Summer is almost over! It’s hard to imagine, but school starts next week for the girls, so I thought I’d use the barbecue one more time before storing it until next season. I marinated chicken breasts in tandoori sauce (I removed the skin because Lulu’s aunt who’s visiting doesn’t like it).
A generous amount of plain yogurt is necessary to ensure that the meat is moist. The traditional spices from garam masala are also used (cumin, coriander, red chile and other spices). I grilled the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes and the meat was ready to be served. It’s actually a pretty stress-free recipe if -like me-, you have a ready-made jar of garam masala in your pantry.
1. Info for Grilled Tandoori Chicken Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Grilled Tandoori Chicken Recipe
- 6 chicken breast halves (about 1-½ pounds), boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon papaya paste (see tips)
- 6 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1-½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1-½ teaspoons red chili powder, to taste
- 1 butter lettuce, for garnish
3. Directions:
- The day before… Remove the fat around the bottom of the breasts if there is any. Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry using paper towels. Make 3-4 deep diagonal incisions into the flesh of each piece using a sharp boning knife.
- Strain out the excess whey of the yogurt using a cheese cloth for about 15 minutes. Add all ingredients of the marinade (ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, the juice of 1 lemon, papaya paste, garam masala spice mix and oil) and mix together with the yogurt.
- Season the chicken with salt, ½ teaspoon chili powder and black pepper. Rub evenly. Place the chicken in a large bowl or a sealable zip-top bag. Spread the yogurt mixture over the chicken. Make sure the tandoori marinade penetrates and coats the chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- Grilled tandoori chicken: The next day. Remove the chicken 15 minutes before cooking to bring it back to room temperature. Reserve the marinade on the side. Pat dry the chicken using paper towels.
- Brush the hot barbecue grill with oil using a brush. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Baste the meat every now and then with the reserved tandoori marinade. Flip the chicken breasts and cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, brushing the chicken one more time with the remaining marinade.
- Remove the chicken from the grill. Drizzle with the remaining lemon juice and loosely cover with foil. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.
- A thermometer should register 165°F in the thickest part of the piece of chicken.
- The chicken should have a dry crust on the outside and be very moist on the inside.
- Serve the tandoori chicken on a bed of lettuce with basmati rice and raita (Indian style yogurt) on the side.
- Voilà!
