Tandoori chicken with cucumber raita
45 min · 61 g protein · 439 cals / serving
Chicken soaked overnight in a brick-red marinade of yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika and garam masala, then roasted fiercely hot until the edges blister and char and the inside stays juicy. It comes with a cold, minty cucumber raita, a sharp red onion and tomato salad and plenty of lemon to squeeze over everything.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 thumb ginger, grated
- 4 tsp paprika, or Kashmiri chili powder for the deep red
- 1 tsp chili powder, or cayenne to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 lb 2 oz chicken breast, in large chunks or scored halves
- 14 oz chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, scored
Cucumber raita
- 1 1/4 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 large cucumber, coarsely grated, squeezed lightly
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin, toasted in a dry pan
- 1/3 tsp salt
Onion salad
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- Stir all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Cut 2–3 deep slashes into each piece of chicken, add it to the bowl and rub the marinade into the cuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Heat the oven to its hottest setting, 480°F, with a rack near the top. Lay the chicken on a rack set over a foil-lined tray, leaving space between pieces. Roast 18–22 minutes, then switch to the grill (broiler) for 2–4 minutes until the edges char in spots. The chicken is done at 165°F in the thickest piece.
- While it roasts, make the raita: stir the yogurt with the grated cucumber, mint, toasted cumin and salt. Loosen with a splash of water if it is very thick.
- Toss the red onion and tomato with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and the cilantro. Rest the chicken 5 minutes, then serve with the raita and the onion salad.
Good to know
Can I grill it?
Yes, and it is even better. Grill over high, direct heat 5–6 minutes a side, turning when the underside has dark charred patches, until it reads 165°F.
Why both breast and thigh?
Thighs stay juicy and char beautifully; breast is leaner. Use all thigh for the most forgiving version (a little richer, at about 73 instead of 79), or all breast and pull it at temperature so it does not dry out.
No red food colouring?
Restaurant tandoori is often dyed. Paprika, or Kashmiri chili powder if you have it, gives a natural deep red without much heat.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 102
- Protein
- (57%)
- 14 g
- Fat
- (28%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (14%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 232 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1758 kcal goes into the pot and 2131 g of ingredients comes out as about 1720 g of food: 102 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.