Chicken Tandoori

When I first made this dish it was one of those "what can I possibly make from what's laying around the house?" kind of nights. I searched online, looking through recipe after recipe, until I found one that I had every ingredient.  Chicken Tandoori?  Why not.

I have still to this day not had it anywhere but my own kitchen; so I don't really have any basis for comparison. But we really like it. I have probably made it 4-5 different times.

You'll start by soaking chicken in lemon juice and salt with slits cut into it.  The recipe calls for chicken thighs with the skin on, but we prefer it with boneless & skinless breasts.  I have made it both ways, and much to my surprise I preferred the baked breast method over the broiled legs.

While your chicken is getting tenderized (and flavored), you're going to assemble a ton of spices into a food processor to make a paste.

Vegetable oil, onion, plain yogurt, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and paprika all go into this super flavor-packed dish.. I ran out of paprika this time, so I used Cajun and cayenne seasonings as a substitute.  I got the recipe from here.

Remove the chicken from the lemon juice, or simply drain it from the same casserole dish.  Then coat your chicken on all sides in the mixture you just made and let it marinade for 15-30 minutes.

We like to bake it for 25-30 minutes at 400-degrees, flipping half way through.  During the flip, I try to scoop up as much of the sauce as possible to cover the chicken again.  Cook some brown or white rice to serve the chicken over top.

Sorry my picture is out of focus.  Oops.

Top it with a mixture of yogurt, paprika, cilantro, and salt.  We also like to add our own little touch of green onion and some fresh tomato.

The cooling yogurt sauce pairs really nicely with this wonderfully spiced dish.  My dad likes to make a differentiation between spicy and hot (spicy).  This has a lot of spices -- so it would meet his definition of spicy. But it isn't hot.  The cumin, coriander, and paprika add a real depth of flavor with all the onion and tomato paste.  I think it's a great dish for anyone willing to be a little adventurous.

Soon we are going to a couple's home to have some authentic Indian food.  Hopefully I will be able to compare mine favorably.