Tandoori-Style Chicken with Spiced Rice

We love Tandoori Chicken but not the red dye (present in a lot of commercial mixtures) or the fact that it has to be made in a tandoor oven, since we don`t have one. Because of that, we ended up creating our own version of a Tandoori Spice-blend with all healthy ingredients, and you can make this dish in no time in a regular oven. Whether you decide to add the buttered vegetables and tzatziki sauce or not, this is one satisfying dish.

You can use store-bought Garam Masala spice for this recipe but we made a couple of adjustments to this version for our own taste. Mix ½ teaspoon of all spice, 2 teaspoons each of black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and whole cardamom – or 1 tablespoon of garam masala, - plus 2 teaspoons each of salt, chili powder and turmeric and 1 teaspoon of ginger powder to make your tandoori spice.

In a large bowl, mix your tandoori spice, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, 3 grated garlic cloves, 1 cup of yougurt and 4 chicken breasts. Make sure you coat all of the chicken, cover the bowl with tightly sealed saran wrap and place it in the fridge for 4+ hours (or overnight).

Once you`re ready to begin, pre-heat the oven to 400F. Drizzle olive oil on an oven tray with parchment paper and place marinated chicken on it. Discard the rest of the sauce.

Roast the chicken for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken, or until the internal temperature is 165F at the centre and the top is nicely browned.

While the chicken is in the oven, you can quickly make the rice. Soak 1 cup of rice in warm water for 5 minutes and drain. Add drained rice, ¼ red onion (chopped in small pieces), 4 cardamom pods (lightly smashed with the side of a knife or a kitchen mallet), 1 teaspoon of whole cumin and 1 of whole coriander seeds, 1 ½ cups of chicken stock and salt/pepper to taste to a medium pot. Stir.

Bring to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Garnish with the remaining parsley and lemon.

Healthy Tandoori Chicken

Servings: 4

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

4 Chicken Breasts

3 Garlic Cloves

1 Cup Plain Yougurt

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Ginger Powder

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp All Spice*

2 tsp Black Pepper*

2 tsp Ground Cumin*

2 tsp Ground Coriander*

6-8 Green Cardamom Pods*

*You can sub these spices for 1 Tbsp of Garam Masala

Step-by-Step

1.       Marinate Chicken Breasts with Yougurt, grated garlic, half the parsley and spices overnight in the fridge (4+ hours).

2.       Pre-heat oven to 400F. Add the olive oil to a large oven tray and place the chicken in it. Discard the rest of the sauce.

3.       Roast chicken for 25-40 minutes (depending on size) or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F and the outside is nicely browned.

4.       Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with spiced rice.

Spiced Rice

Servings: 4

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cup Rice

¼ Red Onion (chopped)

4 Cardamom Pods (smashed)

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Coriander Seeds

1 ½ Cup Chicken Stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

Step-by-Step

1.       Soak the rice for 5 minutes in warm water and drain.

2.       Add all ingredients to a medium pot. Stir the rice and spices once.

3.       Bring to a boil and immediately bring the heat down to low. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.