Toaster Oven Tandoori Chicken

Greetings my broke brethren and dorm room denizens. I wanted to share my version of Tandoori Chicken with you all. Tandoori Chicken, a popular Indian dish, is made by marinating chicken in a mixture of citrus juice, yogurt, curry and other fragrant spices. The chicken is cooked in a clay oven called a Tandoor (hence the name), the Tandoor can reach and maintain temperatures up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat from this oven produces a beautifully crusted chicken that is tender and juicy. Several food service suppliers are beginning to sell clay and stainless steel versions of these ovens for around $3,000. Needless to say I doubt a Tandoor will be making its way into my home anytime soon.


With a few ingredients you can still achieve a Tandoori Chicken that will make you think you are dining in New Delhi. This dish is perfect if you live in a small space, the only thing you will need is a toaster oven and microwave. I am serving this with Basmati Rice, diced tomatoes and onions. If you have the time and space to make a pot of Basmati Rice, go for it. I never did learn to cook rice properly (sorry Grandma) so the microwave rice is a life saver for me. Unfortunately there are no Indian Markets where I live, however by combining a packaged citrus marinade and some curry powder, I was able to produce a marinade that tastes almost exactly like the one from the restaurant I visited. You will be able to find all of these ingredients at your grocery store. To keep this a fairly quick recipe, I would avoid using bone in cuts of meat. Boneless chicken thighs or breasts are best for this dish. Total cost for everything was $7.63 Yields 2 Servings

Tandoori Chicken

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs
6 oz container plain yogurt
½ packet McCormick Mojito Lime Marinade
1 tsp Curry powder
Basmati Rice (I’m using Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice)

Preheat toaster oven / oven to 350 degrees
Combine yogurt, marinade mix and curry powder together in a bowl. Add chicken to yogurt mixture.
Stir to evenly coat chicken. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Place chicken on baking sheet/ pan that has been coated with nonstick spray. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes.
Turn oven to broil and allow chicken to cook until yogurt coating begins to turn dark brown color
Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with basmati rice and garnish with tomatoes and onions.

Notes / Tips: Make sure that your chicken has a generous amount o f the yogurt coating on it when you place it on the pan. The combination of the yogurt and citrus will both tenderize and keep the meat juicy. If you plan on garnishing the dish with the raw onions, dice the onions and then place them in a bowl of ice water for around 10 minutes. This will take some of the harshness away from the raw onion and make it much more palatable. If you can not find this brand of dry marinade, a teaspoon of lemon pepper and garlic powder will produce a similar flavor.