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These Grilled Tandoori Chicken Wings are marinaded with smoky Indian spices and cooked until perfectly juicy inside! Add them to your weeknight summer menu!
My dreams have been really weird lately. A few weeks ago, I dreamt that I was cooking in my parents’ kitchen as part of a Chopped competition. I could have dreamt up any dish to wow the judges, but I dreamt up a recipe for Tandoori Chicken Nuggets.
How that even happened, I have no idea. It’s been a while since I’ve had Indian food or chicken nuggets, for that matter. But apparently Alex Guarnaschelli and Aaron Sanchez loved them and complimented me on my use of spice!
In my dream, I don’t know if I actually won the competition, but my little chicken nuggets had totally won over the judges!
Naturally, I was going to make a recipe for Tandoori Chicken Nuggets. But since it’s grilling season, I wanted to change things up a bit. Instead of making chicken nuggets, I decided to make Grilled Tandoori Chicken Wings – a slightly more grownup recipe to enjoy all summer long!
The recipe starts with about two pounds of chicken wings marinaded in a Greek yogurt based sauce. The sauce is seasoned with a Tandoori seasoning mix, a little ground tumeric, minced garlic, and a squeeze of lemon.
If you’re short on time, marinade the chicken for at least two hours. Overnight is best so the chicken can really soak up all of that flavor! I used a tablespoon of the Tandoori seasoning, which kept the spice level pretty mild. Feel free to adjust the amount of seasoning to your liking!
Cook these wings on an indoor or outdoor grill!
I really, really wanted to cook these wings outside, but the day I made them it was super windy. That would’ve made it pretty hard to keep the flame going. So I opted to make them inside on our cast iron grill, which worked just as well!
I cooked the wings for about 30 minutes over medium-high heat, flipping them halfway through. It was just enough cooking time to get some nice grill marks on the outside of the chicken while keeping it juicy inside!
When the chicken wings were done, I garnished them with fresh cilantro and served them with extra lemon wedges. I also whipped up an easy coconut rice as a side. Keep scrolling for the recipe!
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs. chicken wingettes
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. Tandoori spice (or use 1 tsp. each of paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger, and cardamom)
- 1/2 tsp. tumeric
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Optional: fresh cilantro, lemon wedges
Instructions
- Combine the Greek yogurt, Tandoori spices, tumeric, garlic, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Add the chicken wings to a large bowl or covered container.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat evenly. Marinade for at least two hours or overnight.
- When you're ready to cook the wings, oil the grill grates with olive oil and preheat on medium-high heat.
- Place the wings on the grill and cook for about 15 minutes on each side, making sure to rearrange some of the wings to cooler spots if they get too dark.
- Once the wings are completely cooked, serve with lemon wedges and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Serve these Tandoori Chicken Wings with a side of Coconut Rice!
I served these wings with a side of coconut rice that’s so easy to make! Just add one 14 oz. can lite coconut milk, 1 cup of water, a dash of salt, and 1 cup of brown rice (or rice of your choice) to a pot. Once it starts to boil, bring it down until a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice has softened. Garnish it with a little chopped fresh cilantro and enjoy!
These juicy, flavorful wings are a nice change from your usual grilled chicken recipe! If you really want a more authentic Tandoori seasoning, add in a little cayenne or chili pepper. It’ll also give the chicken its traditional red color!
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