BIG-BATCH TANDOORI CHICKEN

A marinade with three simple ingredients takes ho-hum chicken thighs to oh, yum! Cooking on indirect heat prevents flare-ups, keeps the chicken from sticking to the grill and, along with the marinade, makes for moist, juicy chicken (even without the skin). If you don’t have enough room on your barbecue for all the chicken at once, cook in two or three batches leaving the remaining chicken marinating in the fridge.

CHICKEN

⁄ cup (175 mL) plain yogurt (not fat-free) ⁄ cup (60 mL) tandoori paste

20 skinless bone-in chicken thighs or 10 skinless bone-in chicken breasts, about 4 lbs (1.81 kg)

⁄ cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice

Canola oil

Salt

Fresh cilantro leaves

RAITA

1 ⁄ cups (375 mL) plain yogurt (not fat-free) or 1 cup (250 mL) plain Greek yogurt

⁄ English cucumber

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

⁄ tsp (1 mL) salt

For the chicken, combine yogurt and tandoori paste in a small bowl.

If using chicken breasts, cut each in half crosswise. Use a paring knife to score the meat on each piece of chicken 2 or 3 times. Place chicken in a large bowl and add lemon juice. Toss to evenly coat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Add yogurt mixture to chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day.

For the raita, place the yogurt in a sieve lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth set over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate to drain yogurt for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day. (If using Greek yogurt, skip this step.)

Scrape drained yogurt into a bowl. Add cucumber, cilantro and salt and stir well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, for up to 1 day.

Preheat barbecue grill to high.

Turn one side of barbecue off and turn other burner(s) to medium-high or temperature required to maintain 450°F (230°C). Oil unlit side of grill. Remove chicken from marinade, leaving a thick coating on the chicken, discarding excess marinade. Place chicken, meaty side up, on grill over unlit side. Season

with salt. Close lid and grill for 25 to 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of chicken (not touching bone) reads 165°F (74°C) or juices run clear when chicken is pierced for thighs, or breasts are no longer pink inside.

Oil hot side of grill. Move chicken to hot side and grill, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until browned. Transfer to a large dish and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Reserve 6 pieces for Chicken Summer Vegetable Curry (recipe follows) and 6 pieces for Tandoori Chicken Avocado Wraps (recipe next page) or Quick Ideas (page 85). Reserve about half of the raita for curry, if desired.

Serve hot tandoori chicken with raita and garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

Let le over chicken cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Store raita in a separate container for up to 1 day.

Serves 4 with leftovers for 2 recipes