Grilled Tandoori Chicken Salad

Number of Servings: 4

Salad Ingredients:

½ cup (125 mL) pineapple chunks
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
½ of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 papaya or mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 mL) chopped dried apricots
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped green onions
2-3 cups of mixed greens
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

Skewers of grilled Tandoori Chicken (recipe follows)

Vinaigrette:

1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 mL) pomegranate molasses or maple syrup
3-4 tablespoons (45-60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt; freshly ground black pepper

Tandoori Chicken:

12-16 ounces (300-430 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
½ cup (125 mL) plain Greek yogurt, or buttermilk
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon each of ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and smoked or sweet paprika
½ teaspoon each of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Soak 4 wooden skewers in some water for at least ½ hour.
2. Prepare all salad ingredients (except for the chicken) and place in a large salad bowl.  Set aside (or refrigerate until ready)
3. Prepare vinaigrette:  Mix garlic with the vinegar and molasses/maple syrup;  Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until well combined; Season to taste. Set aside.

Prepare Chicken:

1. Place the chicken cubes on the soaked skewers. In a small bowl combine all of the spices and seasonings. You should have about a tablespoon of seasoning mix.   Mix well.   Set aside 1 1/2 teaspoons of this mixture to sprinkle on the chicken after it has been grilled.
2. In a non-metal baking dish (large enough to allow the 4 skewers of chicken to lay flat), mix the yogurt and minced garlic; stir in the remaining seasoning mixture.   Place the 4 skewers of chicken into the marinade and cover with the marinade. Cover dish, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours … or up to 8 hours.
3. Grill Chicken: At grilling time, remove the skewers from the marinade (discard) and let sit at room temperature for about ½ hour. Blot off excess marinade with a paper towel. Preheat grill, or grill pan. Grill skewers for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning, and grilling, until chicken is browned and starting to crisp.   Remove from pan; set on a platter; sprinkle with the reserved seasoning mixture.
4. Prepare Salad: Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of vinaigrette over salad ingredients in the large bowl. Gently stir to combine. Arrange salad among 4 salad plates and place a skewer of chicken on top of each plate. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Questions and comments are always welcome      alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]