Grilled Tandoori Chicken Kabobs

The longer you go between posts, the harder it is to get back to blogging.  I have to admit to loving a little break over the summer.  Work has been exhausting, weather has been dreadfully hot and I've been lazy.  I'm sure the three are inextricably tied together. 

But alas, I fired up the grill and cooked up some indian fare.  I'm pretty sure I don't cook indian nearly often enough.  I saw a bazillion great looking recipes online and on Pinterest, but in the end, I need to justify my unnecessary cookbook collection so I grabbed American Masala off my bookshelf.  Every time I make something from a cookbook I wish I had more time (or the dedication required) to crack them open more and experiment with all of the recipes. 

This recipe for tandoori chicken taught me that tandoori chicken is not naturally colored red.  Shocking right?  You could add red food coloring if the red is important to you.  I also thought this version was pretty fascinating in that it was one of the few I've seen that included an onion (blitzed completely in the food processor) as a major marinade ingredient.  

All in all, it was fantastic and as it turns out, chopped cold tandoori chicken is also pretty tasty thrown on top of a regular 'ole green salad for lunch the next day. Definitely a recipe keeper. 

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Kabobs

adapted from American Masala by Suvir Saran

For the chicken:

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp paprika

3 large chicken breasts (about 2.5 lbs) cubed into 1 inch pieces

Mix spices spices and lemon juice together in a large bowl.  Add chicken.  Stir and let sit for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

For Marinade:

1 small red onion, roughly chopped

4 large garlic cloves peeled and smashed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1/2 cup greek yogurt

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala

pinch of cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)

¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Place marinade ingredients into food processor and pulse until smooth.  Pour over chicken and let marinate in fridge for 8 hours or overnight

To prepare chicken, soak skewers in water for 30 minutes

Heat grill to medium-high

Thread chicken onto skewers

Grill for 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through, turning halfway through