Let me start by telling you something about myself that you might not already know. I’m not always very organised. Well, I kind of am, otherwise this house of 8 would be in complete and total chaos instead of the occasional chaos we are currently experiencing. I’m a planner. I like to make lists and plans for the day, and the week, it’s just that I tend to over-plan and think I can get more done than I actually can. And this leads to chaos, or in this instance not starting dinner as early as I should have.
Tandoori Chicken needs to marinate for an hour before going into the oven, but in this case I had about 30, maybe 40 minutes max before I needed to get it on. Mr8 had a meeting Monday night and needed to walk out the door by 6:30pm and I was determined that we were going to eat as a family before he left. Not that we don’t every other night, we do, it’s just easier to get everyone sitting and eating and dinner over and done with before he leaves. Somehow my “Get to the table…..NOW!!” isn’t as convincing as his. I wasn’t that worried about shortening the marinating time because the flavours used are pretty powerful and as it happens the flavour didn’t suffer one bit. In fact I threw in a couple of extra chicken breasts thinking leftovers might be handy, but everyone came back for seconds and my plans for a Tandoori Chicken Burger for lunch the next day went out the window. There’s no heat in this marinade, it’s just packed full of flavour, so the kids loved it, and they’d probably love it even more if you used it to make Tandoori Chicken Kababs at your next BBQ. I served it with some baby potatoes and a green salad, but you could also serve it over rice and maybe put some stir-fried veges on the side, or maybe try that burger I was dreaming about.
It’s quick and easy, and perfect for a mid-week meal.
Healthy Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Plain yoghurt (you could use Greek)
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbl Fresh Ginger, minced
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Salt
3 tsp Lemon Juice
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
(This makes plenty of marinade, so I threw in some extra tenderloins with the 6 very large chicken breasts I was using)
Citrus Mayonnaise
3 Tbl Mayonnaise
2 tsp Lemon Juice
Directions:
Combine the first ten ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
Spread marinade evenly over both sides of the chicken breasts and place them in your baking dish.
Place in the fridge for an hour to marinate.
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Bake your marinated chicken breasts for approx 35 minutes, or until cooked through.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing.
Combine the mayonnaise and lemon juice and serve as a dipping sauce, or if you are making a burger, spread over the bread, and top with slices of chicken and salad.
This recipe is also great for the BBQ/Grill.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe found at http://weelicious.com/2012/09/10/tandoori-chicken-from-dinner-to-the-lunch-box/