Charred Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Crunchy Kachumber

⏱ 50 min · Serves 4

Yoghurt-marinated chicken thighs, blistered under the grill until smoky-edged and juicy, served with a cool, lemony cucumber-tomato-onion salad. All the swagger of your favourite curry house, no clay oven required.

Per serving: 435 kcal · 47.0g protein · 13.0g carbs · 21.0g fat

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 800g)
• 200g full-fat natural yoghurt
• 3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or 4 garlic cloves + 3cm ginger, grated)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1.5 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1.5 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or 1 tsp paprika + 1/2 tsp cayenne)
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for grilling
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), optional
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced small
• 3 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• Small handful coriander leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala (or a pinch of cumin and salt)
• Lemon wedges and warm naan or flatbread, to serve

Method

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry and slash each one twice with a sharp knife.
2. In a large bowl whisk the yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, oil and kasuri methi (crushed between your palms) into a thick marinade.
3. Add the chicken, turn to coat every crevice, and leave for at least 30 minutes at room temperature — or up to 24 hours in the fridge for a deeper flavour.
4. Heat the grill (broiler) to its highest setting and line a tray with foil. Sit a wire rack on top and brush it with oil.
5. Shake excess marinade off the thighs and lay them on the rack, spaced apart. Grill 12–14cm from the heat for 8 minutes.
6. Flip, brush with a little oil, and grill for another 7–9 minutes until charred in patches and cooked through (75C at the thickest point). Rest 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile make the kachumber: toss cucumber, tomato, red onion, green chilli and coriander with the lemon juice, chaat masala and a pinch of salt. Do this just before serving so it stays crisp.
8. Pile the chicken onto a platter, spoon over any resting juices and serve with the kachumber, lemon wedges and warm naan.