Yogurt-Marinated Tandoori Chicken with Curry-Roasted Madras Yukon Gold Potatoes and Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy

Bone-in chicken marinated in yogurt and the full tandoori spice palette, roasted until deeply caramelized; curry-roasted Yukon Gold potatoes with lemon, mustard, and cilantro; and ginger-sesame bok choy with coconut aminos and freshly grated ginger.

Yield: 4-6 servings · Active: 45 min · Total: 2 hr (plus 4-24 hr chicken marinade) · Year-round · Best eaten: early evening

Complete Menu

1. Yogurt-Marinated Tandoori Chicken

2. Curry-Roasted Madras Yukon Gold Potatoes

3. Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy with Coconut Aminos

Optional accompaniments: extra tandoori-yogurt sauce, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sliced red onion

Recipe 1 — Yogurt-Marinated Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2½-3 lb pasture-raised chicken (bone-in, skin-on preferred — thighs, drumsticks, or a mix; can substitute with a whole spatchcocked chicken)

• 1 tsp sea salt (for initial salting)

Tandoori marinade

• 1 cup thick whole-milk grass-fed yogurt (Bulgarian, Greek-style, or sheep/goat yogurt)

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

• 1 small serrano chili, finely chopped (optional, for heat)

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1½ tbsp Kashmiri chili powder or paprika (for color)

• 1½ tsp ground cumin

• 1½ tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

• ½ tsp ground cardamom

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

• 2 green onions (scallions), finely chopped

For serving

• Fresh cilantro, chopped

• Fresh lime wedges

• Additional yogurt for drizzling (optional)

Method

1. Salt the chicken. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub with 1 tsp sea salt. Let sit uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes.

2. Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili, olive oil, all ground spices, salt, pepper, cardamom, chopped cilantro, and green onions until smooth.

3. Marinate. Add chicken to the marinade, coating every piece. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours (12-24 hours ideal — the yogurt tenderizes and the spices penetrate).

4. Bring to room temperature. 30 minutes before roasting.

5. Preheat oven. 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

6. Arrange chicken. Place chicken pieces on the sheet pan, skin-side up, in a single layer with space between pieces. Don't wipe off the marinade — the char is part of the tandoori character.

7. Roast. 30-35 minutes for bone-in thighs and drumsticks; 40-45 min for a spatchcocked whole chicken. Chicken is done when internal temp reads 175°F at the thickest part of the thigh.

8. Broil for char. For traditional tandoori char marks: broil 2-3 minutes at the end. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

9. Rest. 5-8 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe 2 — Curry-Roasted Madras Yukon Gold Potatoes

Ingredients

Potatoes

• 2 lb organic Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1½-inch chunks (skin on)

• 1 medium red onion, cut into thick wedges

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Madras curry marinade

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 tbsp whole grain mustard

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp Madras curry powder

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp paprika

• ½ tsp chili flakes

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

To finish

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

• Flaky sea salt

Method

1. Preheat oven. 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment.

2. Prep the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients (olive oil, garlic, mustard, spices, salt, pepper).

3. Toss the potatoes. Add the potato chunks and red onion wedges to the marinade. Toss until every piece is coated with the spice paste.

4. Roast. Spread on the sheet pan in a single layer. Roast 40-45 minutes, tossing once at the 20-minute mark, until the potatoes are deeply golden brown and crispy at the edges, and the interiors are tender when pierced.

5. Finish. Remove from oven. Immediately toss with lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro. Finish with flaky sea salt.

Recipe 3 — Ginger-Sesame Bok Choy with Coconut Aminos

Ingredients

• 1½ lb baby bok choy (about 6-8 heads), halved lengthwise

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

• 3 tbsp coconut aminos

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 tbsp toasted white or black sesame seeds (for garnish)

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (for garnish)

Method

1. Wash the bok choy. Rinse thoroughly — grit collects in the base. Pat dry.

2. Heat the oils. In a large cast iron skillet or wok, heat the olive oil and toasted sesame oil over medium-high heat.

3. Sauté aromatics. Add sliced garlic and grated ginger. Cook 30 seconds until fragrant.

4. Add bok choy. Place the bok choy halves cut-side down in the pan. Cook undisturbed 2-3 minutes until the cut side is golden and caramelized.

5. Flip and finish. Flip the bok choy. Add coconut aminos, lime juice, salt, and optional chili flakes. Cook 2-3 more minutes, tossing occasionally, until the leaves are tender-crisp and the stems are just cooked through.

6. Serve. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions.

Plating the Indian Feast

Present family-style on a large platter or serving board: pile the tandoori chicken pieces in the center; arrange the curry-roasted potatoes and red onions on one side; place the bok choy on the other side. Scatter fresh cilantro across everything. Serve lime wedges and extra yogurt in small bowls at the table.

Sourcing

• Pasture-raised chicken — pasture-raised, preferasbly corn and soy-free

• Thick sheep, goat, or grass-fed cow yogurt — Bellwether Farms sheep, Redwood Hill Farm goat, or Maple Hill grass-fed cow

• Whole and ground spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, Madras curry powder, Kashmiri chili, cardamom) — always choose organic, non-irradiated, single-origin whole spices when possible, ground fresh at home for meaningfully brighter flavor and bioactive compound retention. Look for spice companies that harvest-date their products and source directly from farmers. Freshly ground from whole seeds (using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle) delivers dramatically more aromatic oils and potency than pre-ground spices sitting on a shelf for months.

• Yukon Gold potatoes — organic, from a farmers' market

• Coconut aminos — Coconut Secret, Big Tree Farms, or Bragg's

• Toasted sesame oil — Eden Foods

• Baja Gold sea salt

Storage

• Tandoori chicken: Refrigerated up to 4 days. Excellent shredded over salad or into wraps

• Curry-roasted potatoes: Refrigerated up to 4 days. Reheat at 400°F for 8-10 min to recrisp

• Ginger-sesame bok choy: Refrigerated up to 3 days. Serve cold or gently reheated

• Tandoori marinade (before use): Refrigerated up to 5 days

Support for the Female Infradian Rhythm

This meal is deeply supportive across all cycle phases. The warming Indian spice palette (turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, garam masala) is grounding and anti-inflammatory — particularly restorative during menstrual and luteal phases. Pasture-raised chicken delivers heme iron and B12 for iron replenishment. Yukon Gold potatoes deliver about 900mg of potassium per serving for fluid balance and menstrual cramp relief. Fresh ginger is one of the best-studied natural anti-inflammatories for menstrual cramping (studies show ginger comparable to NSAIDs). Yogurt supports the estrobolome (gut bacteria that metabolize estrogen). Bok choy delivers sulforaphane for estrogen metabolism support during follicular phase. The whole meal is warm, grounding, deeply spiced — exactly what ancestral cycle-supportive cooking has always looked like.

Nourishment Notes

Pasture-raised chicken — B12, complete protein, and choline. Yolk-orange skin indicates pasture access and meaningfully more nutrition than commodity chicken.

Yogurt marinade — probiotic cultures and enzymatic tenderizing. Live Lactobacillus cultures support the gut microbiome and the estrobolome. Lactic acid tenderizes the chicken at a cellular level. A2 casein in sheep or goat yogurt is easier to digest than A1 cow casein.

Full tandoori spice palette — anti-inflammatory aromatic oils. Turmeric's curcumin (with black pepper's piperine for 2000% better absorption), ginger's gingerols, cumin's thymoquinone, coriander's linalool, cardamom's terpinene. All documented anti-inflammatory and digestive-supporting.

Yukon Gold potatoes — potassium, vitamin C, and slow-burning carbohydrate. About 900mg potassium per serving (higher than a banana). The skin holds most of the nutrients — leave it on.

Bok choy — sulforaphane, vitamin K, and calcium. Cruciferous compound supports estrogen metabolism through the liver. Bok choy delivers meaningful calcium in a vegetable format.

Fresh ginger — gingerols and anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory support. One of the best-studied natural remedies for menstrual pain.

Coconut aminos — umami depth without soy, with lower glycemic impact.

Toasted sesame oil and seeds — lignans and calcium. Sesame lignans support hormone balance.

Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid and polyphenols. Amplifies absorption of the fat-soluble curcumin, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids across the whole meal.

Fresh cilantro and lime — chlorophyll, d-limonene, and heavy metal binding compounds. Cilantro specifically supports mercury and heavy metal chelation.

— Anna aka Food Marshall