Hearty & Healthy: Tandoori Chicken Salad

Share

Happy new year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.  Hubby and I spent time at home with family and attending a wedding where we saw many friends we had not seen in some time.  I am sure you can imagine, as is customary when getting together with loved ones, that we indulged in more sweets and rich foods than usual.  With the fresh start that comes with a new year we are in detox-mode in our household!  That means lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and lean protein.  One of my favorite detoxing meals is this tandoori chicken salad!

This recipe for tandoori chicken is one of the very first Indian recipes I ever learned, and it actually comes from one of Hubby's closest friend's mother.  We would often make this recipe during the summer and cook the chicken on a grill during poolside barbecues in our former home of Atlanta.  Even though it is January and I have no access to a grill right now, the chicken cooks very well in an oven--it is so moist and flavorful!

Start creating the marinade by finely chopping the garlic cloves, peeling and grating the ginger, and finely mincing the green chili peppers.  The base of any good Indian recipe ;)  

Next, put the garlic, ginger, and chili peppers to a bowl.  Add the yogurt, tandoori masala, lemon juice, and salt to the bowl.  Stir to combine.  You may want to run the marinade through a food processor to get the garlic, ginger, and chili peppers very fine, but it is not necessary.  Add the marinade to the diced chicken, cover and refrigerate.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.  Tip:  The longer your marinate the chicken, the better it will taste!

Once you are ready to cook the chicken, re-heat the oven to 385 degrees Farenheit.  While the oven heats up, you may want to place the chicken pieces on skewers and then place them on an aluminum-foil covered baking sheet.  The skewers are not necessary by any means, but I find it makes it easier to flip the chicken pieces midway through cooking.

Cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven, flip the chicken pieces to the other side, and cook for another 8-10 minutes.  Do not overcook the chicken because you don't want it to be dry!  Check if the chicken is cooked by cutting one of the largest pieces down the middle--if the meat is completely white all the way through, then you know it is done.

While the chicken is the oven, make the dressing.  Very finely chop the cilantro and combine it with the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt.  Stir and set aside.  

You will likely also have time to cut all the vegetables while the chicken is cooking.  Cut the cucumber, green onions, tomato, and grate the carrots.

To make the salad, combine the spinach, arugula, chickpeas, cucumbers, green onions, tomatoes, and carrots.  Add as much dressing as you want and toss.  Add the cooled chicken pieces at the end.

Serve and enjoy!  Hoping this recipe helps you stick to your resolutions!

Print PDF

Ingredients (for 2):

For Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 inch piece ginger (~ 1 tsp)
• 2 small green chili peppers (or 1 serrano pepper)
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala
• 2 1/2 tbsps plain yogurt
• juice from 1/2 a large lemon
• 1/2 tsp salt

For Dressing:

• handful of cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• juice from 1/2 a large lemon (1 tbsp)
• pinch of salt

For Salad:

• 1 6 oz bag spinach and arugula
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 Roma tomato or handful of cherry tomatoes
• 2 peeled carrots or handful of baby carrots
• 2 stalks green onions
• 1/2 cup chickpeas (if using canned, rinsed)

Ingredients (for 4):

For Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts, diced
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 inch piece ginger (~ 2 tsps)
• 4 small green chili peppers (or 2 serrano peppers)
• 2 tbsps tandoori masala
• 5 tbsps plain yogurt
• juice from a large lemon
• 1 tsp salt

For Dressing:

• 2 handfuls of cilantro leaves
• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• juice from a large lemon (2 tbsps)
• pinch of salt

For Salad:

• 2 6 oz bags spinach and arugula
• 1 cucumber
• 2 Roma tomato or 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• 4 peeled carrots or 2 handfuls of baby carrots
• 4 stalks green onions
• 1 cup chickpeas (if using canned, rinsed)

Kitchen Tools:

• Oven
• Baking sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Food processor (optional)
• Wooden skewers (optional)

Recipe:

1. Finely mince the garlic and green chili peppers.  Peel and grate the ginger.  Add all three to a bowl.
2. Add the tandoori masala, yogurt, lemon juice, and salt to the bowl.  Stir to combine.  Optional:  run marinade through a food processor.
3. Add the marinade to the diced chicken, cover, and refrigerate.  Keep in the fridge for at least one hour, and up to one day.
4. When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 385 degrees Farenheit.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the pieces of chicken on it.  Place in the oven once it is heated.  Optional:  place the diced chicken on skewers before placing on the foil.
5. Cook the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes.  Turn the chicken over onto the other side and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.  Do not overcook the chicken or it will become dry and tough.
6. While the chicken cooks, prepare the dressing by removing the cilantro leaves from their stems and very finely mincing the leaves.  Combine the leaves with the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and pinch of salt.  Stir and set aside.
7. Chop the cucumbers, green onions, and tomatoes, and grate the carrots.
8. Once the chicken has finished cooking and has cooled slightly, put the salad together.  Combine the spinach, arugula, chickpeas, cucumber, green onions, tomato, and carrot.  Pour some of the dressing onto the vegetables and toss to combine.  Top with pieces of tandoori chicken.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Print PDF

Share