Tandoori Chicken
Who doesn't know the Tandoori Chicken? It's so very popular among non-Indians. We were at an Iraqi restaurant sometime ago. The owner seemed so smitten by India. When we asked him what he knew about India and why he wanted to visit India, he said, 2 reasons.
1. Amitabh Bachhan and 2. Tandoori Chicken.
For me, cooking tandoori chicken was nothing less than a challenge. Nothing satiates my Punju husband as much as a plate of sizzling hot, spicy and succulent Tandoori Chicken! So, you see my chance to stock up on brownie points...
So here's my version minus the tandoor of course. But, what's the oven for! :-)
Ingredients
4 chicken legs
2 teaspoons chilli powder ( one for the initial marination of the cuts and one for the actual marination on the chicken)
Salt
Lime juice
4 to 5 tablespoons thick yoghurt
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds powder
1 cup mixed veggies
Red food colour
1 tablespoon oil
Method
Begin with making horizontal cuts in the chicken leg (about 2 to 3 cuts per leg wherever the meat is thick and fleshy).
Marinate the insides of these cuts with salt, chilli powder and lime juice. The marinade should be nicely mixed and evenly put inside all cuts. If there's any of it left, spread it out on the remaining part of the chicken leg. Keep aside.
In a large wide bowl, take 4 tablespoons thick yogurt. The yoghurt needs to be thick and not watery. Add ginger garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, pepper powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, fenugreek seeds powder, 2 tablespoons lime juice and mix well. If you'd like it to be spicier, add some garam masala. Add red colour and mix well. Add the chicken legs and apply marinade evenly. Keep the marinated meat aside for about an hour. I like to keep it aside for at least a minimum of 30 minutes so that the chicken juices absorb the marinade well. Sprinkle some oil or lightly brush oil on the chicken legs.
Preheat the oven to maximum. My oven, I preheat to about 230°C. Remember this is tandoori chicken minus the tandoor, which has even higher temperature. So your oven needs to be really hot. In your baking tray, add some veggies such as, onion, cucumber, carrot and broccoli. They absorb the juice that oozes out and also make for some great accompaniment with the chicken. Place the chicken legs over the veggies. The side on which you made the horizontal cuts needs to be facing upwards. Bake for about 35 minutes. Remove and roast on low flame. (You could place it on a griller or use anything on which you roast papad or chapati). This step gives it that little roasted, smoky black effect. Remove and wrap the bony part of the leg with some foil. Squeeze some lime juice and serve with some veggies, raw onions and green chutney.
1. Amitabh Bachhan and 2. Tandoori Chicken.
For me, cooking tandoori chicken was nothing less than a challenge. Nothing satiates my Punju husband as much as a plate of sizzling hot, spicy and succulent Tandoori Chicken! So, you see my chance to stock up on brownie points...
So here's my version minus the tandoor of course. But, what's the oven for! :-)
Ingredients
4 chicken legs
2 teaspoons chilli powder ( one for the initial marination of the cuts and one for the actual marination on the chicken)
Salt
Lime juice
4 to 5 tablespoons thick yoghurt
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds powder
1 cup mixed veggies
Red food colour
1 tablespoon oil
Method
Begin with making horizontal cuts in the chicken leg (about 2 to 3 cuts per leg wherever the meat is thick and fleshy).
Marinate the insides of these cuts with salt, chilli powder and lime juice. The marinade should be nicely mixed and evenly put inside all cuts. If there's any of it left, spread it out on the remaining part of the chicken leg. Keep aside.
In a large wide bowl, take 4 tablespoons thick yogurt. The yoghurt needs to be thick and not watery. Add ginger garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, pepper powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, fenugreek seeds powder, 2 tablespoons lime juice and mix well. If you'd like it to be spicier, add some garam masala. Add red colour and mix well. Add the chicken legs and apply marinade evenly. Keep the marinated meat aside for about an hour. I like to keep it aside for at least a minimum of 30 minutes so that the chicken juices absorb the marinade well. Sprinkle some oil or lightly brush oil on the chicken legs.
Preheat the oven to maximum. My oven, I preheat to about 230°C. Remember this is tandoori chicken minus the tandoor, which has even higher temperature. So your oven needs to be really hot. In your baking tray, add some veggies such as, onion, cucumber, carrot and broccoli. They absorb the juice that oozes out and also make for some great accompaniment with the chicken. Place the chicken legs over the veggies. The side on which you made the horizontal cuts needs to be facing upwards. Bake for about 35 minutes. Remove and roast on low flame. (You could place it on a griller or use anything on which you roast papad or chapati). This step gives it that little roasted, smoky black effect. Remove and wrap the bony part of the leg with some foil. Squeeze some lime juice and serve with some veggies, raw onions and green chutney.
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