Tandoori Chicken Sandwich
A smoky, mayo-free tandoori chicken sandwich made with tender marinated chicken and a creamy spiced hung curd filling. Perfectly toasted and deeply satisfying.
This tandoori chicken sandwich solves the eternal problem of heavy, mayo-drenched cafe sandwiches. By swapping mayonnaise for a thick, spiced hung curd filling, you get all the creamy richness with none of the sluggishness afterwards.
The real secret here is the double hit of flavour: first, the chicken breast is marinated in mustard oil, Kashmiri chilli, and aromatics, then pan-seared until juicy. But the absolute game-changer is the charcoal smoke. Giving the cooked chicken and vegetable mix a quick dhungar (charcoal smoke) with a drop of ghee infuses the entire sandwich with an authentic tandoori depth that usually requires a clay oven.
When you layer that smoky chicken mixture over crisp toasted bread, it hits every craving. Most people get chicken breast wrong by overcooking it, so watch your pan closely. Cut the chicken evenly, cook it hot and fast, and you will have a perfectly tender, smoky sandwich filling that you will want to make every single week.
Instructions
- Slice the chicken evenly, ensuring all pieces are the same thickness so they cook uniformly in the pan.
- Prepare the marinade, mixing mustard oil, spices, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, and 2 tbsp curd.
- Coat the chicken slices, tossing them thoroughly in the marinade until evenly covered, and set aside.
- Cook the chicken, heating 1 tbsp oil in a pan and searing the slices for 6 to 8 minutes until 74°C.
- Chop the cooked chicken, removing it from the pan and cutting it into small bite-sized pieces once cooled.
- Prepare the vegetable mix, combining chopped capsicum, onion, and green chillies in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken and filling ingredients, stirring in the chopped chicken, 6 tbsp thick curd, and herbs.
- Smoke the filling, placing a small steel bowl with the live charcoal in the centre of the chicken mix.
- Pour ghee over the charcoal, covering the bowl immediately with a lid for 2 to 3 minutes to infuse smoke.
- Assemble the sandwiches, spooning the smoked chicken and curd filling evenly between slices of bread.
- Toast the sandwiches, cooking them on a hot tawa with a little butter for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Notes
For a truly thick filling, ensure your curd is well-strained (hung curd). Watery curd will thin out the mixture and make the sandwich soggy during toasting.
If you do not have live charcoal for the dhungar method, you can skip it, but you will miss out on the signature tandoori flavour that brings this dish together.
These are best served immediately while the bread is crisp, but you can prepare the smoked filling up to a day in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
