So for your next summer barbeque, you’ll obviously be whipping up a batch of Fresh Herb Yogurt Dip and making some Grilled Naan. Now you need a star protein, something with spices that will pick up that nice char flavor from your leftover coals. This is a job for Tandoori-Style Grilled Chicken Skewers!
This recipe takes a while because of a long marinade, so it’s one that I tend to reserve for large parties. My mom made a double or triple batch for my high-school graduation party when we had an indeterminate number of guests coming over, so this chicken is not only delicious, but also brings up nostalgic feelings about late high-school. For better or worse.
Like naan, Tandoori-style dishes can be prepared in a clay oven, but a grill works well too. To cut down on cooking time, make it an easier party food, and ensure that the marinade gets into each and every bite of chicken, we recommend using chopped chicken pieces on skewers instead of whole breasts or thighs. If you end up doing a mix of white and dark meat, keep each kind on seperate skewers, as the dark meat will take a bit longer to cook. Alternatively, chicken tenders make for a slightly easier job skewering all the chicken but are thin enough to grill quickly.
The term Tandoori also refers to a common set of spices and a yogurt marinade. That’s right, it’s another dish using our stalwart homemade yogurt recipe! We don’t want this chicken to dry out, so give yourself at least 24 hours to marinade, if not 2-3 days if you are planning well in advance. To go with the acidity of the yogurt, we add a mix of ground spices, toasted seeds, and fresh aromatics that the chicken will just soak up over that marinating time.
Depending on your grill, you can do as much or as little of the chicken at once as you want. Having it prepped on skewers allows you to just throw on a few servings at a time as your guests are hungry. Typically 10 minutes should be all you need, turning it a few times throughout and squeezing it with your tongs to ensure that it’s done but not too dry and stiff.
Grill some naan at the same time or while the chicken rests depending on the size of your grill. Serve with your favorite lentils or spiced chickpeas, add a dollop of yogurt dip to cool down the spices, and your summer barbeque is complete!
- 5-6 pounds of chicken chopped into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup lime juice about 8 limes
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp coriander seeds alternatively, 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cumin seeds alternatively, ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup homemade yogurt
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
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Combine lime juice and salt.
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Pat chicken dry and place in large bowl (large enough to accomodate all chicken and approx. 2 cups of marinade).
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Pour lime juice and salt mixture over the chicken and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
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If using whole coriander and cumin seeds, toast in a small skillet for 1 minute or until fragrant.
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Add toasted seeds (or ground coriander and cumin, if using) to blender along with onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and yogurt. Blend until smooth.
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Taste and adjust spices if necessary.
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Pour in the lime juice and other liquid from the chicken (leaving chicken in the bowl) and blend until smooth.
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Pour all contents of the blender into the bowl with the chicken (alternatively, marinate in large ziploc bags).
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Marinate chicken in the fridge for 24-72 hours.
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Remove chicken from fridge to reach room temperature, about 30 minutes.
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Tightly pack chicken pieces on skewers, approximately ½ pound per skewer, allowing pieces to drip off some of the marinade before skewering.
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Prepare a high heat fire in the grill and brush grill rack with oil.
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Grill skewers for about 10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes to ensure even grilling. Remove when chicken is appropriately tender and outside has browned and charred slightly.
Chicken can be skewered and let to rest for 1 additional day ahead of grilling. Store cooked chicken in airtight container for up to 3 days, if it lasts that long!