Tandoori chicken, with its delicate blend of spices and intriguing aroma, is one of my favorite Indian dishes. One characteristic of this dish is that it is cooked in a special tandoori oven in most restaurants. Another important characteristic is the ginger, garlic, coriander and cayenne yogurt sauce in which the chicken is marinated and cooked.
For this dinner of Indian Spiced Chicken with Rice and Spinach Pilaf, I use an easy yogurt sauce to capture the essence of Tandoori chicken. Although not made in a special oven, the meal fills my requirement for some great Indian food, mid-week.
All of the spices can all be found in the spice section of the supermarket. To help the marinade penetrate the chicken, I make 3 long slits across the chicken. The method of browning the chicken and then covering it to finish cooking keeps the chicken moist and flavorful.
Helpful Hints
• Use half of a 10-ounce washed, ready-to-eat bag of spinach.
• Fresh cilantro can be used instead of fresh mint.
• Onion is used in both recipes. Prepare them both at one time and divide accordingly.
Countdown
• Marinate chicken.
• Make rice dish.
• Complete chicken.
Fred Tasker’s wine suggestion: This exotically spicy dish would be deliciously matched by a spicy gewurztraminer – either a slightly sweet version from California or a powerful, dry one from France’s Alsace region.
Shopping list
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Quick Fix dinner.
To buy: 1 small bunch fresh mint, 1 small piece fresh ginger (or ground ginger), 5 ounces fresh washed, ready-to-eat spinach, 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, 8 ounces nonfat yogurt. 1 bottle ground cumin, 1 bottle ground coriander and 1 package microwaveable brown rice.
Staples: Olive oil, minced garlic, raisins, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and black peppercorns.
Indian Spiced Chicken
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt, drained
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves plus 2 tablespoons, chopped
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (1 tablespoon) or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tsp. ground coriander
Pinch cayenne
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
Remove visible fat from chicken. Mix yogurt, 1/4 cup chopped mint, ginger, coriander, cayenne and sugar to make marinade. Divide marinade, reserving half in a separate bowl. Add chicken to half the marinade and let marinate 10 minutes, turning once during this time. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet just large enough to hold chicken. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Add garlic and chicken to the skillet. Brown chicken 3 minutes. Turn and brown 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Spoon reserved half of marinade over chicken, cover and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped mint and serve. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 314 calories (27 percent from fat), 9.3 g fat (1.8 g saturated, 4.5 g monounsaturated), 128 mg cholesterol, 43.4 g protein, 13.3 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 150 mg sodium.
Brown Rice and Spinach
Microwave brown rice
1 package microwaveable brown rice to make 1 1/2-cups cooked rice
5 oz. fresh spinach (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2-cups and set aside the remaining rice for another dinner. Add the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place spinach, raisins and ground cumin in a microwaveable-safe bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute. Add the cooked rice and olive oil to the spinach and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 310 calories (12 percent from fat), 4.2 g fat (0.7 g saturated, 2.2 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 7.1 g protein, 65.2 g carbohydrates, 5.8 g fiber, 73 mg sodium.
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