I am almost embarrassed to give away just how easy this recipe is but it is far too good to keep to myself.  There are so many different versions of tandoori chicken out there but this is my go to recipe both for its simplicity and its flavor.  Pair it with anything from simple steamed basmati rice or naan to a dramatic side dish (such as Saag Paneer), either way it will be amazing.

Although this dish is wonderfully simple, it is best if enough time is provided to marinate the chicken for 8 – 24 hours.  If you can plan ahead and make the marinade the day before you intend to cook it, you’ll be glad you did.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, skin removed or 8 skinless chicken thighs (I find buying skinless chicken thighs a little easier)
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (Del Marie preferred)
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander ground coriander
• 1/4 cup of diced white onion
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp tumeric powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2-3 chili bird peppers, seeded
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Get out your food processor or a blender.  Add the yogurt, spices, garlic, onion and peppers to the food processor and blend for about a minute until very well combined.  Your marinade will most likely look reddish orange and smell so good you might be tempted to drink it.  And feel free to do so, its only yogurt after all.

Now, add your chicken to a bowl or plastic ziplock bag and pour the newly blended yogurt marinade over the chicken.  Seal and put in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook (8-24 hours later).

You can use one of two ways to cook the chicken – I’ll start with my preferred version:

1.  Turn the oven broiler on high and preheat the oven for a few minutes.  Your oven rack should be at the highest level possible.  Put the chicken on a cooling rack with a baking sheet covered in foil underneath.  Brush the chicken with the vegetable oil (I often forget to do this, and everything still turns out great so I guess it isn’t necessary) and then put it under the broiler for 20 minutes.  Turn the chicken half way through so both sides get thoroughly browned.  At 20 minutes, pull the chicken out and test a piece for doneness (make a slight cut in a piece to make sure it is cooked through).  When done, serve with fresh cilantro, lime slices, raita, rice and/or naan.

2.  Turn the oven on and preheat at 500 degrees. Follow the same process above but cook chicken for 30 minutes, turning half way through.

Notes:

• If you are using chicken thighs, it is hard to overcook them, so don’t worry if they cook longer than the 20 or 30 minutes.  And expect to see slightly charred areas.
• If you are using a whole chicken, some pieces will be done before others – you’ll most likely need to pull the chicken breasts out before the rest as they overcook easily and can get very dry.
• This recipe doubles well if you are feeding a large group.
• Feel free to go by taste when adding the spices.  I tend to prefer a very spicy dish, so I go a little overboard on some of the spices.
• If you don’t have all these spices on hand, I recommend buying them from an Indian or Middle Eastern store or going to the bulk spices section at Whole Foods so you can buy only what you need.

Enjoy.

- annemarie