Curry in (Too Much of) a Hurry

Ok,

So the local supermarket had a special on boneless chicken breasts, so I stocked up as I had a couple of cookouts and the Revs tailgate coming up.  Thinking of what I had in my pantry and in my fridge along with what recipes I'd done previously for Revs games, I figured it was time to break out an old favorite - Tandoori chicken.

Now my go-to recipe is from one of those cheap cookbooks that I found on the discount rack at Borders a few years ago.  But you know what, it's got a lot of great stuff in it, particularly when it comes to Asian and Indian food.

Being late on a Friday night, I made an impromptu shopping list and dashed out to Stop and Shop with minutes to spare.  As soon as I got in the door I had to start prepping.  I had friends coming over for a cookout on Saturday afternoon, the tailgate at Revs game Saturday night and another cookout with some friends on Sunday afternoon.  I had to make food for all three events and wanted to go to bed at a halfway decent hour.  I quickly dashed around to collect all the ingredients that I'd need and started to mix everything together.  About halfway through I discovered I made a mistake.

Instead of grabbing my jar of Tandoori paste, I grabbed the jar of hot curry paste.

I thought about it for a minute and came to the realization that despite this inadvertent substitution, the result would probably taste pretty damn good.  And I was right.  The Tandoori paste isn't as spicy as the curry paste, so the added zip was a welcome addition.

Grilled Spicy Curry Chicken
Adapted from 'The Complete Barbecue Cookbook' by Bay Books


4 boneless chicken breasts, butterflied into 2 1/4" thick pieces
1/2 cup Greek style yogurt
2 tbsp curry paste (I use Patak's)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp dried cillantro

Mix all the ingredients, except for the chicken, together in a bowl and add to a ziploc bag.  Place the chicken in the marinade, seal the bag (pressing the air out as you close it) and refrigerate for 2 hours minimum (preferably overnight).

To cook, grill the chicken over medium heat, 3-4 minutes a side until the juices run clear.  Serve warm and enjoy

Notes:
Like I said earlier, this recipe was originally designed to use Tandoori paste instead of curry paste.  To be honest, the jars that I have look nearly the same - same brand (Patak's), same shape, same labels.  The curry paste I used was a bit more spicy than the Tandoori would be.  The tandoori paste imparts a vibrant red color that it is known for as well as a fruitier flavor.  But either way, it will be tasty.