TANDOORI CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS AND ONIONS
I love Indian food, but I don’t frequent Indian restaurants. I always overeat and leave feeling weighed down and bloated. Whenever that’s the case my reaction is to make my own version at home that’s just as flavorful, but perhaps not quite as heavy. I LOVE tandoori chicken, but had no clue where to start. After excessive recipe hunting I found this gem from Once Upon a Chef and made a few tweaks to my taste.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs chicken legs or chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1 TBS Paprika
1 TBS Garam Masala
1 TBS Ground Cumin
1 TBS Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3 TBS Fresh Ginger Root, peeled and diced (doesn’t have to be pretty)
4-5 Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (whole fat is preferable, but I usually used Fage Total 0% because I always have it in the fridge)
2 Limes, Zest and Juice from 1 lime and a few wedges from the second
1/4 cup of Grape Seed Oil (any oil is fine)
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 White Onion, sliced
1 Bell Pepper, sliced
Naan Bread (I use these)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine paprika, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper in a small sauté pan. Toast spices at medium heat until fragrant, no more than 5 minutes. Periodically toss the spices around in the pan.
In a food processor, combine spices, garlic cloves, ginger root, greek yogurt, zest from 1 lime, juice from 1 lime, grape seed oil, and salt. Pulse until smooth.
Clean and pat dry the chicken. In a large ziplock or sealable container combine chicken and yogurt marinade. Refrigerate chicken for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 450F. In a large oven safe pan layer the sliced onions and peppers on the bottom with the chicken over top. Include an excess yogurt marinade in the pan. Cook for 60 minutes, flipping the chicken and pushing the peppers and onions around halfway through.
After 60 minutes, remove the pan from the over and let rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze lime over top and serve with a side of naan bread.