Over the years, my obsession with spices has become more and more intense (just ask my husband lol). With our move to our new home, it only shed light on just how many spices I have! I’ve been making little labeled jars for everything and now have the time to experiment with my ridiculous spice cabinet.
So this post actually has two recipes in it. One is a recipe for my Tandoori Inspired Spice Mix (which I make a big batch of and then keep in a spice jar). The second is for these delicious tandoori inspired chicken skewers that are PACKED with flavor and seriously will probably be some of the most tender chicken you’ll ever eat. The way the yogurt and lemon break the chicken down and make it tender, plus, it coats it with this yummy spiced sauce, and it’s just divine. Add some veggies and you’re good to go! Also, not an ad, I just really love the company, what they stand for, and all their yummy spices, I get mostly all my spices from Penzeys Spices. They’re seriously awesome, and I can’t recommend their product enough!
Do note, this recipe does require some marinade time. And don’t skimp on that marinade time, the longer you marinade the better. Anywhere from 5 hours to overnight is best! But plan accordingly! This is best served with rice (I like to mix brown rice with a Tablespoon of the Tandoori Inspired Spice Mix with some chopped red onions and tomatoes, but you do you) or some nice raita. So fire up that grill and prepare to get blown away with this chicken!
Tandoori Inspired Spice Mix
Ingredients:
- 3 T ground ginger
- 3 T garlic powder
- 2 T chili powder
- 2 T paprika
- 2 T turmeric
- 2 T garam masala
- 2 T curry powder
- 2 T cumin
- 2 T ground black pepper
- 4 T garlic salt (can also use regular salt, I’m just garlic obsessed)
- 1 T ground coriander
- 1 T ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t like spice)
Mix everything together and keep in an air tight container. This keeps for a while as long as it doesn’t get any moisture in it and once you mix it up, there’s not a lot to do for the chicken aside from mixing in a few ingredients! Also great to mix in with rice or sprinkle on lamb or goat!
Tandoori Inspired Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients:
- **Please note: This is a for a large batch, it makes about 8 skewers (more if you add more veggies), you can easily halve this for less people, or do what I do, and freeze the chicken in the marinade and pull it out for a quick grilling dinner!***
- 5 large chicken breasts, cut into kabob sized cubes (around 3-4lbs)
- 1/3 cup of Tandoori Inspired Spice Mix (Recipe Above)
- 2 cups Greek yogurt (I’d advise using full fat yogurt)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 – 6oz jar of tomato paste
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion
- 6 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 8 grilling skewers (if using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water before you use them!)
Optional (but recommended):
- Veggies for skewers, I like red onion, mushrooms, and zucchini on mine but you can mix and match with whatever you like!
- Cherry tomatoes would be great on this too as would peppers!
- Brown rice to accompany meat (add a tablespoon of that Spice Mixture to really up your rice game!)
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine spices with garlic and onions, make sure everything is coated. Stir in tomato paste and then yogurt. Once everything is well combined, stir in chicken cubes. Mix everything together until well combined. Cover and place in refrigerator for 5-24 hours. When ready, carefully place chicken and veggies of your choice on skewers and place on grill. They take about 5-10 minutes depending on grill temp. Cook until golden brown and chicken has reached 165° and juice run clear. Remove from grill, allow to reset for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
**Tip: This would also be great just as whole chicken breasts or thighs. Grill it and put it on a pita and you have a pretty killer sandwich!
We grilled a little too late for natural light, I had to use flash, hence the different photo look. But, we wanted to have that chicken marinading for as long as possible! The smoke effect is pretty cool though, right?!
