Tandoori chicken-pineapple skewers is an easy, packed with indian flavors dish, especially great on the BBQ. I do not own one, so I make my skewers in the boring oven and they still taste fantastic. Tandoori, in the western world, is a simple marinade filled with different indian spices, the soft kind, not spicy at all. On the other hand, in India, they cook the chicken Tandoori in those special Tandoor oven, which of course, in the western world we don’t have. Also, in India, the tandoori marinade tends to be spicier. I’m living far away from India so I use the oven and it does the trick, but on the BBQ, I suppose it to get this smoky charcoal taste added to the spicy, sweet skewers…a dreamy mix…A great theme (indian) for your next BBQ party. So to all BBQ owners out there, try this out and send me some news! or even better invite me over.
Usually I buy the easy, pre-made marinade from the supermarket, most of them are really mildly flavored. I add an extra spoon of Garam Masala powder to make it a touch spicier. Some marinade have some added colorant to it, which give this particular bright red color to the chicken. Tandoori chicken was my first encounter with indian food, and that’s how I fell totally in love with it, right on that first bite. Back then, I thought, all indian food must be terribly spicy, but it’s not the case, not tandoori. If you want to check how the actual tandoori (electric style tandoor) is done back in India check chef Harpal Singh video.
I like to use a few pieces of tropical fruit with my tandoori skewers, whether mango, pineapple,etc. I like the combination of spicy and sweet, plus the pineapple keeps the chicken moist. As a side dish you can serve it with rice, or in this case, I’ve done a low-carb Indian style cauliflower couscous (check the recipe here), which fits perfectly.
So let’s get that Indian BBQ party going!
Tandoori chicken-pineapple skewers
Makes 4 portions
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 1/3 of a pineapple cut into large dices
- 3 to 4 tbsp of the tandoori paste (marinade)
- 1 small cup of plain yogurt (greek style better)
- 1 tbsp of garam masala *optional for extra spice
Directions
- Cut the chicken into thick 3 cm cubes, add to a bowl
- Add the tandoori paste, the garam masala powder and the yogurt, mix well
- Let marinate overnight or minimum 3 hours
- Soak the wood skewers a few minutes (if wood) to prevent them from getting too burned
- Cut the pepper, onion and pineapple into big pieces
- Make the skewers, try to keep a pineapple or mango piece next to chicken always (it will keep it moist)
- Put on a grill and cook at 180°C (350F) for 20 minutes
- Serve on rice or the indian style cauliflower
Enjoy! कृपया भोजन का आनंद लीजिये!
