Chicken Tandoori

Adapted from: Emeril

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
6 ounces cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

With a fork, prick holes in the chicken pieces. Using a knife, cut diagonal slices 1-inch apart, and 1/2-inch deep into the larger pieces. (I forgot to prick the chicken or to make any slash marks I'd go easy on the slash marks with the smaller thigh pieces, though.) Place the chicken in a baking dish.

In a blender, combine the oil, onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, and process on high speed to a paste. Add the paprika, salt, cumin, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and cayenne, and process until well blended. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and process to a smooth sauce, scraping down the sides to combine all the ingredients. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn to coat evenly, rubbing the marinade into the holes and slits. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat a grill. (We intended to grill, but ran out of gas, so we followed the baking instructions below and kept all of the sauce with the chicken while it baked.)

(These instructions were written for bone-in chicken pieces, so will need to be modified if using boneless, skinless chicken thighs.) Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place on the grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on the first side. Turn, baste as needed, and cook on the second side for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and continue cooking, as necessary until the chicken is cooked through, but still tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Alternately, bake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.)

Yield: 4 servings

I talked about this recipe HERE.