I love Indian food! So I was very excited when our ten year old declared he loves this Grilled Tandoori Chicken. He hasn’t gone for any of the chicken dishes we’ve tried out at Indian restaurants, they are all “Too spicy!”. My version of grilled tandoori chicken is flavorful, but no overwhelmingly spicy. Just right!
Tandoori chicken, marinated in a yogurt spice blend for hours before cooking, does tend to be milder than many other options at an Indian restaurant. But our guy is allergic to dairy, among other things, so Tandoori chicken isn’t an option for him eating out. At home, I was able to use coconut yogurt to make this a dairy-free Tandoori chicken. I’m sure this recipe would be tasty with dairy yogurt if that’s your preference.
Much of my cooking has some Asian flavor, as I use soy sauce in many of my marinades. But I was looking to do something a little different for this Asian inspired #SundaySupper hosted by Amy at kimchi MOM. I hadn’t made Indian food in awhile, but a recent visit to a local restaurant reminded me I wanted to try to make Tandoori chicken at home, so B could have some.
Grilled Tandoori Chicken is a bit of an oxymoron. Tandoori chicken takes its name from the clay ovens also used for baking naan. It is typically roasted, but hey, it’s summer, so why not grill it with the same type of marinade used in the traditional dish. We all liked the results! Thanks to the #SundaySupper folks who came up with this theme, and inspired us to come up with a new recipe that is going to become a regular in our home.
I served the chicken with basmati rice and Dairy-Free Cucumber Raita. Raita can be a great side dish with spicy Indian food to cool things down. Though this version of Tandoori Chicken isn’t super spicy, it still made a nice, refreshing side on a warm summer evening.
Wine Pairing: Finding wine pairings for Indian food has been a popular topic here on Cooking Chat. For awhile, an old post on the subject was our most visited all time post. That got me exploring and sharing more good pairings for Indian food. Most recently, I found an Italian white wine that worked well with a curry dish I made.
I lean toward whites with Indian food, but I suspected this dish was going to be a bit milder than some Indian food. So I paired a Pinot Noir with this dish, and that worked out nicely. Pinot has acidity that can help it handle some spice, and can often be a good choice with chicken. I’ll follow-up later in the week with more particulars of the bottle we picked.
Recipe card
Grilled Tandoori Chicken
Grilled Tandoori Chicken marinates in a yogurt spice blend and then is grilled to juicy perfection for a flavorful meal.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp lemonade (lemon juice would work too)
- ½ cup yogurt (coconut yogurt for a dairy free option)
- 1 scallion, minced
- 1 garlic, minced
- 1 pinch ground ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp curry powder
- oil spray
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts and place them in a bowl.
- Sprinkle the lemonade over the chicken, then sprinkle the salt. Set aside for at least 10 minutes as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Combine the yogurt, scallion, garlic, ginger, garam masala and curry powder in a bowl.
- Place the chicken in a sealable plastic bag. Add the yogurt mixture to the bag. Seal and gently toss the chicken so that it gets well coated with the yogurt spice mixture.
- Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours prior to grilling.
- Preheat a grill to medium high. Take the chicken out of the fridge while the grill preheats.
- Coat the grill with oil spray. Shake the excess marinade off the chicken breasts, then place the chicken on the grill.
- Grill the chicken for 6 minutes on one side, then turn to grill for another 6 minutes. Check for doneness after 12 minutes total grilling. Ours were cooked through and very moist after 12 minutes, but cooking time will vary based on your grilled and thickness of the chicken.
- When cooked through, remove the chicken from the grill and place on a platter. Serve with basmati rice and cucumber raita.
Nichole
Indian food is one of the few cuisines I haven’t had a lot of….but this Tandoori looks amazing, and like something I could make at home and love!
Cooking Chat
If the strong curry flavors are a deterrent to more Indian food, this dish is on the mild side. Easier than many Indian dishes to make, too!
Constance | CosmopolitanCornbread.com
You can not go wrong with a good grilled chicken recipe. Yum!
Cooking Chat
Very true!
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
We love tandoori chicken, and yours looks wonderful!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Sarah!
Liz
I love the flavor of grilled chicken and your tandoori version would be a delicious change of pace!
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
GREAT flavor profile here.
Cooking Chat
Thanks!
Renee
I’m a big fan of Indian food too. Great flavors and spices in this dish for sure.
Tammi @Momma's Meals
I have yet to try Indian! I love the sound of this dish.
Cooking Chat
Oh my, Indian is something to try for sure!
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
Grilled Tandoori Chicken…who said you needed special equipment for tandoori? Genius.
Cooking Chat
Thanks Wendy, might not be 100% authentic but this is tasty & easy!
sophie
Is there a way this might work in the oven or something?
(I don’t have access to a barbeque right now…)
Thanks!
Cooking Chat
Hi Sophie–good question. Yes, definitely. Do the same marinade prep, then bake at 425 for about 20 minutes. This recipe I’m linking has a bit more instruction for a baked chicken breast: https://cookingchatfood.com/2015/07/baked-chicken-with-pesto.html/