18th Sunday – It’s all about the Chicken!

 

Today’s chicken recipe was almost a winner in our own 2008 Iron Chef competition. My entry  for the competition was tandoori chicken and it was damn good.  Up until then I was under the impression that I did not like Indian food. But this recipe  (tried under duress) was amazing and has happily opened the door for my wanting to try Indian cuisine. The secret ingredient for the competition was yogurt and after desperately searching for a recipe I settled on the tandoori chicken. Who’d a thunk that yogurt could taste so good on chicken? Certainly not me!

This Sunday dinner was shared with our good friends and consisted of Tandoori chicken, spiced basmati rice, homemade naan bread, and lightly sautéed green beans with garlic and butter. The dessert was a type of  homemade brazilian chocolates featured in Fine Cooking called brigadeiro with ice cream. The brigadeiro chocolates were amazing and created by my two favorite guys. My favorite part of the meal was definitely the chicken closely followed by the naan  bread. For your delectation I have included the souped-up recipe for  the tandoori chicken that I honed from Epicurious .

Tandoori Chicken

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt ( I’ve used low-fat with no discernable taste difference)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4 lbs. chicken (the best are the chicken breast and thighs)

2 cups jasmine rice

3 cups water

Purée first 7 ingredients in processor. With machine running, gradually add oil through feed tube and process until blended. Transfer 1/4 cup herb mixture to small bowl; reserve. Add yogurt and lemon juice to remaining mixture in processor and blend.

Place chicken in  a large ziplock bag. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken; turn to coat and refrigerate. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Place chicken on the grill. Cover and grill until chicken is cooked through, turning every 5 minutes, about 30 minutes total. Meanwhile, combine rice, 3 cups water, and reserved 1/4 cup herb mixture. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.