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Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers

[heart_this] · May 6, 2010 · 42 Comments

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

After watching Rob Rainford grilling up a storm Monday night, I had the itch to do some grilling as well. When I scanned through my ‘to try’ list the first thing to jump out at me was tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken is an Indian roasted chicken dish where the chicken is marinated in a spicy yogurt that is seasoned with masala and chili peppers. I don’t know what it is about meat on a stick but it certainly is one of my favorite ways to grill up some chicken and I figured that a skewered, grilled, chicken tandoori would be really good. I went with a pretty simple recipe adding some fresh lemon, onion, garlic and ginger to the yogurt followed by some spices including a homemade garam masala and some ceyenne pepper and hot and smoky paprika to add some heat and to give it the traditional red colouring. After letting the chicken marinate over night I pulled it out of the fridge and when I opened the bag up I just had to pause for a moment to enjoy the amazing aromatics. The chicken grilled up quickly and it was nice and juicy and full of flavour and oh so good! You can eat this tasty tandoori chicken as is, as a part of a larger meal or you could use it in a wrap or even in a curry like chicken tikka masala.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

Prep Time: 10 hours Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 10 hours 30 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 lemon (juice)
  • 1/2 small onion (grated)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (grated)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon paprika (I used hot smoked)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander (toasted and ground)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ceyenne pepper (or to taste)
  • salt to taste
  • 1 pound chicken (boneless and skinless, but into 1 inch pieces)
directions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients save the chicken.
  2. Place the chicken in a freezer bag along with the marinade and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably several hours to overnight.
  3. Pull the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
  4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and skewer it.
  5. Grill the chicken until cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side.
Use in:
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Tandoori Chicken Melt
Tandoori Chicken Quesadillas
Butter Chicken Noodle Soup

Similar Recipes:
Chicken Souvlaki
Yakitori
Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
Dakkochi (Korean Skewered Chicken)
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Moroccan Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Bacon BBQ Chicken Skewers
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Za’atar Grilled Chicken
Pesto Grilled Chicken, Zucchini and Tomato Skewers
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Shish Tawook

Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Grill, Indian, Low-carb, Main Course, One-Pan, One-Pot, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ciao Chow Linda says

    May 7, 2010 at 12:16 am

    This looks perfect Kevin – better than most Indian restaurants. Will have to try to make this one.

    Reply
  2. momgateway says

    May 7, 2010 at 12:33 am

    I've always wondered how they make tandoori chicken –it's my son's fave dish at Shalimar. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Catherine says

    May 7, 2010 at 12:59 am

    Wow Kevin that is such a wonderful picture!
    The chicken is mouthwatering!

    Reply
  4. Kalyn says

    May 7, 2010 at 1:13 am

    I'm drooling here!

    Reply
  5. Memória says

    May 7, 2010 at 2:29 am

    Wow, Kevin! Your tandoori chicken looks great!! You should definitely try adding kasoori/kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) to your tandoori chicken. It tastes wonderful and has a strong strong smell!! Lovely photo! Wow.

    Reply
  6. Jane says

    May 7, 2010 at 3:25 am

    This looks fabulous! I wonder if you can do it on a George Foreman grill? It's the closest thing I've got to a grill.

    Reply
  7. Diana Evans says

    May 7, 2010 at 4:32 am

    oh yummmmmmmmmm!!! I am making this tomorrow with turkey thigh meat…

    thanks Kevin!!!

    Reply
  8. Cherine says

    May 7, 2010 at 6:43 am

    Looks fabulous!!

    Reply
  9. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    May 7, 2010 at 6:59 am

    Tandoori paste tastes so good! A gorgeous dish!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  10. Ana Powell says

    May 7, 2010 at 8:02 am

    Great combination, Tandoori paste taste so good.
    Lovely photo, well done again x

    Reply
  11. Jan says

    May 7, 2010 at 9:29 am

    Lovely! I love tandoori chicken and yours looks good!

    Reply
  12. Gourmet Free says

    May 7, 2010 at 9:30 am

    Hi Kevin

    What a nice recipe !!! Grilled Tandoori Chicken is my favorite. once I visit India and visit Lucknow Tunde kababi. your recipe is little bit differ form it. But taste is similar.

    Reply
  13. Robyn says

    May 7, 2010 at 10:05 am

    Gosh, that chicken looks so moist and tasty… YUM

    Reply
  14. Joanne says

    May 7, 2010 at 10:15 am

    Tandoori chicken has the most GORGEOUS smell. You got a great color on these and the spices sound perfect.

    Reply
  15. Lauren says

    May 7, 2010 at 10:46 am

    All of those warm spices combined sound like the making of a fantastic marinade! I will definitely be trying this chicken recipe.

    Reply
  16. Gourmet Free says

    May 7, 2010 at 10:50 am

    Hi kevin !

    it looks fabulous. tandoori chicken i think it is really interesting. i think it's good combination. i am sure it's really better than of any most famous Indian restaurant.

    Reply
  17. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    May 7, 2010 at 11:22 am

    Smoked paprika is an interesting addition, and not at all traditional. What's more traditional is the addition of a couple of drops of red food coloring. That's how tandoori chicken that you get in restaurants gets its bright color!

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    May 7, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    How is it Tandoori chicken if it's not cooked in a tandoori? Isn't it just a marinated grilled chicken?

    Reply
  19. Bellini Valli says

    May 7, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    Rob Rainford is a gold mine of delicious barbecue recipes.

    Reply
  20. Priti says

    May 7, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    Wow looks at those…just looks delish…I never added onion in tandoori chicken…next time this recipe for sure am trying

    Reply
  21. Mona says

    May 7, 2010 at 3:04 pm

    Gorgeous click Kevin! Looks yumm.

    Reply
  22. ♥peachkins♥ says

    May 7, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    I ♥ the looks of your Tandoori chicken!

    blowing peachkisses
    The Peach Kitchen
    peach and things

    Reply
  23. Kirsten says

    May 7, 2010 at 3:09 pm

    I am very impressed with the wonderful color, looks delicious!

    Reply
  24. The Short (dis)Order Cook says

    May 7, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    I often call "tandoori" chicken anything I marinate in yogurt nad cook in my terracotta pot. It's the closest thing I have to a tandoori oven. 😉 I'd say it's probably better on the grill. those skewers look wonderful.

    Reply
  25. Jú says

    May 7, 2010 at 11:25 pm

    just amazing! so perfect. so delicious.

    Reply
  26. Anderson says

    May 8, 2010 at 6:22 am

    (Found your blog via TasteSpotting.) This looks amazing! Thank you for the recipe. Your blog looks … mmm… yummy! 🙂

    Reply
  27. humeyra says

    May 8, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    This looks wonderful.
    Have you ever been in Turkey? Come and eat here, I believe you'll enjoy Turkish Cuisine.

    Reply
  28. PreeOccupied says

    May 8, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    Nice. Never had tandoori chicken which looked like Souvlaki.

    I usually make tandoori chicken with chicken drumsticks and add some red food color. Instead of the cayenne pepper, I add red chili powder.

    Reply
  29. Stargazerss says

    May 10, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    This looks amazing. Can you clarify- these are cut into 1 inch chunks and then jsut placed close together on skewwers? It looks like one big gorgeous strip int eh pic, can't wait to try this! And- do you soak your skewers first? Thanks!!!

    Reply
  30. Kevin says

    May 12, 2010 at 10:57 am

    Stargazerss: Yep, 1 inch pieces. I packed them in there kind of tightly and they look like one large piece though they separate nicely when you pull them off the skewer.

    Reply
  31. Danielle says

    May 15, 2010 at 2:41 pm

    That looks so fresh and tasty! Looks like the perfect summer al fresco dinner!

    Reply
  32. meeso says

    May 16, 2010 at 4:23 pm

    Looks absolutely mouthwatering!

    Reply
  33. Paul says

    May 31, 2010 at 4:02 am

    Thanks Kevin for the best collection of recipes I have found on any food blog! Used this one for my dinner club (credited you) and added a watermelon salsa which seemed to punch it up a notch.

    Got raves from all at the dinner.

    Thanks again.

    Reply
  34. Tiff says

    July 12, 2011 at 11:22 pm

    Just made this. I used the tandoori chicken in naan sandwiches with cucumber raita sauce. Good dish. thanks!

    Reply
  35. Karina says

    September 27, 2012 at 2:16 pm

    The chicken is sitting in the fridge marinating right now. I can't wait to try it! I cheated a little and bought a roasted pineapple and habanero sauce to serve on the side for dipping. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  36. Anonymous says

    October 12, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    I dont have an actual outdoor grill, any suggestions on how else I can grill/make this?

    Reply
  37. Kevin says

    October 18, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    Anonymous: You could use a grill pan or your ovens broiler. Enjoy!

    Reply
  38. What a Dish! says

    December 20, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    We just had this for dinner tonight with Raita and grilled Naan- sooooo good!! And so easy to make, too. The yogurt makes the chicken so tender. Can't wait to make this again!

    Reply
  39. Mohammed Gyasuddin says

    January 5, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    what a bakwas dish is it

    Reply
    • Kristene says

      August 31, 2022 at 7:23 pm

      Really, BS?!? And your cooking credentials are what?

      Reply
  40. Mohammed Gyasuddin says

    January 5, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    nice dish…………….

    Reply

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