Projo Football Food & Spirits

You can make this with bone-in thighs or drumsticks or, as I did, with boneless breasts, split and cut in half. In India this dish is usually lobster red, thanks to lurid food coloring.

Easy Tandoori Chicken
8-ounce container plain fat-free yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon each: cumin, cinnamon and coriander (see note below)
8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, about 2 3/4 pounds (or boneless breasts)

Mix all ingredients except chicken.

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Pour yogurt/spice mixture on chicken. Turn to coat. Refrigerate 12-24 hours; turn occasionally.

Heat oven to 350 F. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade.

Place chicken on rack of broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 50-55 minutes (or until thermometer registers 180 F). Broil 5 minutes if you want it crisped. (Not really necessary.)

Note: If you have garam masala, a common Indian spice blend, in your spice rack, you could use that. The one I used, Whole Foods' Whole Pantry brand, is black pepper, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander. You could use a generous tablespoon or more of that in place of the individual spices. Taste the yogurt and spice mix before you add the chicken. It should taste a stronger than a dip.

-- Susan Nicholson via McClatchy News Service.

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