In Indian tandoori cooking, much of the flavor comes from the ripping-hot temperatures, up to 900 F, which send spice and smoke sizzling out the top of barrel-shaped clay ovens.
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt OR ¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt thinned with 3 tablespoons water
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 medium red OR yellow onion, half roughly chopped, half thinly sliced, reserved separately
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper OR ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric OR both
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Directions
In a blender, combine half the yogurt, the garlic, chopped onion, ginger, oil, paprika, garam masala, cayenne, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping the jar as needed. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the puree to a small bowl, and stir in the remaining yogurt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Scrape the remaining puree into a medium bowl, add the chicken, and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Heat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches from the element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set a wire rack in the baking sheet, and mist it with cooking spray. Thread the chicken onto 4 to 6 metal skewers, scraping off excess marinade, and place on the prepared rack.
Broil until charred on the surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, flip the skewers, and continue to broil until well charred on the second sides and the chicken is just cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Serve the skewers with the yogurt sauce and sliced onion.
Optional garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro OR chutney OR sliced tomatoes OR lemon wedges OR a combination
