A Gas Station in Utah Serving Incredible Chicken Tikka Masala
“I’m looking for Indian food,” Guy Fieri declared, and what he found was something unexpected: a full-blown Indian restaurant inside a gas station in Logan, Utah. This is Tandoori Oven, and the Aurora family is here to school the locals on the regional flavors of northern India.
Chef Sham Aurora, who came to the United States in 1997, runs the restaurant with his entire family. When Guy asked about the family involvement, the answer was simple: “Everybody works in the restaurant.” And their mission? Helping people understand, as one family member put it, “how great Indian food really is.”
Northern Indian Cuisine: “More Meat and More Sauce”
The Aurora family specializes in northern Indian cooking, which they describe as having “more meat and more sauce” compared to other regional styles. “There’s like more rich food, like more everything,” they explained to Guy. And the centerpiece of this episode? The chicken tikka masala—described as “like an Indian stew” that’s creamy with incredible flavor.
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If you love dishes with bold, layered flavors, you might also enjoy reading about Guy’s experience with Chicken Mofongo Relleno and Alcapurrias.
The Two-Sauce Foundation
Making chicken tikka masala at Tandoori Oven starts with building two separate sauces. The first is an onion gravy made with oil, cumin, coriander, onions, and tomatoes in water, all hit with an immersion blender until smooth.
The second sauce begins separately with oil, ginger, garlic, garam masala, turmeric, and paprika. This gets combined with the onion and tomato mixture to create the foundation for the dish.
48-Hour Marinated Chicken in a Mystery Oven
The chicken gets serious attention here. It marinates for a full 48 hours in homemade yogurt combined with salt, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and a “little touch of color.” Then it goes into the tandoor oven, running at almost 400 degrees with mesquite charcoal—though Guy initially heard “mystery charcoal” and had to be corrected on the “misconception.”
The final dish comes together by cooking ginger, garlic, and bell pepper with cream, then adding both the onion gravy and tomato gravy. The tikka chicken goes in and cooks “just until violet,” then gets finished with fenugreek leaf, cilantro, and masala.
Guy’s Verdict: “Very Approachable”
When the dish hit the table, Guy faced what he called a dilemma: “I’m having anxiety right now about how to shovel it in fast enough but do it and not look like I’m the first time a dog seen a bowl of food.”
His actual assessment? “This is very approachable. That’s probably one of the staple dishes that people should try when they’re trying Indian food for the first time.” The chicken, he noted, was “so tender my teeth just sink into it”—a perfect blend of spice. Much like when he tried the Lemonade Pork He Calls “Flavor City” 🤤, Guy couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.
Tips From the Tandoori Oven Kitchen
Build your sauces separately: The onion gravy and the ginger-garlic-spice sauce start in different pans before combining. This layering creates depth.
Marinate your chicken long: 48 hours in homemade yogurt with spices makes all the difference in tenderness.
Finish with fresh aromatics: Fenugreek leaf and cilantro go in at the very end, right before serving.
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