Chicken Tandoori
with roasted cauliflower / cucumber and tomato salsa
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
- Coconut milk, light - 6 Tbsp
- Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless - 1 1/2 lbs
- Limes - 1, wedges
- Water - 4 Tbsp
- Tomato paste - 1 Tbsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Cauliflower, fresh or frozen - 16 oz, chopped
- Oil, cooking - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Curry powder - 1 tsp
- Cumin - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make spice mix - Combine coriander, cumin (portion for chicken), curry powder (portion for chicken), 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 marinade - Mix together spices with garlic and coconut milk. 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)
- Cauliflower (if not using frozen) - Chop. (Can be done up to 5 days 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: Heat oven to 450F / 232C. Situate racks so that you can fit chicken and a sheet pan. Toss cauliflower with oil, curry powder (portion for cauliflower), cumin (portion for cauliflower), and salt and spread out onto a sheet pan. Bake chicken for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through to 165F / 74C. Bake cauliflower for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden and crispy, shaking and rotating once midway through.
- If cooking on the grill: Heat grill to 450F / 232C degrees with cast iron skillet in the grill. Toss cauliflower with oil, curry powder (portion for cauliflower), cumin (portion for cauliflower), and salt. Place cauliflower in the skillet. 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. Roast cauliflower for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden on the outside.
- 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.
- Enjoy chicken with sauce. Serve roasted cauliflower, salsa, and lime wedges 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