I was in the mood to have a chicken dish that was a bit different than I usually make, but I still wanted one that was grilled and was loaded with flavor. While browsing through some of my favorite food sites for a suitable candidate, I came upon “Tandoori Chicken,” a recipe submitted by “bsar” on the GroupRecipes.com site. It was excellent!
Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 pounds chicken, cut into pieces
- 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1-1/4 lemon, juiced
- 1-1/2 cups and 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 5/8 onion, finely chopped
- 1-1/4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
- 2-1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1-1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1-1/4 teaspoons yellow food coloring
- 1-1/4 teaspoons red food coloring
- 2-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro (for garnish)
- 1-1/4 lemon, cut into wedges (for garnish)
Directions:
- Remove the skin from the chicken pieces, and cut slits into the pieces lengthwise.
- Place the chicken in a shallow dish, and sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and lemon juice. Set aside 20 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Mix until smooth. Stir in the yellow and red food coloring.
- Spread the yogurt mixture over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours (the longer the better).
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
- Cook the chicken on the grill until no longer pink and juices run clear.
- Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.
The author of this recipe, bsar, says that it’s an authentic recipe for Tandoori chicken, which is good to know, but it didn’t make much difference to me, since all I was concerned with was whether it would be good. Well, I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This recipe was wonderful. As the author recommended, I served it with long grain Basmati rice, a cucumber salad, and some grilled vegetables for a terrific summertime meal.
