Tandoori Chicken

Do you really want me to talk about this dish??? Nah, if you are not familiar with TANDOORI CHICKEN, then you must be living under a rock!!! For me it’s a family favourite and it’s best served with Coriander, Mint & Yogurt Dip. Recipe adapted from Chef Harpal Singh Soki….

You Will Need:

800g – A kg (Not More) Whole Chicken (Skin on or Skinned)

Marinade 1

A tsp Chilli Powder

A tbsp Garlic Powder

Juice of  Lime

Salt to taste

Marinade 2

3/4 Cup of Hung Curd

(A cup of curd place on a muslin cloth and let to drain off excess liquid)

A tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Black Salt

2 tbsp Mustard Oil

Salt to Taste

Butter for Brushing (OPTIONAL, I Always Skip this Process)

The Cooking:

Wash and clean the chicken. Pat it dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Make deep slits across the breast, thighs and fillets. What it does is, these slits will help penetration of the marinade and the chicken cooks through. Tie the tips of the drumsticks with butcher twine. Or you can do what I do. Make an insertion on the bottom of a drumstick tip, approx an inch in length. Now insert the other drumstick tip into this insertion. And that’s it.

Mix the chicken with marinade 1. Make sure you rub the spices all over the chicken, gently massaging them in the slits and inside the cavity.

In another bowl, mix together all the ingredients for marinade 2. Whisk this marinade well to form a nice paste. Pour the entire marinade over the chicken and rub it into all the slits and cavity. This needs to marinate for a good one hour at least. Prepare this well in advance, its good if you can give it 2 or 3 hours.

Preheat the oven at 200 degree.

I don’t place the chicken on cubed veggies and bake in the oven. This is what I do. Heat a pan with a tbsp of oil. Once hot, place the chicken back side down and let it brown. What it does is, when I roast the chicken in the oven, the back side of the chicken is not soggy. You don’t have to brown all the sides of the chicken, just the backside. Place this on a baking tray, greased with a tsp of oil. Place it in a preheated oven and cook for 40 – 45 min, brushing with butter once or twice.

Serve hot with Coriander & Mint Yogurt Dip, onions and lemon wedges.

IMPORTANT POINTERS:

• The yogurt needs to be thick, so that the marinade is not thin and runny.
• Give a good rub of the marinade into the slits and inside the cavity.
• Marinating time is the key, it really needs to sit for a long time so that the spices penetrate the flesh and the chicken does not turn out bland.
• Brushing with butter will keep the chicken tender.
• If the outer skin is roasting too and turn brown, cover the chicken with foil and keep cooking.
• Adjust the spices according to your taste.
• Try to keep the bird within a kilo, too big will turn out hard. Small ones stay tender and cook easily.

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Happy Cooking!