Tandoori-ish chicken with lime-pickled cucumber
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus overnight marinating
- More effort
- Serves 4
Skip to ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 large or 8 small chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in
- 700ml full-fat natural yogurt
- 4 large garlic cloves, grated
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 1½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 lemon, juiced
- pilau rice, to serve
For the cucumber pickle
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 large cucumber, halved, seeds removed and cut into half moons
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
For the yogurt
- 300ml Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 small bunch of coriander
- 1 small bunch of mint
- pinch of sugar
Method
- STEP 1
Slash the chicken with a sharp knife. Mix the yogurt, garlic, ginger, tomato purée, spices, lemon juice and 1½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
- STEP 2
For the pickle, mix together the lime juice, sugar, chilli and 1 tsp salt, then toss with the cucumber and red onion. Chill until ready to use or up to 1 hr.
- STEP 3
Blitz the yogurt, cumin and herbs with a pinch of salt until smooth. Chill until needed.
- STEP 4
Shake off the excess marinade and put the chicken on a baking tray, reserving the marinade. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then once at temperature, change the setting and heat the grill to high. Grill the chicken, skin-side-up, for 10-15 mins or until beginning to blacken a little. Change the setting back to an oven heat of 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tin, then brush with the reserved marinade and cook for 20 mins. Serve with the cucumber, yogurt, cucumber pickle and pilau rice.
