Tandoori chicken with chapati and turmeric sauce

Name: Tandoori chicken with chapati and turmeric sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Chicken breast 1.8 lbs; Fresh ginger (to be grated) ½ tsp; Greek yogurt 0.7 cup; Smoked paprika 4 ¼ tsp; Lime juice 1; Salt 1 pinch; Tandoori mix 5 tsp; Buckwheat flour 0.833 cup; Type 00 flour 0.8 cup; Olive oil 1 tbsp; Water 3 cups; Fine salt to taste; Greek yogurt 0.4 cup; Powdered turmeric 2 tsp; Honey 1.4 tsp; Tabasco® to taste; Chives to taste

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499

Calories per serving

Energy Kcal 499
Carbohydrates g 45.9
of which sugars g 4
Protein g 54.2
Fats g 11
of which saturated fat g 2.72
Fiber g 1.8
Cholesterol mg 124
Sodium mg 675

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Average
Note + 3 hours of marinating the tandoori chicken; 30 minutes of resting the chapati dough

PRESENTATION

Transport yourself to the vibrant Punjab region of India with this awesome combo of tandoori chicken, chapati, and flavorful turmeric sauce. You know, the key here is letting the chicken marinate for a good long time in a yogurt-based sauce loaded with aromatic Indian spices. This marination really gives the chicken its special color and super tender texture. And listen, while traditional tandoori chicken is cooked in a clay oven, this version uses a grill oven. So, it's pretty simple for Western kitchens.

The marinade—packed with garam masala, cumin and coriander—really, really gets into the chicken. It makes every bite juicy and smoky. And you know what? Pairing it with homemade chapati made from buckwheat brings an earthy contrast. These rustic flatbreads are slightly chewy and crispy, just perfect for scooping up every bit of deliciousness.

And the sauce? Well, the turmeric sauce adds a whole new dimension. Made with yogurt and turmeric, it’s creamy and a bit tangy. Plus, it cools down the spices and gives a beautiful ochre hue. Really good stuff. It’s amazing how this simple sauce balances out the spice. And here's the thing, it makes the meal feel even more comforting.

This combo is a staple in Indian cuisine, but, honestly, this recipe keeps it straightforward for home cooks. Using a grill oven and buckwheat for the chapati offers that authentic flavor with a twist that suits Western pantries. If you love tandoori chicken or are curious about turmeric recipes, you're gonna be impressed. For real. It's a relaxed way to enjoy traditional Indian dishes, bringing all the moist and spiced flavors you’d expect, with a few thoughtful shortcuts. So, whether you are an experienced cook or trying something new, this dish really brings a piece of India right to your table, offering a taste that's both exotic and comfortingly familiar.

INGREDIENTS

499

Calories per serving

Ingredients for Tandoori Chicken: Chicken breast 1.8 lbs (800 g); Fresh ginger ½ tsp (3 g) - (to be grated); Greek yogurt 0.7 cup (150 g); Smoked paprika 4 ¼ tsp (10 g); Lime juice 1; Salt 1 pinch; Tandoori mix 5 tsp (20 g)

for the Chapati: Buckwheat flour 0.833 cup (100 g); Type 00 flour 0.8 cup (100 g); Olive oil 1 tbsp (15 g); Water 3 cups (90 g); Fine salt to taste

for the Turmeric Sauce: Greek yogurt 0.4 cup (100 g); Powdered turmeric 2 tsp (10 g); Honey 1.4 tsp (10 g); Tabasco® to taste; Chives to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Tandoori chicken with chapati and turmeric sauce

To prepare the tandoori chicken with chapati and turmeric sauce, start with the tandoori chicken preparation. Take the chicken breasts and cut them into regular cubes that you will use to make skewers 1. Transfer the chicken to a fairly large bowl and add the smoked paprika 2. Adjust with salt 3.

Grate some fresh ginger 4 and also pour in the juice of one lime 5 and the Greek yogurt 6. Mix the ingredients well to allow them to blend until everything appears a uniform reddish color.

Then add the tandoori mix 7. Blend this last one with all the ingredients as well 8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator. If possible, it would be preferable to let it marinate all night so that the flavors are absorbed by the chicken. In the meantime, proceed with preparing the turmeric sauce. Take a small bowl and pour in the yogurt 9.

Then add the honey 10 and turmeric 11. Adjust with a pinch of Tabasco to give the sauce a spicy touch 12.

Then finely cut the chives 13 and add them to the mixture 14. Mix well to blend all the ingredients uniformly 15 and then place it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.

At this point proceed with the preparation of the chapati. Take a bowl and pour (there's no need to sift them) the all-purpose flour and the buckwheat flour 16. Adjust with a pinch of salt and mix with a whisk to blend the ingredients 17. Then add the oil 18.

Now also add the water in a stream 19 to knead. Pour the water gradually to check how much water your flours absorb. If the dough seems too liquid, add less than expected, if it is too compact add a little more. Knead vigorously with your hands to create a homogeneous mixture free of lumps 20. Shape your dough into a sphere and cover it with transparent plastic wrap 21: let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes in a dry place.

When it has rested, divide the dough into four parts, if necessary using a dough scraper 22. Roll each piece with the rolling pin to obtain a sheet about 1/8 inch thick 23. Then take a non-stick pan with a flat bottom at least as large as your chapati. Heat it and cook one chapati at a time, first on one side 24.

Then turn it and finish cooking 25. This operation will take about 1 minute per side. To finish the cooking, move the chapati directly over a not too high flame for 5-6 seconds per side 26 to make it puff slightly. Turn it on each side using kitchen tongs, taking care not to burn yourself. At this point, the tandoori chicken will be marinated. Take it out of the refrigerator and skewer the chicken pieces on a skewer about 11 inches long 27. Place about 6 pieces of chicken on the skewer, spacing them apart to allow even cooking.

Then take a baking tray about 10 inches on one side (if you want, line it with parchment paper to avoid dirtying it when the tandoori chicken skewers release liquids while cooking). Lay the skewers on a baking tray so that the skewer rests on the edges of the tray and the chicken remains suspended and does not touch it 28. Now place in the oven on grill mode at 482°F for 10 minutes, being careful to turn the skewers halfway through cooking. The chicken should appear almost charred 29. Finally, take the chapati, spread some turmeric sauce in the center and place your tandoori chicken on top of it 30.

Storage

Store the tandoori chicken in the refrigerator for 2-3 days covered with plastic wrap and heat it in the oven before serving. You can freeze it cooked and defrost it when needed.

The chapati can be stored for one day at room temperature under a glass dome. Freezing is not recommended.

The turmeric sauce can be kept in the refrigerator covered with contact plastic wrap for up to 2 days. Freezing is not recommended

Curiosity

For this recipe, a ready-made tandoori mix was used to marinate the chicken. Nowadays, you can find it in all well-stocked grocery stores. However, it is also possible to use a mix of spices such as garam masala to which curry, turmeric enriched with garlic, ginger, and Cayenne pepper can be added.

A small mention of traditional cooking. The oven used to prepare this type of dish is the tandoori oven, a sort of overturned bell, generally made of clay and wood-fired. This oven was traditionally used to bake unleavened bread because it quickly reaches high temperatures, about 900°F, from which the chicken derives the slight crust on the outside while remaining tender inside.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.