Tandoori chicken (healthy!)

It is always difficult to replicate your favourite take away dishes at home. If it were that easy we wouldn't order it in!
This is a healthy chicken dish - that gives you all the flavours of tandoori chicken - without needing a tandoor oven at home.
It's not authentic tandoori chicken - but it is a good version.
I use chicken thighs for my recipe - but you can use breast if you prefer.
This is also good served cold, in salads, wraps etc.

6 chicken thighs (5-700g)
500ml fat free yoghurt
3 tablespoons tandoori masala spice mix
3 garlic cloves crushed ( or 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic)
2cm ginger, crushed ( or 1 tbsp minced ginger)
2 green chillies, finely chopped with seeds
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

1 In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together- apart from the chicken.
2 Cut the chicken into large bite size pieces - or strips if you prefer
3 In an oven proof dish large enough to take all of the chicken - pour in a layer of the yoghurt mix, to cover the bottom of the dish.
4 Place all of the chicken in the dish - in a single layer if possible.
5 Cover with the remaining yoghurt mix.
6 Massage the chicken to ensure it is entirely covered.
7 Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
8 The following day heat the over to 200c / 400f / Gas 6.
9 Place the dish in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
10 Take out of the oven and allow to cool until you can handle the chicken.
11 Take out all of the chicken - and remove any large lumps of marinade. You can discard the remaining marinade.
12 Place the chicken on a grill rack and grill under a hot grill until one side has browned - and serve.


(The chicken is cooked at the end of stage 9 - but looks a bit anaemic - hence the browning under the grill.)