Chicken Tandoori
with cucumber and tomato salsa / naan
Ingredients
- Cucumbers - 8 oz, diced
- Tomatoes, roma - 16 oz, diced
- Cilantro - 3 Tbsp, chopped
- Lime juice - 2 Tbsp
- Coriander - 1 tsp
- Cumin - 1 tsp
- Curry powder - 1 tsp
- Ginger, ground - 1 tsp
- Paprika - 1 tsp
- Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
- Cayenne - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Yogurt, plain - 6 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
- Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless - 1 1/2 lbs
- Limes - 1, wedges
- Water - 4 Tbsp
- Tomato paste - 1 Tbsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Naan, gluten-free - 4 rounds (sub any gluten-free flatbread)
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make spice mix - Combine coriander, cumin, curry powder, ginger, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne. (Can be done ahead at any time)
- (Optional step) Toast spices: Heat a frying pan over medium heat and warm up / toast spices until fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Garlic - Chop garlic. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Make yogurt marinade - Mix together spices with garlic, yogurt, and oil. Divide in half. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Marinate chicken - Cut slits into the chicken (to increase surface area for marinade). Cover in half of the marinade, sprinkle on some salt, and then tenderize with a fork. Marinate for at least 20 minutes and ideally overnight. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Cucumbers / Tomatoes / Cilantro / Limes - (If prepping right before cooking, get chicken in the oven / on the grill before returning to prep.) Prep as directed.
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Make
- If cooking in the oven: Turn on broiler and situate top oven rack so that it’s about 5” to 6” / 13 to 15 cm from the heat source. Line a sheet pan with foil. Brush off excess marinade from chicken (you want to leave some on but not too much) and arrange chicken on sheet pan. Broil for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through to 165F / 74C.
- If cooking on the grill: Heat grill to 450F / 232C degrees. Clean grates and brush with some oil. Brush off excess marinade from chicken (you want to leave some on but not too much) and place chicken onto grill grates. Grill for ~2 minutes on each side with the cover closed. Turn down heat to medium, close cover and cook for for another 6 to 12 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165F / 74C.
- Make salsa by combining cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt.
- Whisk water, tomato paste, and honey into remainder of marinade. Heat up over low heat until sauce is warmed up.
- Toast naan.
- Enjoy chicken with sauce. Serve lime wedges, naan, and salsa on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
38 reviews
I wanted so badly to like this. We love Indian food. It was bland and disappointing and even with the tumeric and curry powder, didn’t take particularly interesting. My first cooksmarts recipe I didn’t enjoy.
0 HelpfulWe used fresh cauliflower instead of frozen, but I thought this lacked something. It was still pretty tasty and easy, though!
0 HelpfulNot a hit :( I did use chicken breasts instead of thighs, I thought marinating overnight would help but it still turned out really dry. Spice flavors were not that great either.
0 HelpfulThis is so good! And fun to make something we've never had before. I made the 4 serving version but it actually makes more like 5-6 servings if you add extra eggs. Will definitely make again.
0 HelpfulThis recipe was a hit for our family which includes two 4-year olds. The chicken (we chose to grill it) was so juicy and flavorful and the cucumber salsa and tomato yogurt sauce were perfect additions. I omitted the curry powder for personal tastes and upped the salt a little bit. Will definitely make again!
0 Helpful