Sneezing & pollen aside, it's grill-time at my house! One of the fam favorites is tandoori chicken. Tough I lack a tandoor, I make up for it with lots of spices and a hot charcoal grill. Accompanying the chicken, are sweet potatoes & radicchio. Both go straight on the grill and bring balance to the spicy chicken. The sweet potatoes become intensely sweet, and the radicchio looses bitterness and sings after a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Ingredients For the chicken:
- 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
- 14 oz of 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 lemons, zested & juiced
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 5 cardamon seed pods crushed
- 1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 bunch of cilantro, stems chopped & reserved, leaves reserved for vinegrette & garnish
- 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
For the veg:
- 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed & sliced into 1 inch thick rounds
- 1 radicchio, quartered
- balsamic vinegar drizzle on radicchio
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper
Optional vinaigrette:
- 1 lime zested & juice
- 1 tbsp sweet/hot mustard
- cilantro leaves
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper
Method Chicken Marinade First:
- combine yogurt, cilantro stems, garlic, all of the spices, lemon, a few tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, reserve a cup for basting
- on a foil lined sheet pan, coat the spatchcocked chicken in the yogurt marinade
- pop it into the fridge for 1-2 hours, no more than 2 because the enzymes in the yogurt and the lemon acid will start breaking down the chicken
Now the rest...
- prep your veg and make the vinaigrette
- drizzle olive oil and salt your veg before putting them on the grill
- at the 30 minute marinade mark, get the charcoal going, or get your gas grill up to 450. If you are doing this in your oven, sear the skin of the chicken in a castiron pan first then roast at 450 for 45 mins or so, until cooked through
- when the coals are hot, get them in the kettle and get the lid on. We always preheat the grates and grill for 10 mins before putting food on the grill
- put the chicken on, my husband swears by skin side up first and that's what we did. Then place the sweet potatoes around the chicken. Lid on, make sure your vents are open!
- set your timer for 15 minutes, when time is up, flip your sweet potatoes, and slather a bit of yogurt on the bird
- set your timer again, 15 minutes, this time remove the sweet potatoes (keep them warm in oil or a 150 degree oven)and flip the chicken
- set your timer for 20 mins, baste the bird again, and when the chicken is done, toss the radicchio on the grill for 10 or so mins while the chicken rests. I like my dark meat around the 180 mark and light meat around the 165 mark. An instant read thermometer is a griller's best friend.
- plate it up, drizzle some vinaigrette & salt on the potatoes, dress up the radicchio with olive oil, balsamic and sea salt and dig in!
