Saturday, March 3, 2012

Tandoori Chicken Recipe


Tandoori Chicken, along with the equally delicious Butter Chicken, is often called the national dish of India. It is ubiquitous throughout North India. In every city, every town, there are dozens of restaurants serving succulent pieces of tender chicken grilled to perfection in clay ovens or 'tandoors.' This dish is to India what vodka is to Russians and hamburgers to Americans.
The unique taste of tandoori chicken can be attributed greatly to the tandoor in which it is cooked. This cylindrical clay oven, which is typically about 3-4 feet high, imparts its own flavor to the meat. The heat is provided through coal or charcoal burnt at the bottom. The meat is skewered through and placed in the oven for about 7-10 minutes. It is usually served with a spicy mint and yogurt 'chutney', onions, and a thin bread called 'romali roti.'
In terms of spices, it incorporates all the spices typical to Indian cuisine: red pepper, cumin, dried coriander, turmeric, and 'garam masala'. The best thing about tandoori chicken is its versatility. It is often used in other dishes like Butter chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, etc.
Here's a simple tandoori chicken recipe:
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken - 800gms
Red chilly powder - 2 teaspoons (you can find it at Indian stores)
Lemon juice - 2-3 tablespoons
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Yogurt - 1.5 cups
Ginger paste - 1.5 tablespoons
Garlic paste - 2 tablespoons
Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon (you can find it at Indian stores)
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons (for better results, use mustard oil)
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Chat masala - 1 teaspoon (find it at Indian specialty stores)
Cooking Method:
1. Make small cuts in the chicken. This is to allow the marinade mixture to go deep inside the meat.
2. Rub a mixture of salt, lemon juice, salt and a hint of black pepper over the chicken. Set aside for half an hour.
3. For the marinade mixture, combine the yogurt (make sure to remove all excess water) with all the ingredients mentioned above: red chilly powder, ginger and garlic paste, garam masala, cumin, and oil.
4. Rub this marinade mixture into the chicken. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (the more, the better).
5. Take out the chicken and allow it to come down to room temperature. Then, skewer the chicken and place it inside a preheated tandoor. If using an oven, keep the temperature to 200°C/400°F.
6. Cook for at least 8-10 minutes. Use an oven glove to take it out of the oven and baste the chicken with butter. Place in the oven again until done.
7. Serve hot with sliced onions, thin bread (romali roti) and mint chutney. Sprinkle with a hint of chat masala if you want.
So there you have it: a simple tandoori chicken recipe. While cooking it in a normal grill or oven won't be the same as cooking in a tandoor, this will still taste wonderful. Guaranteed.
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Tandoori Chicken Recipe


I am glad to have shared with you this secret recipe to cooking awesome tandoori chicken. Now you can have it to enjoy at home. It's easy and authentic!
When I wouldn't be home for dinner, I usually cook it. My children ate it and said it was really good and always ask me to make it again. You'll be amazingly surprised!
#1. Ingredients of tandoori chicken recipe #1 (For 6-8 servings):
1 pt. yogurt
1/2 c. white vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. red chili powder
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 chickens, cut up and skinned
1/3 c. red color, optional
1 heaping tbsp. garlic/ginger paste or 4 garlic cloves, mashed, 1 piece fresh ginger (size of walnut), minced
1/2 c. oil
Cooking Instructions of tandoori chicken recipe #1: 
  1. Mix all ingredients well in a large pan, deep enough to hold 4 chickens. Make 3 deep gashes with sharp knife into each breast, 1 long gash down legs and 3 gashes on thighs.
  2. Marinate the chicken halves for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight, turning the pieces occasionally to coat them well. When ready to cook the chickens, remove them from the marinade.
  3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees for at least 1/2 hour. Put the chicken in a shallow pan, breast side up. Roast until crusty, about 20 minutes. Turn over and roast 10 minutes more. The chicken should be deeply crusted but never scorched.
Notes: COOKING ON A CHARCOAL GRILL: Wipe the grill with a bit of oil so that the chicken will not stick. Brush the chicken with the marinade and sprinkle with lemon juice. Grill until chicken is golden red, about 15 minutes. Turn and grill until the second side is golden, about 10 minutes, basting once with lemon juice.
TO SERVE: Put the chicken on a large heated platter, on a bed of lettuce leaves. Decorate down the center of the platter with thin lemon wedges and thin slices of red onion.
Ingredients of tandoori chicken recipe #2 (For 4 servings):
1 (2 to 3 pound) chicken, skinned and quartered
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground allspice
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Cooking Instructions of tandoori chicken recipe #2: 
  1. Make cuts in the chicken flesh, almost to the bone. Pour 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice over the chicken and rub in the salt.
  2. Combine the tandoori spice, yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil and the vinegar. Coat the chicken with the mixture, rubbing well into the cuts. Place the chicken in a 13×9 inch pan, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. Bake covered chicken at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Remove foil the last 15 minutes of baking.
To discover more information about other chicken recipes besides the tandoori chicken recipe, please visit to 300 Chicken Recipes