Tandoori Chicken Pouch Skillet
Shelf-stable chicken rubbed with a yogurt-powder tandoori paste, seared over a fire or a stove.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 80
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 22 min
- water
- 60 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Foil-pouch chicken breast | 2 pouches, 7 oz each | drain the liquid off |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole-milk yogurt | 3 tbsp | or powdered whole milk plus the lemon below |
| Chili powder | 2 tsp | |
| Paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Garam masala | 1 tsp | |
| Ground coriander | 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1/4 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt and cracked pepper | 3/4 tsp each | |
| Lemon juice powder | 1 tbsp | citric acid works if that is what you have |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | dropper bottle |
Method
- Tip the spice bag into your pot with 60 ml of cold water and 1 tbsp of the oil. Stir into a thick paste. Let it sit five minutes so the yogurt powder hydrates.
- Drain the chicken pouches and fold the meat into the paste until every piece is coated.
- Put the pot over a moderate flame with the rest of the oil. Coals raked flat or a low canister flame, not a roaring fire.
- Cook eight to twelve minutes, stirring every minute or two. You want the paste to dry down and stick to the meat with some browned edges.
- Scrape the bottom while it is still hot. That crust does not come off cold.
The original is chicken on the bone, marinated overnight in fridge-cold yogurt and finished in an oven. None of that travels. What does travel is the spice blend, which is where the flavor actually lives, so this version keeps the ratios and swaps everything else. Powdered yogurt plus lemon powder plus a little water rebuilds the acidic, slightly tangy coating that the marinade provided. Pouch chicken is already cooked, so the fire is only there to dry the paste onto the meat and char it a bit.
Skip the marinating wait and you get a wet spice sauce instead of a coating. Five minutes of hydration is the minimum. Keep the heat moderate too: the spices in this blend scorch fast, and burnt garam masala tastes like ash all the way through the pot.
Packing
All the dry spices, the yogurt powder, and the lemon powder go in one bag at home. Chicken pouches and the oil bottle ride separately.
Variations
- Serve over instant rice cooked in a second pot, or scoop it with naan if you are car-camping and weight is not the issue.
- Freeze-dried chicken rehydrated in the paste works and cuts about four ounces per serving.
- Add a spoonful of tomato powder for something closer to a curry.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/tandoori-yogurt-chicken