Tandoori Chicken

This dish a labor of love. Make it when you are in no rush to cook and looking to try something new. While this dish calls for whole-milk yogurt, low-fat options can be substituted. Also, the chicken requires a 30 minute resting time after initial prep, so plan dinner accordingly. Serve this dish with rice, or your favorite vegetable side! Enjoy! 🙂

Serves: 2 | Serving Size: 1 Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

• Chicken:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil – divided
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 3 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounces chicken breast
• Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro – minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint -minced
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Chicken:
   1. In a large mixing bowl, combine one tablespoon oil, garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin and chili powder and microwave until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice and salt and mix. Add chicken and mix until well coated – cover and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
   2. In a small bowl, combine yogurt,1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon of oil, cover and refrigerate until needed.
   3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 325*F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a foil covered wire rack on sheet.
   4. Dip chicken breasts into yogurt mixture from step 2 (yogurt mixture in fridge), coating well and set on wire rack. Discard any leftover yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until it registers 125 degrees. Remove chicken from oven, adjust rack to top position and heat broiler to high. Flip chicken and broil (note – allow broiler to heat to correct temperature before returning chicken to oven) until charred and chicken registers an interal temperature of 165*F. Transfer chicken to serving plate, tent loosely with foil, let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Sauce:
   1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve chicken with yogurt sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:
Per serving: Calories: 390; Total Fat: 22;  Cholesterol: 32; Sodium: 1254mg; Total Carbohydrates: 12g; Dietary Fiber: 1; Sugars: 6g; Protein: 40g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 311; Vitamin A: 11%; Vitamin C: 5%; Calcium: 29%; Iron: 9%

Modified from: America’s Test Kitchen (2014). “Tandoori Chicken with Yogurt Sauce.” The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. Boston: America’s Test Kitchen, 2014. 113. Print.