Creating this new website was hard, figuring out to use SEO, designing the logo was some of the many things we learnt, but the hardest thing was writing our “About” page. It has taken me almost a year to write this page. I was scared to share the details of our story because it was such so personal to both of us. Being vulnerable is hard. Sharing your fears with the world is scary. But I wanted to be honest. I wanted people to truly understand why we cook and why we blog the way we do.
Then when we posted our new website and shared with people about our journey, we received an overwhelming amount of responses, love and support from friends, family and even high school teachers. I was honestly blown away. I didn’t know how much it could inspire others.
The past few years of tears, emotional turmoil and stress was all worth it. It has been difficult, discouraging, and filled with nights of hopelessness. But it has also been a journey filled with miracles, faith and hope. “Never give up” – the words I have heard so frequently over the past few years. The same message that has kept our creativity going to create our rather “unique” but “delicious” recipes.
This Tandoori chicken recipe is another example of our failure to success stories. We have failed miserably making this in the past 2 years. But this time we finally nailed it!
I have always LOVED Indian food. My first introduction to Indian food was during our primary school’s “Indian Day”. I remember that day because all my friends and teachers was dressed in beautiful saris, gold bangles. . It was also the first time I got to hear about the beautiful Taj Mahal which looked exactly like the palace from the disney book Aladdin. And then for lunch we were served homemade Indian food that was made by all the parents of our Indian classmates. The smell of spices wafted through the room. The chicken that was served on my little lunch plate was absolutely delicious. My little heart grew with passion and love for this new culture.
Tandoori Chicken is one my favorite Indian foods. Unlike butter chicken and tikka masala, which uses a lot of heavy cream, butter or oil, tandoori chicken is much lighter. The long marinade in yogurt and lemons that really helps to tenderize the chicken. After, it is traditionally roasted in a tandoor to give it the beautiful char and smoky flavor that we all love. Unfortunately I do not own a tandoor at home, so we just used our oven and smoked paprika to replicate the flavor.
In our previous failed attempts, we realized that even grinding whole spices, making your own garam masala blend doesn’t always make things work. The key to tandoori chicken is getting the right proportion of the right spices (all of which can be purchased in most grocery stores or Asian Market)! And of course USE drumsticks or boned-in meat to make the best possible chicken dish!
I was so surprised when I found out that each chicken drumstick was only 97 calories! (Bonus Point!) Most Indian foods are so rich and heavy, but our lightened up version definitely makes this a healthy option for a weeknight meal and perfect for meal prepping.
We had so much fun serving this delicious tray of chicken with curry roasted potatoes, green beans, turmeric rice (cheaper substitute for saffron) and yogurt on the side for our guests. I was EVEN more excited about the leftovers, because that meant yummy food after a long day at school. We served it with stir-fried bell peppers, steamed eggplant, more rice and beans. It was absolutely phenomenal! So give it a try – easy, healthy, low-calorie and all done in one meal pan!
No to mention as a Meal Prep Tip: Spices are worth the investment! They are basically the healthy, 0-calorie version of MSG (thats how I like to think of it). Not only do they add so much flavor without the extra calories and fat, but spices also last for a long time without going bad like fresh herbs! Another good tip is to buy individual spices rather than a blend of spices so you have the option of using it in multiple recipes. Making your own spice blends is super easy too!
(if you want to do this with chicken breast like the picture above, just chop it up and bake for less time!)
- 8 chicken drumsticks* (See Note Below)
- Marinade:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt/Coconut yogurt (or 250g silken tofu)
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp garam masala** (See Note Below)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (if using silken tofu use 2 tbsp!)
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp ginger, minced (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together. (If using tofu, use a blender to make it smooth)
- Trim off the skin from the chicken. Cut 3-4 deep slashes into your chicken. Rub the marinade over. Cover and set aside in fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Lay the chicken on a baking tray, leaving enough space between each one. Bake for 45-60 minutes.
- Serve with extra lemon, yogurt, rice, greens and bombay potatoes.
1. Using a mallet/back of the knife, tenderize the chicken.
2. Dice the chicken into large cubes and marinate for 1 hour.
3. Bake at 350F for 15 or until just cooked. If you are not eating it right away, make sure to under bake the chicken so you don't overcook it!
**Garam Masala: This is a blend of spices commonly used in Indian Cooking. You can find this at some Asian Markets, Walmart, Target, Harmons or Amazon.
If you can't have find it a quick substitute in a pinch would be curry powder! You can also try to make your own blend with this recipe.
LOVE,
Zoe & Mia
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