Got My Chef's Hat On.......

A touch of Indian Cuisine tonight........

Chicken Tandoori and Salad dressed with Curry Vinaigrette



Tandoori Marinade

2 1/2 tsp. Tandoori Chicken Seasoning (The Spice House)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water
6 Tbsp. plain yogurt (Fage Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. China #1 ginger power (The Spice House)
1/2 tsp. Smoked Spanish Paprika (The Spice House)

Mix all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, preferably glass. Set aside for one hour at room temperature to allow the flavors of the spices to meld. For a thicker marinade, leave the water out.

Score four chicken breasts with a knife 1/4 inch deep and 1/2 inch apart. Place the chicken breasts in a one gallon freezer bag and pour in marinade. Squeeze out as much air as possible and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for one hour. Just before cooking the chicken, pound it out with your mallet to a relative even thickness. Cook the chicken on the grill, or in the broiler, until the juices run clear. Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

Chicken on the grill pan.....


Curry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Sweet Curry Powder (The Spice House)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Agave Nectar
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dried dill
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
Dash of hot pepper sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a shaker bottle, and shake vigorously. Store a room temperature until needed. This dressing will separate so it will need to be shaken again before use.

Salad

1/3 small cucumber, sliced and quartered
1/2 medium tomato, medium dice
2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped
1 cup lettuce
1 cup baby spinach

Toss salad fixins in a large bowl, pour in about 1/2 the dressing and toss again. Use just enough dressing to coat the greens. This dressing has a strong flavor that can overpower the salad. Use as sparingly as possible, or to your liking.

The salad dressing was really good. I was somewhat disappointed in the chicken, as I am in some cases. The marinade doesn't penetrate into the meat sufficiently. Short of injecting the flavoring, it is difficult to get the flavor throughout the chicken. It was good, though a little more flavor would have been better. Chicken in general just tastes too bland.

Thinking of trying something Greek next. Found a killer Greek salad dressing recipe I want to try.