Tandoori Chicken

• 2 pounds chicken thighs (  boneless, skinless, left whole or cut into 1 ½ inch cubes for skewers)

 Marinade Ingredients: 

• ¾ cup whole milk PLAIN yogurt
• 4 cloves garlic – finely minced ( or sub 1 tablespoon granulated garlic)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoon paprika (not smoked)
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cayenne, more for spicy ( this is quite mild)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground clove
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions:

1. Preheat grill.
2. In a medium bowl whisk all marinade ingredients together until well combined. Add the chicken (or tofu) in a let marinate for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge. The longer, the better. 🙂
3. If using skewers, soak wood skewers in water to prevent burning.
4. Make the Raita. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Pre-heat grill to med high heat. Make sure grate is cleaned and very well greased.
6. On med-high heat, on a well greased grate, sear the chicken, for 4-5 minutes or until good grill marks appear. Resist the urge to move them early, or too much or you will loose the lovely yogurt crust. (Once chicken has nice deep grill marks, it shouldn’t stick… so be sure let it sear for a few minutes without messing with it.) I really like to use a metal spatula to help with preserving that crust. Once both sides have good color, turn the grill down, move to a cooler part of grill and cover – or alternatively, finish cooking in a 350 F oven until meat is cooked through.
7. Serve the Tandoori Chicken with Raita, grilled naan bread or basmati rice and grilled veggies.