Spicy, tandoori chicken is a tasty and healthy meal fit for a midweek supper or part of a weekend feast. The key to really tasty, well-marinaded chicken is the three-step marinade process. I’ve always been keen to experiment with how best to marinate chicken to get the best flavour and I think I have the answer. First, add salt and lemon juice to the meat and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes. Then, add some dry tandoori spice blend as a dry rub and leave for an hour. Finally, coat the chicken in plenty of the oily, yoghurty marinade and leave for 6-12 hours. The flavours really penetrate and leave the chicken moist and chock full of big flavours.
For the spice blend, there are many hundreds out there or you can blend your own at home. I like to use the tandoori mix from Spice Mountain (not a paid link, I just really like their products) but shop around and see what you can get. I think this goes very well with a cooling yoghurt and mint dip and some soft, floury flatbreads.
Enjoy!
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Loading...Ingredients
- 2 x best quality chicken breasts
- 4-5 teaspoons of tandoori spice blend
- 2-3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- For the yoghurt:
- 100ml natural yoghurt, a handful of fresh mint, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon/lime juice
- For the salad:
- 1 red onion
- half a large cucumber
- lettuce leaves
- Olive oil and white wine vinegar for the dressing
Instructions
First, cut the chicken breasts into 3-5cm cubes and mix well with good pinch of salt and the juice of half a lemon. Leave to stand for 10-15 minutes.
Next, take 1 or 2 teaspoons of tandoori blend and rub well into the chicken. Cover and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.
In a pan, add the grated ginger and garlic to some oil and heat gently. Add 3-4 teaspoons of tandoori powder and mix well, adding a pinch of salt.
Transfer this mix to a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the yoghurt and mix well.
Take the chicken and coat liberally in the marinade. Leave, covered, in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Make the yoghurt dip by finely chopping the mint leaves and adding to the yoghurt, along with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate until needed.
When you are ready to cook, heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the chicken pieces. Fry for 4-5 minutes each side, they should start to take on some dark spots of colour.
Make up a quick salad with finely sliced red onion, cucumber and shredded lettuce leaves. Dress quickly with oil and vinegar.
Serve with some flatbreads, the cooling dip and the salad.
