Tandoori Chicken Tenders

So, having a baby has made me think of future family friendly meals. At this point the baby is still in the land of pureed peaches and mangoes but I am sure that he will be eating table food before I know it (time HAS been flying!). What little kid doesn’t like chicken tenders?  I decided to try these out since we tend to eat a lot of Indian/Pakistani food.  The spice level was kid friendly but enough flavor to keep the adults interested. 🙂

I really liked them. My husband voted that next time I should reduce the amount of panko on each tender. The superstar of the night though was the spinach raita (a super tasty spinach yogurt sauce) that we had to dip the tenders in.

Tandoori Chicken Tenders

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup light plain yogurt
• 3/4  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1-1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloin/tenders
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 – 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1) In a small bowl, mix yogurt, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne, garlic, and ginger.

2) Put tenders in a resealable plastic bag and add the yogurt mixture to the bag. Toss to coat the chicken.

3) Seal bag and marinate, refrigerated, at least 20 minutes and up to overnight.

4) When ready to cook chicken, remove tenders from marinade. Pour panko on to a plate and press tenders into panko, turning, until well coated.

5) Heat oil in large skillet until shimmering. Cook tenders, in batches if needed to avoid crowding, 3 to 4 minutes per side (or to 165 degrees). Add additional oil to pan as needed. Transfer tenders to a serving plate.

Serve with naan or roti and spinach raita.