Tandoori Chicken and Spinach Salad

Grilled Meats, Grilling, Healthy Eating, Main Dish, Main Dish Salads, Poultry | 15 comments

The people over at Karoun sent me a box of their Mediterranean Style Yogurt to test out. Madeline loves yogurt, so she’s been eating some with fruit mixed in but there was quite a bit more than we could just eat in time. I asked my friend Shaina if she had any suggestions for a savory dish I could make with all this yogurt. She suggested Tandoori Chicken.

I’ve never had, nor made, Tandoori Chicken before and I see now that I was really missing out! Besides the incredible flavor from all the spices, the yogurt actually made the chicken really tender. I never would have guessed that, which is part of why I never made Tandoori Chicken before. I wasn’t so sure that the chicken would really absorb all the flavor or be all that tender. Wrong on both accounts!

Instead of having a big hunk of chicken breast, I cut them into kebab sized pieces and served the grilled chicken on top of a Greek Style Spinach Salad. The smoky flavor of the chicken’s spices contrasted with the cool, fresh, lemony taste of the vegetables was a great combination. We liked this so much we had it two nights in a row. The second time I added a sprinkling of pearl couscous to both plates for a little something extra. Eric and I were both big fans of this recipe – definitely a keeper. Thanks Karoun (and Shaina!).

Tandoori Chicken and Spinach Salad

marinade adapted from Eat Well and Easy Grilled Tandoori Chicken
salad is a goodLife{eats} creation
serves 4 as a main dish

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:
1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Salad:
1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 each of a red and green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of a cucumber, peeled and diced
1/3 cup whole, pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoons diced purple onion
3 sprigs of oregano
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
5 ounces baby spinach
1 cup prepared pearl couscous
1/3 cup feta cheese

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon, garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well mixed. Set aside.

Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Stir chicken into the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Combine the artichokes, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, and onion in a medium bowl. Remove the leaves from the oregano sprigs and chop. Add the oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. This can be done up to 2 hours in advance.

Preheat grill to high heat and oil grill grates. Remove chicken from the marinade and thread on skewers. After grill has preheated to high, lower heat to medium-high. Grill skewers, turning once, about 4-5 minutes per side.

To assemble salad: Toss spinach with pearl couscous. Divide mixture evenly among 4 plates. Divide the vegetable mixture and grilled chicken evenly among the four plates. Top with a sprinkling of feta.

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