Jeff and I both adore Indian food, even if it is the Americanized version of traditional Indian dishes. While naan and masala remain my favorites, I always enjoy a good tandoori as well — particularly since grilled tandoori dishes are an excellent choice when trying to stick to my Weight Watchers plan.
This recipe is actually from Weight Watchers. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I’m not particularly fond of official Weight Watchers recipes. I usually find them too simple and bland, and prefer to instead experiment with lightening-up my own favorite recipes. But, this recipe is surprisingly flavorful. The tangy spicy tandoori pairs exceptionally well with the cool creamy yogurt and cucumber dip.
The tandoori spice mix (dry or paste) might be a bit difficult to find if you live in an area that doesn’t carry a good selection of ethnic products in your grocery stores. We were surprised that we couldn’t find it in our own diverse north Orange County neighborhood Albertson’s, but we did successfully locate the dry mix just down the street at Wholesome Choice. If your stores don’t carry it, order a few boxes of the dry mix online.
Serve this dish with a salad of sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to make it a cool refreshing healthy meal. Do please note that you have to marinade the chicken ahead of time — we usually toss it together before work and let it marinade in the refrigerator all day.
- 1-1/4 pounds skinless chicken thighs, cut into 32 chunks (4 pieces per thigh)
- 1-1/4 cups plain fat-free yogurt, divided
- 2 Tbsp tandoori spice mix
- ½ cups cucumbers , English variety, diced
- 3 Tbsp mint leaves, fresh, chopped
- ¼ tsp table salt
- 1 medium red onions, cut into 16 wedges
- 2 sprays olive oil cooking spray
- 2 cups cooked whole wheat couscous, kept warm
- Put chicken, ½ cup of yogurt and spice mix in a resealable plastic food storage bag. Seal bag and turn to mix and coat. Place bag on a plate and refrigerate on lowest shelf for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
- To make sauce, in a small bowl, stir together remaining ¾ cup of yogurt, cucumber, mint and salt until blended; refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken and onion wedges onto 8 metal skewers, using 4 pieces of chicken and 2 pieces of onion per skewer. (If using wooden skewers soak them in water 30 minutes before use to prevent burning.) Coat chicken and onions with cooking spray.
- Grill skewers, turning often, until chicken is no longer pink in center, about 7 to 9 minutes. Serve skewers over couscous with sauce on the side.
