Chicken Tandoori

I think I mentioned that for Christmas a friend of mine got me a subscription to Cook's Illustrated. I had flipped thru the first issue and thought this recipe would be great to try out because it doesn't involve grilling (always a plus when it's winter and 20 below) or marinading for 24-hours.

I didn't follow their recipe exactly because I only had boneless skinless chicken breasts. As such, some of the instructions in the original recipe were pointless.

Chicken Tandoori

2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 cup plain yogurt
4 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp kosher salt
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add garam masala, cumin and chili powder and cook another 30-60 seconds. Transfer half the garlic mixture to a bowl, stir in yogurt and 2 tbsp lime juice, set aside

Combine remaining spice mixture with salt and remaining lime juice. Rub salt mixture onto chicken and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to upper position of oven, about 6-8" away from the heat source. Preheat oven to 325. Place a wire rack on a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and toss. Lay chicken on wire rack, discarding extra yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until about halfway done, 15-25 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven. Turn oven to broil and heat 10 minutes. Flip chicken over and broil until lightly charred. Flip chicken once more and char other side until chicken is done, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest about 5 minutes.