Easy Chicken Masala

I love dishes where I can do most of the work ahead of time. It feels like someone else cooked dinner for me, which always make the food taste even better somehow. I even sliced the onions for this the day before and just popped it all in the oven when I got home from work. My husband Chuck did make the brown rice...it came out great, but from the look of pride on his face, you'd think he harvested it himself (love you honey).

EASY CHICKEN MASALA

Yield: 4 servings

1 cup plain whole Greek yogurt

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon garam masala (Indian spice mixture available at most supermarkets)

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 large garlic clove, pressed

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1 ¼ lb. (can also use bone-in, skin on)

2 small onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1.      Mix yogurt, cilantro, olive oil, garam masala, salt, and garlic in a glass baking dish (large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer). Add chicken to marinade, 1 piece at a time, coating all sides. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2.      Preheat to 400° F.

3.      Arrange onions in thin layer on large rimmed baking sheet to form bed for chicken. Top with chicken pieces in single layer, spacing apart for even roasting (chicken will still be coated with marinade). Discard remaining marinade.

4.      Roast chicken until cooked through and juices run clear when thickest portion of thigh is pierced with knife, about 30-40 minutes (40-50 minutes for bone-in).

5.      Serve chicken atop onion slices. Spoon pan juices around.

adapted from Maria Helm Sinskey

marinade before mixing

Chicken covered with marinade. I like to use Greek yogurt because 
it's very thick and really clings to the chicken (for maximum flavor).

raw marinaded chicken on onion slices

done