Tandoori Chicken Kebabs – Who says grilling has to have an off-season? Grill to stave off the chill with these light, spicy, and delicious Indo-Pak tandoori-style chicken kebabs.

Summer may be the official season for grilling, but here in Southeastern Pennsylvania deliciously grilled dishes can be pushed well into the beginning half of November.

And why wouldn’t you? There’s something so relaxing about standing in front of a hot grill on a chilly day, being hugged by a cozy sweater, warmed by a glass of pinot, and watching colorful leaves fall from the trees… *sigh*

With the onset of colder weather I transition my grilling recipes from bright and fresh flavors to spicy and savory.

This recipe for Tandoori Chicken Kebabs has been a mainstay in my household for quite a while now. It comes together quickly and I end up with tender, flavorful chicken every time.

Serve them on a bed of rice or on my Sweet Coconut Cauliflower Rice. For a side vegetable, sauté some greens (like in my recipe for Quick and Easy Kale), and you’ve got a nutritious, easy-to-make meal with flavors that will knock your fluffy socks off.

Of course, in a recipe like this one, the sauce is the most important thing. I especially love this marinade because it’s held together with Greek yogurt, so you only need 2 Tbsp of oil. That makes it a lighter tandoori, but you would never guess because it’s so mouthwatering!

Simply combine all of the ingredients together and purée using a hand blender. If you don’t have a hand blender yet, you’ve really run out of excuses. Seriously – they’re so affordable, useful, and incredibly easy to clean.

I use the Cuisinart Smart Stick and highly recommend it. Of course, you can use a regular blender or a food processor, too, they’re just a lot more work to clean-up…

For you planners out there, this recipe is also perfect for freezing. Just make your sauce, precut your chicken, combine in a freezer-safe bag, and pop into the freezer.

When you’re ready to use it, place it in the fridge the night before you plan to cook it and then skewer before grilling. You can even skewer the chicken ahead of time as long as you plan on using wooden ones, but I would store them in a disposable foil dish. Otherwise, they could poke holes in all your other bags and wreak havoc on your freezer!

In closing, I wish you a happy beginning to the Fall season and good health as you warm yourself by a toasty grill! Enjoy the (second) most wonderful time of the year… 😉

Tandoori Chicken Kebabs

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Who says grilling has to have an off-season? Grill to stave off the chill with these light, spicy, and delicious Indo-Pak tandoori-style chicken kebabs.

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Ingredients

• 2 lb chicken tenderloins
• 1/2 C chopped sweet onion
• juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C plain 2% greek yogurt
• fresh cilantro for garnish
• 8 skewers

Instructions

1. If you're using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in cold water for one hour prior to skewering the chicken, so that they don't burn on your grill. For metal skewers, lightly grease them with olive oil or cooking spray. Preheat and clean your grill.
2. Combine the onions, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cayenne, salt, and greek yogurt in the cup that came with your hand mixer, or in a blender or a food processor. Puree until smooth.
3. Trim off the small piece of tendon that may be on some of your chicken tenderloins and then cut into 1" bite-sized pieces.
4. Skewer the chicken, and then coat with kebab sauce. Allow them to marinade for 15-30 minutes before grilling.
5. Grill over direct high heat (450º-550º F) for 10-12 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times. Be sure to keep the lid closed as much as possible.
6. Serve on the skewer, or slide them off with a fork (metal skewers tend to get too hot for serving). Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Notes

*Because this recipe calls for 2 pounds of meat, for my family of 3 I like to cook half and freeze half for later use.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Make your sauce, pre-cut your chicken, combine in a freezer-safe bag, and pop into the freezer. When you're ready to use it, place it in the fridge the night before you plan to cook it and then skewer before grilling. You can even skewer the chicken ahead of time as long as you plan on using wooden ones, but I would store them in a disposable foil dish. Otherwise, they could poke holes in all your other bags and wreak havoc on your freezer!