Farhana Sahibzada’s Tandoori Chicken

3- 3 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breast halves, (thicker pieces butterflied or sliced into thinner fillets approximate ¼" thick)

All chicken used is skinless. Make soft cuts in the meat (all over) with the tip of a sharp knife or a fork.
1 ½ -2 cups yogurt (full cream)
1 tablespoon pureed ginger and
1 tablespoon pureed garlic
1 slightly heaping tablespoons garam massala
(Store bought or homemade*)
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoons yellow food color (optional)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
½ cup finely chopped green onion + 2 tablespoons more for topping the marinade
Salt to taste


Directions:

Mix all of the above ingredients (except for the cilantro and the 2 tablespoons chopped green onion) in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken pieces and make sure the marinade is gently rubbed deep into the cuts made in the meat and that all the meat is well coated with the yogurt based marinade. Top with the chopped cilantro and the chopped green onion. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Marinate it for 2-4 hours or overnight.

Grilling Aids:
½ cup oil and a pastry brush

Grilling: Clean and preheated grill, brush the grill lightly with oil. If the grill is preheated on a high flame I will usually try to cool the grill slightly by using moist/water soaked paper towels and then brush the grill with oil.
Place chicken pieces on the prepared grill and cook on low flame for about 5-7 minutes on one side, the cooking time for each side is best determined by the size and performance of each grill, a good practice would be to check periodically during cooking. Turn chicken pieces every few minutes for even cooking on all sides, you want to cook it on a medium flame so the meat cooks through. Brush chicken with oil while cooking to keep meat from drying up, especially the white meat.

Garnish with lemon, sliced onions and cilantro! Serve with chutney and naan. Enjoy…


Mint Chutney:
½ bunch fresh cilantro coarsely chopped with stems
½ bunch fresh mint cleaned and coarsely chopped with stems
1 Serrano chili whole with top removed
1 teaspoon pomegranate seeds (available at Indian spice markets, called Anar Dana) this item is optional
3-4 cloves of garlic
¼ onion chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar

Blend all of the ingredients listed above in a blender or a food processor for 30 to 40 seconds until blended well. Mint chutney can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container with a firm lid.

Chutney Dressing:
Condiment dressing for tandoori chicken and tandoori chicken sandwiches.
This raita also works as a great salad dressing and as a dip for vegetables. For a thicker and a richer consistency add both the mayonnaise and sour cream. The proportions of ingredients here can be adjusted to your specific preference; however, the version below will yield a good variation.

1 cup mint chutney
(See recipe above)
¼ cup yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon toasted and then coarsely ground cumin seeds
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoons chopped fresh dill weed (optional)



To make dressing:

Mix the prepared chutney with yogurt, mayonnaise or sour cream, and the toasted and ground cumin seeds, dill weed and oil and blend well with a spoon. Adjust the balance of sugar and salt to taste. The dressing can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Tandoori Chicken Sandwich (for four sandwiches)

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup sliced onions
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
4 tablespoons chopped green onion
¼ cup each of thin sliced bell peppers: red, yellow, orange and green
4 naans (store bought are OK) – grilled before sandwich assembly
** Can use any flat bread – pita, tortilla, rice bread, etc.

For the sandwich filling:
2 cups grilled tandoori chicken –cut in thin strips
½ cup prepared chutney dressing

To wrap the sandwich sheets of parchment paper 10" X 10 ¾ " or slightly larger, whichever standard size is available within that size range would be fine!

DIRECTIONS: Heat oil in a frying pan add the sliced onions, chopped cilantro and the chopped green onion and sauté for a minute.

Add the sliced bell peppers and toss in the pan for half a minute, turn heat off and set the sautéed vegetables aside.

To Assemble the Sandwich:
Take one whole naan and place in on top of a sheet of the parchment paper. Fill center with a portion of the cut up chicken. Top the chicken with a generous portion of the sautéed vegetables. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of the prepared chutney dressing. Fold in a cone shape and serve!