Tandoori Chicken Bowls

These Tandoori Chicken Bowls are a fun and delicious rice bowl with sweet and spicy Indian flavors combined with fresh herbs and veggies.

My idea for these Tandoori Chicken Rice Bowls came from ordering in takeout from a local Indian restaurant near me. One of the entrees came with Mint Cilantro Chutney. The other with Tamarind Chutney. I decided to combine the two sauces and knew I had to create something similar for you guys since the combo was SO DELICIOUS together.

The Mint Cilantro Chutney is super herby, zesty, and a little spicy from the Serrano chili pepper and fresh ginger. The Tamarind Chutney is sweet and spicy. It’s made from dates, tamarind paste, dark sugar, and spices. I think the two sauces are wonderful together but you can also make one of the other, if you prefer.

I love a simple salad or slaw on top of a rice bowl. The cucumber and red onion salad adds such a nice pop of fresh and crunch to the tandoori chicken. It takes two minutes to throw together and will be well worth it.

Ingredient Notes:

• Chicken Thighs – They’re much juicer and more delicious than chicken breast. But if you prefer white meat, go right ahead.
• Garam Masala – An Indian spice blend commonly made with cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. If you have all three of those spices and not a pre-blended mix, feel free to mix the spices yourselves.
• Red Onion – Shallot can be substituted here.
• Basmati Rice – I like to add some seasonings to my basmati rice. However, if it’s easier for you to make plain basmati rice or even jasmine rice, that’s fine too!
• Mint Cilantro Chutney – If you hate cilantro, sub parsley. If you hate spicy, remove the Serrano chili. If you don’t have agave, use honey.
• Tamarind Paste – A sour concentrate made from tamarind fruit. This is easy to find in most grocery stores but you can also find it online.
• Dark Muscovado Sugar – Tamarind Chutney is traditionally made with jaggery sugar. However, it’s really hard to find in grocery stores so I used dark muscovado sugar. You can use dark brown or light brown sugar here, too.

Tandoori Chicken Bowls

These Tandoori Chicken Bowls are a fun and delicious rice bowl with sweet and spicy Indian flavors combined with fresh herbs and veggies.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3

Equipment

• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• Outdoor Grill or Grill Pan
• 2 Medium Bowls
• 1 Medium Pot with a fitted lid
• Food Processor mini one if you have it
• Blender
• 1 Medium Pan

Ingredients

  

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For the Bowls:

• 6 about 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Avocado oil
• 3 Persian cucumbers halved lengthwise and thinly slices crosswise on a diagonal
• Thinly sliced red onion to taste (I love onion, so I used ½ a medium red onion)
• Lemon juice to taste
• Extra-virgin olive oil to taste
• Basmati Rice recipe below
• Mint Cilantro Chutney recipe below
• Tamarind Chutney recipe below

For the Basmati Rice:

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 1 piece star anise
• 3 cloves
• ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup Basmati rice

For the Mint Cilantro Chutney:

• ½ cup cilantro leaves and thin stems
• ½ cup mint leaves
• 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ serrano chili roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 2 teaspoons water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the Tamarind Chutney:

• 6 pitted dates roughly chopped
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 teaspoons tamarind paste
• ¼ cup dark muscovado sugar
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala
• Kosher salt

Instructions

 

For the Bowls:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken with the garam masala, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ginger, ½ teaspoon cumin (double this amount of cumin if doubling the recipe), turmeric, smoked paprika, big pinches of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and 4 teaspoons avocado oil (double this amount of oil if doubling the recipe). At this point the chicken can be left to sit in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Let come to room temperature before cooking.
• Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Grease with avocado oil or another neutral oil. Grill chicken until charred and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cucumber and red onion with ¼ teaspoon cumin (double this amount of cumin if doubling the recipe), lemon juice and olive oil to taste, and a pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Divide rice between bowls and top with chicken and cucumber salad. Serve with Mint Cilantro Chutney and Tamarind Chutney on the side or drizzled over the bowls, if using.

For the Basmati Rice:

• In a medium-sized sauce pot, combine the water, oil, star anise, cloves, and Kosher salt and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Add the rice, tightly cover the pot and turn heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit, still covered, for another 10 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this entire time.

For the Mint Cilantro Chutney:

• Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until combined. Taste and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the Tamarind Chutney:

• Place dates in a medium bowl and cover completely with boiling water. Let sit until cooled. Place the dates with the water into a blender with the tamarind paste and blend until smooth.
• Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the cayenne, cumin, ginger, and garam masala and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring often until fragrant. Add the sugar and date mixture and stir to combine until the sugar is melted. Bring to a boil, then cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool to room temperature. Taste and season with Kosher salt.

Notes

Chicken – Once cooked, chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat until warmed through in the microwave or oven.

Basmati Rice – Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat until warmed through in the microwave or oven.

Mint Cilantro Chutney – Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving. 

Tamarind Chutney – Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let come to room temperature before serving. 

Keyword bbq, chutney, Grill, Grilling, Rice Bowl, Spicy, summer

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