Tandoori Chicken

This is a delightful Indian marinade* that is very light, not at all overwhelming, and perfect for summer!

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture until after most of the chicken had been consumed, so you're just getting the pitiful little dredges. It looks a lot better than this. Oh well, what can you do?

For the marinade:

2 chicken breasts, cut in half thickness wise, and in half again, making 4 peices each

1 c plain yogurt

2 T lime juice

1 T fresh minced gingerroot

2 t minced garlic

1 t ground turmeric

1/2 t ground coriander

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t garam masala**

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Mix all ingredients from yogurt to garam masala well in a large ziplock bag or a baking dish. Add about 1/2 t of the salt and 1/4 t pepper to the bag and mix. Add chicken peices (you could also use thighs). Let sit in the marinade an hour to overnight, depending on the strength of flavor you want (I marinate mine usually around 6 hours). Oil and heat your grill. When it comes time to grill, turn off one of the burners so you have a "cool spot" on your grill. If you are using a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off excess and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken over the direct heat, 3 minutes per side. Once the chicken is nicely colored on each side, move to the "cool spot" on your grill and close the lid to cook the chicken with indirect heat (this will keep your chicken from drying out) for 8-10 more minutes, or 15 minutes if you're using thighs. Enjoy!

*You do not actually need to grill this chicken - you could bake it or griddle fry it as well. It just has such a nice flavor when it's grilled. But really this marinade could be used for whatever.

**If you live in a small town like me where garam masala can never be found, you can make your own spice mix that tastes identical. Just put the remainder in a tupperware container or ziplock bag and refrigerate up to 6 months.

Do it yourself garam masala:

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t paprika

1/4 t crushed bay leaves (about 2)

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/8 t ground cloves