Freezer Friendly Baked Tandoori Chicken Recipe

This baked tandoori chicken will have you looking like a pro in the kitchen! 

I absolutely love cooking. However, I usually tend to stick to Mexican or Southern foods because that’s what I grew up eating a lot. So, when the idea came up for this baked tandoori chicken, I felt a little out of my comfort zone. I put it off for a little while because I was avoiding, what I felt, was going to be a hard recipe to conquer.

After it was finished baking, I felt really silly. This was one of the easiest recipes I had ever made and it allowed my family to try a new ethnic recipe. This baked tandoori chicken actually got its name from the mostly clay ovens it is commonly cooked in. It originated in the Punjab before India became independent and has been around for quite some time.

I had never heard of this recipe before until I had a friend mention it. I asked her to repeat what she said and then gave her a confused look. She explained to me what it was and apparently it’s quite a popular recipe in the states. Who knew? Not me, apparently.

The hardest part about the recipe was finding the garam marsala powder. That’s only because I live in a pretty small area so finding anything outside of the basics feels impossible. I had to order it online but have been told it’s pretty easy to find at most major grocery stores. So, unless you live in the middle of nowhere like me, you should be just fine finding your spices.

Anyways, as I was saying, you’re going to be thrilled at how easy this recipe is. Especially because it appears to be something that took a lot of work. A meal that’s easy to impress with. Plus, the fact that it saves and freezes so well is only a plus.

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This freezer friendly baked tandoori chicken is a lot easier than it looks!

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

½ Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

3 Teaspoons Chili Powder

2 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice

½ Tablespoon Ground Ginger

½ Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon Paprika

1 ½ Teaspoons Garam Marsala Powder

1 Teaspoon Coriander

½ Teaspoon Cumin

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

3 Drops Red Food Coloring (optional)

Lay out your chicken breasts and make sure they are dry and not overly wet. Cut slits in each chicken breast and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp lemon juice, your paprika, and a dash of salt.

Mix well and rub mixture into the slits on your chicken.

Use the excess to rub the rest of the chicken down. The slits are a priority.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. This is when you will add your red food coloring if desired. Traditional tandoori chicken is usually red but our spices tend to not make the recipe red. So, if you want this bright pretty color, the food coloring is for you.

Place your chicken breasts in the bowl with your mixture and make sure they’re thoroughly covered. Cover bowl and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. Overnight would be best for optimal marinating time but isn’t necessary.

Remove from fridge, place on a tin foil covered cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or longer, depending on the thickness of your chicken breast.

FREEZE FOR LATER:

If you want to freeze this amazing recipe for later, put the first rub on the chicken, place your chicken breasts in a freezer baggie. Make your marinade and add it to the bag. Mix the bag around to ensure each chicken breast is thoroughly coated and then adjust the chicken breasts so that they all lay flat and not on top of each other. Lay flat in freezer.

To bake from frozen: Place in fridge to thaw overnight.

Place on a tin foiled covered cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (may need to be longer depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts).

Don’t forget to “PIN IT” for later!