Air-fryer tandoori chicken with jeera rice & mint yogurt
Type: Main meal — heavier · Typical slot: Dinner (also lunch) · Time: 20 min active + 30 min–overnight marinate · Lunch-friendly: yes (chicken reheats well; keep salad separate) · Batch: partial (marinade + air-fry scales easily)
The leanest, highest-protein Indian main in the book. Chicken is marinated in a spiced yogurt marinade — the yogurt’s acidity tenderises and the spices bake onto the surface in the air fryer for a charred, tandoor-like finish with almost no added fat. Served with a light jeera (cumin) rice, a cooling cucumber-mint yogurt, and a raw kachumber salad for volume. No coconut, no cream.
Ingredients (2 servings)
- 450g chicken thighs, boneless skinless (or a thigh/breast mix for leaner) → 250g G / 200g H
- Marinade: 120g Greek yogurt (0–2%), 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp neutral oil, salt
- Mint yogurt: 120g Greek yogurt, small handful mint, ¼ tsp cumin, squeeze lemon, salt (80g G / 60g H)
- Kachumber salad: 1 cucumber, ½ red onion, 1 tomato, lemon, salt (favor Harshitha’s portion)
- Jeera rice: 150g basmati uncooked, 1 tsp cumin seeds tempered in ½ tsp ghee → 100g G / 50g H cooked (intentionally light starch)
Method
- Marinate. Cut deep slits in the chicken. Mix marinade, coat thoroughly (into the slits). Rest 30 min minimum, ideally 2h–overnight in the fridge.
- Jeera rice. Temper cumin seeds in ghee, add rinsed rice + water (1:1.5), cook covered 12 min, rest 10 min.
- Air fry. Preheat air fryer 200°C. Lay chicken in a single layer, air-fry 15–18 min, flipping halfway, until charred at the edges and 74°C internal. (Oven: 220°C grill, 18–20 min.)
- Assemble. Blitz or stir the mint yogurt. Toss kachumber with lemon + salt just before serving. Plate chicken over jeera rice with mint yogurt and salad alongside.
Macros (per person, per serving)
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 640 | 52g | 42g | 24g |
| H | 460 | 42g | 26g | 18g |
Portion split (what to weigh per person)
| Component | G | Harshitha |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken (marinated, cooked) | 250g | 200g |
| Jeera rice (cooked) | 100g | 50g |
| Mint yogurt | 80g | 60g |
| Kachumber salad | eyeball | eyeball (favor H) |
Notes
- Highest protein-per-calorie main here — use it to balance the veg-heavy legume/paneer curries across an Indian-forward week.
- Leaner still: swap half the thighs for breast, or use all breast (drops ~6–8g fat/serving; watch it doesn’t dry — keep to 14 min).
- No red food colour — the Kashmiri chili + smoked paprika give the colour naturally.
- Batch tip: double the chicken and air-fry in two rounds; cold tandoori chicken is an excellent next-day lunch protein over salad.