Grilled Tandoori Chicken with Wholegrain Salad and Mint Yoghurt Recipe

This is a really delicious dish full of healthy ingredients and lovely flavours.

The grilled tandoori chicken can be served on the skewers alone, or with a fresh and vibrant salad. Alternatively, you can eat the chicken in a sandwich or wrap.

The longer you marinate the chicken in the sauce the better. If you are making them in the oven, you can help build up that flavour by basting with the pan juices that collect at the bottom of the pan (if using chicken thighs).

If you don’t have skewers, you can just grill the chicken directly on the baking tray.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken with Wholegrain Salad Recipe

Heat level: Mild
Serve size: 4 serves
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken skewers

• 1 pack of The Spice Tailor Original Tikka Masala
• 500g chicken thigh (around 4 large) or breast fillets (we use thigh as it is tastier and juicier), cut into large bite-sized pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 good tsp. garlic paste (around 2 large cloves)
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tbsp. plain thick yoghurt

For the salad

• 1 avocado, chopped
• 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 gem lettuce, washed well, dried and torn into large pieces
• 4” cucumber, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp. pumpkin seeds, lightly roasted
• 250g cooked whole grains such as barley, spelt, buckwheat etc. (we buy a packet of mixed cooked ones)

For the minted yoghurt dressing

• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 8g (a handful) mint leaves, washed and the extra water shaken off
• 20g (two good handfuls) of fresh coriander leaves and stalks, washed
• Good pinch of sugar
• 5 tsp. cider or white vinegar
• 125g thick plain yoghurt

Method

1. Pre-heat the fan-assisted grill setting of your oven to 225°C. Line a baking tray. Soak your wooden skewers in a long jar.
2. Place the chicken in a non-reactive bowl, and add the lemon juice, garlic paste, ginger paste and 1/3 tsp. salt. Mix well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, blend together the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Add both sauces from the pack and the 2 tbsp. yoghurt into the chicken and stir well to incorporate. Leave for a further marinade if you have time, ideally 30 minutes but longer if you have time.
5. Thread onto skewers, keeping them close but not too tight. Place on your baking tray, ideally not touching the base. You can use long skewers and a small deep baking tin so the edges hang over the side. If you can’t find one, then don’t worry, you can cook them on a foil-lined baking tray. Place under the grill (we put them on the upper shelf) and grill for 7-9 minutes, or until just cooked. You can baste with the pan juices towards the end. Turn the grill up to 240°C and grill for another 2 minutes, or until there is light charring on the upper surface.
6. Meanwhile, combine all the salad ingredients together and pour over the dressing. Toss to mix and place on your plate or platter.
7. Remove the chicken and place the skewers on the salad, pour over the pan juices and serve.

You can purchase the kits from The Spice Tailor website.