Indian Tandoori Chicken Tikka

Once in awhile, the girl at work who sits over the cubicle wall to my left brings in this wonderful smelling food. Finally I had to ask for the recipe because I couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted some and I wanted it bad!

I accidentally added yogurt because she sent me a second recipe for barbecue tandoori chicken in the same email, which called for yogurt and ... well.

Take note of the cooking technique - starting out with a cold pan. My colleague had a reason for doing it this way, but I can't remember it. 

I got this in an Indian grocery store close to where I work.

My colleague picked it out for me.

Here's the finished product. Yum Yum!

Indian Tandoori Chicken Tikka

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (boneless) washed and cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons olive
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• (and if you want to make my mistake, 1/2 cup plain yogurt)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Tandoori Masala
• oil for frying
• chili flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together except for the Tandoori Masala. Put the chicken pieces into it and marinate for several hours or overnight in the fridge.
2. If you decided to use yogurt, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them on a paper towel to drain off some of the moisture before cooking. Blot the top with paper towel as well.
3. Arrange all the chicken pieces in a nonstick pan. Sprinkle half of Tandoori Masala on it and shake well. Turn the stove on to medium heat. Cook stirring often for 4-5 minutes. Add a little oil to the pan and increase the heat to high, add remaining masala. Add some chili flakes if you want it hotter and keep stirring until the chicken is cooked through. About 8 minutes or so depending on the size of your chicken pieces. 
4. I served this with plain yogurt to which I added some grated and squeezed cucumber, grated zucchini, a little ground cumin, dried mint and dried dill. It would also be nice with fresh naan.