Tandorri-Spiced Chicken Breasts

prep time:: 20 min
total time:: 1 hr

Serves 4

Tandoori chicken gets it’s name from the clay oven (heated by wood or coal) it is traditionally cooked in--a tandoor--which bakes meat, fish, poultry and bread at temperatures upward of 500 degrees. In our version, the chicken is broiled and the signature yogurt and spice marinade contains only ingredients that are readily available on supermarket shelves.

ingredients

For Spice Paste:
1 large garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 small fresh red or green chile (serrano or cayenne)
1/3 cup plan yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated peeled fresh gingerroot
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 ground cloves
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts halves
1 small red onion
2 tsp vegetable oil
For Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
a pinch cayenne

directions

1
Make Spice Paste:
2
Mince garlic with salt and mash to a paste. Wearing protective gloves, mince chile and stir together with garlic paste and remaining spice paste ingredients.
3
Make 3 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep in each chicken breast and rub spice paste into cuts and all over chicken. Marinate chicken, covered, 30 minutes at cool room temperature.
4
Preheat broiler and line broiler pan with foil. Halve onion through root end and reserve 1 half for sauce. Thinly slice remaining onion half, separating layers, and in a small bowl soak onion slices in ice water to cover while broiling chicken.
5
Arrange chicken without crowding on rack of broiler pan. Brush chicken with 1 tsp vegetable oil and broil about 3 inches from heat for 8 minutes. Turn chicken over and brush with remaining tsp vegetable oil. Broil chicken until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 6 minutes more.
6
Make Sauce while chicken is broiling:
7
Mince enough reserved onion to measure 1 Tbsp and in a small bowl, stir together with all sauce ingredients.
8
Drain soaked onion and pet dry between paper towels. Top chicken with onion slices and serve with yogurt sauce.