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, paprika, and ginger. I then placed the chicken in a cast iron pan for the cookin'.
I broiled the chicken breasts on high for about 7 minutes on each side, and the end result was a beautiful golden brown.
In a small bowl, I mixed the yogurt, fresh cilantro, paprika, and lemon juice to create the topping.
I love paprika in general, and this recipe was no exception. Despite being cooked on high heat under the broiler, it was tender and moist. I LOVED how the outside got crispy, like the way grilled chicken does. And the speed this cooked! I'm so used to throwing chicken in and waiting forever. I definitely want to try the real thing at a restaurant when the opportunity comes up, but in the mean time, this was a really great homemade version of it. Two thumbs up.
Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (or yogurt)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2-3 garlic cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 piece of fresh ginger, about 2 inches in size (or 1 tablespoon minced ginger)
For the sauce:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups rice, cooked
Instructions:
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, tomato paste, and garlic together, then coat chicken breasts. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Place chicken in a cast iron skillet or broiler pan and broil on high for 7 minutes on each side, until browned. For thicker chicken breasts, put oven on 350 degrees F and continue baking for 10 minutes.
To make the topping sauce, mix yogurt, cilantro, paprika, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Serve on top of cooked chicken with rice.
adapted from chicken tandoori
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