When I need my spice fix, this is one recipe that I run to. I find it a fun way of serving tandoori style chicken, especially because it’s uses boneless breast and is ready in a jiffy. My family love this with a simple lemony tomato, onion and coriander salad and some buttery naan – and honestly, if you don’t have time for that, I just warm up some tortillas and you are good to go…
- 2 pieces of large boneless chicken breast
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1/2 yellow pepper
- 1 onion, sliced into wedges
- 12 mushrooms
For the marinade
- 1 tbs of minced garlic
- 1 tbs of minced ginger
- 2 cups plain yoghurt
- 1/2 cup of sunflower oil
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chilli flakes ( ofcourse reduce or leave out all together if you are serving kids)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried mango powder ( known as Amchur – widely available in Asian supermarkets)
- 1 heaped tbs tomato puree
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbs chopped coriander
- 1/2 cup water
For the Tomato, Onion and Coriander Salad
- 3 tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 large white onion, finely sliced
- Juice of half a lemon
- Cracked black pepper and salt for seasoning
- 1 bunch coriander finely chopped
- 3 tbs double cream for the gravy finish
Wooden bamboo skewers – at least 6
Your favourite pickle, sliced red onions and lemon wedges for decor.
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Set aside. It should be creamy, not too thick but definitely not watery and runny.
Soak your skewers in cold water for at least half an hour.
Chop chicken into 1 x 1 inch cubes. The cubes should be quite chunky as they will definitely shrink in the cooking process.
Cut all your vegetables into cubes, approximately also 1 x 1 inch and slice your mushrooms in half. Keep everthing chunky but even sizes.
Place all the chicken as well as the vegetables into the marinade and keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour for the flavours to really infuse. You should have enough marinade to soak all the ingredients with some left over.
Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
Now, simply thread your chicken, and alternate the different vegetables until you have made at least 5-6 skewers. Keep all the ingredients quite snug together but not overly tight.
Place in an oven dish or baking tray and pour over the rest of the remaining marinade as shown over the top. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven for 3o minutes.
In the meantime, make your salsa. Simply mix everything together – check for seasoning and place in the fridge until you need it.
5 minutes before serving, uncover the chicken and turn the oven to grill. Let the chicken skewers catch a bit of grilled colour and serve up with some warm buttered naan or tortillas and that lovely contrasting, lemony salsa.
Take the remaining marinade in the pan, heat it up until sizzling, add a dash of cream and place on the side in a stylish gravy boat.
I like to serve my tandoori skewers with my favourite pickle, sliced onion on the side and enough lemon wedges to just squeeze over for that final touch of zest.
Serve with your favourite chilled beer or cider.
Food Styling by Sandy Thethy
Photography Credit : Vanessa Knight Photography
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