Tandoori Chicken

Dating back to the times of Mughal Empire, tandoori chicken is a hot favorite with those who love the spicy delicacies of Indian food. People prefer tandoori chicken either as a snack, or as a side dish with other traditional Indian cuisine. Tandoori chicken can also be served as an appetizer.

Tandoori chicken

A skinless chicken piece that is cooked in a tandoor (tall, cylindrical brick or clay oven) is referred to as tandoori chicken. Marinated chicken pieces are cooked over smoky, intense heat of charcoal fire, mostly at temperatures 480 degrees Fahrenheit. The tandoor oven is lit well prior to cooking so as to reach and maintain favorable cooking temperature.

You can install a tandoor at home or cook on a traditional grill or even opt for the modern day tandoors that use electricity or gas in place of charcoal. Bearing slight resemblance to barbequing, tandoori chicken is aptly referred as traditional Indian barbequed chicken. The time taken in preparing tandoori chicken can be drastically cut down, if the tandoori masala is ready.

If so, all that you need to do is rub or add to the skinless chicken the ready-made (shop-bought) tandoori masala mix or the masala prepared with little effort at home. Allow the mixture to marinate for at least two hours before starting the process of cooking. The marinated pieces are finally grilled, roasted or baked in oven.

Authentic Red Tandoori Chicken

Cooking chicken the tandoori way, efficiently curtails loss of vitamins and proteins of the food. The tandoor oven retains all the juices and taste of the ingredients and you get to sumptuously feast on the perfect aromatic flavor full of nutritive values. It is difficult for any food lover to resist the tantalizing aroma of tandoori chicken. The secret of the appealing looks of tandoori chicken lies in the ingredients of the tandoori paste. The reddish-orange tint is the result of using annatto seed or food colors that extend this genuine color to tandoori chicken.

Tandoori chicken recipe

Ginger root-2 inches piece, peeled and grated
Garlic-4 peeled and minced
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp grounded
Cardamom - ¼ tsp
Cloves - ¼ tsp grounded
Cayenne pepper - ½ tsp
Salt - ¼ tsp
Plain yogurt - 1 cup
Chicken pieces - 4 lbs
Vegetable oil or cooking oil - 4 tsp
Paprika powder - 1 tsp (for color)
Turmeric - ½ tsp

• Remove skin of chicken, wash, drain and keep aside
  
  
• Prick each chicken piece a few times with a fork (to infuse marinade)
  
  
• Mix grated ginger, garlic, cumin seed, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cloves and yogurt
  
  
• Transfer chicken pieces to a foil-lined baking pan
  
  
• Pour over the yogurt mixture
  
  
• Use your hands to coat the meat completely
  
  
• Place in an airtight container
  
  
• Leave for minimum 2 hours or overnight or longer in the refrigerator
  
  
• Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking
  
  
• Heat oven to 240º C or 475º F
  
  
• Line a baking tray with aluminum foil
  
  
• Dribble oil over the chicken in the pan
  
  
• Sprinkle turmeric
  
  
• Place baking pan in the oven
  
  
• Cook for one hour until the pieces turn brown and dry
  
  
• Turn the pieces halfway though cooking
  
  
• Drain off excess oil to avoid soggy output.
  
  
• Wait till the meat comes off the chicken.
  
  
• Serve hot with slices of cucumber, red onion and lemon.
  
  

In the absence of an oven, tandoori chicken can be cooked in a pan. Heat the pan, add ghee and wait for it to melt completely. Add the marinated chicken pieces and cook till it turns wholly brown. Reduce heat and cover the pan. After 20-30 minutes, the chicken pieces are ready to be served.