Family Friendly Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken. You might think that I’ve always had this recipe up my sleeve. Like, maybe I was born with it (channeling my inner Lady Gaga). This is far from the truth. In actuality, this tandoori recipe was only recently perfected. It’s a labor of love in more ways than one.
Growing up, I was only exposed to tandoori chicken at cultural parties and get togethers. It was rarely ever homemade and typically ordered from an East Indian restaurant. But then, I decided it was time to date my high school crush (now, husband) who had a thing for tandoori chicken. And, when I say thing, I mean, he loved it so much. Sumit would prepare it for me during our courtship, but I have to be honest, the recipe wasn’t exactly where we wanted it to be.
Fast forward 10 years, I found myself in a position of feeding not just the two of us, but my family. My toddler has a strong love for flavorful food, something he inherited from his papa. I was determined to get it right, and I did. People, I perfected the “Sharda Tandoori Chicken Recipe”! This recipe is an ode to my first love, Sumit, and a gift to you!
Before you venture off to prepare the recipe for yourself, here are some important tips to keep in mind.
I’ve learned that your finished product will only be as good as your chicken which is the star ingredient in this recipe. When shopping, look for the “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” logo on your fresh packs of local chicken. This ensures you’re consuming Canadian raised chicken and supporting nearby farmers. It’s up to you if you want to use chicken breast, boneless thigh or bone-in legs.
I am a firm believer that if you are preparing chicken, you need to ensure it is cooked through appropriately. A digital thermometer can go a long way in helping you. You can learn more about what temperature you’re looking for by clicking here. This is especially important when preparing tandoori chicken because the red/pink marinade will soak into the flesh of your chicken. To prevent an overcooked product, take the temperature!
To get the best bang for your bite in terms of flavor, I really encourage you to marinade the chicken for at least 2 hours, or even better, over night.
Lastly, I’ve had the opportunity to test a few different Tandoori Powders on the market. The two I tend to rely on include: Kissan Tandoori Masala and Shan Tandoori Masala – both, readily available at large grocery stores and your local Indian market.
Okay, now that we’ve got that settled. How are you going to enjoy your Tandoori Chicken? Lucky for you, I’ve got a slurry of suggestions:
You can serve bite size tandoori chicken over naan, topped with tzatziki, or a homemade cucumber-yogurt sauce.
Pair it with grilled or roasted vegetables and a bed of basmati rice.
Shred the chicken and enjoy it in a wrap with crunchy cabbage.
Pack it up for work alongside a quinoa salad.
If you come up with a new way to enjoy tandoori chicken, I’d love to hear more about it!
Okay, okay, enough already. Scroll below for the recipe. Enjoy!
Family Friendly Tandoori Chicken
PREP TIME: 15 min
COOK TIME: 30 - 45 min
TOTAL TIME: 60 min
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1.5lb bone-in or boneless chicken
If using bone in chicken, remove skin and excess fat
If using chicken breast – cut into 1 – 2” chunk
If using thighs – no need to cut, remove excess fat
¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp tandoori powder
2 tsp plant based oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2” knob ginger, minced
1 tbsp mayo
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Lemon, for garnish
¼ - ½ cup cilantro, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Trim excess skin and/or fat from your chicken.
In a large bowl, prepare your marinade by mixing together: sour cream, lemon juice, tomato paste, tandoori powder, oil, garlic, ginger, mayo, and your spices.
Add your chicken into the bowl. Be sure to coat the chicken well with the bright red marinade. You can even work the marinade into the chicken using your hands.
Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
Cook your chicken. You have a few options:
Grill chicken on the bbq.
Lay your chicken into an oven proof dish, bake at 350F until your chicken is cooked through.
Lastly, you can bake your chicken in the oven and then finish off on the grill over low-medium heat.
A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should read 165F on the thermometer.
Drizzle with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice if you’d like, and top with cilantro.
