A tandoor is a clay oven that can achieve very high temperatures. It is typically used to bake breads (naan and tandoori roti) and also to cook tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken is a delicious grilled chicken dish. It also serves as the starting point for butter chicken - a recipe that I will post soon!
Materials:
2lb chicken (If using pieces, see note below). Trim - remove fat and skin - as much as possible.
To dry grind:
1 tsp cloves
1.5 tbsp black peppercorn
1.5 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp green cardamom seeds (hari elaichi)
3 black cardamom - seeds only (badi elaichi).
To wet grind:
2 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp oil
1.5" piece ginger - peeled
2 cloves garlic - peeled
3 fresh green chilis - seeded
1.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp mild chili powder (deghi/kashmiri mirch, or cayenne, or paprika)
For basting:
Ghee or unsalted butter - melted
Preparation:
Combine the dry spices and grind to a fine powder. Separately, combine the second set of ingredients and grind to a smooth paste. Now combine the dry powder with this paste and mix well. Marinade the chicken with this mixture. Make a series of deep gashes and work the paste into them. I've found that keeping a pack of disposable kitchen/multipurpose gloves helps with this. Refrigerate - at least overnight and up to 48 hours if desired.
Prepare oven by preheating to 400F. Remove chicken from marinade and set aside.
NOTE: Reserve excess marinade for basting - if desired - or discard. I prefer mixing it with the ghee/butter and using it to baste. Once the chicken is ready - I collect the excess and use it as a dipping sauce. If you do not want to do this, baste only with the ghee/butter.
Once the oven is heated, place chicken on a baking tray and cook for 30-45mins. If using portioned chicken (not whole), 20-30 mins may be enough (see below). ALWAYS check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure doneness - should be greater than 165. Baste periodically. Also note that if you're grilling over charcoal, the time will be different from that when using an oven.
TIPS: First, I've been using a large cast-iron dish for this recipe and it works really well. Second, I use my oven's broil setting to mimic the tandoor more closely. If you do this, be aware that the temperature generated is very high and that you may not want to keep the baking dish at the highest rack level - the second or third should do well. Also - never reach in to try and baste - ALWAYS take the dish out of the oven, using oven mitts, place on your stove top, and then carefully baste.
For portioned chicken (ie if you are not using the whole bird) the cooking time can be between 15-20 minutes - depending on the size of the pieces and whether they are boneless or not. Use standard methods to determine doneness - a meat thermometer to check the temperature, stick in a fork and see that the juices run clear - not pink, and other techniques that you can readily find in your cookbook.
Serving:
When ready, serve with lime wedges and chaat masala (see next post). Yellow lentils (arhar, masoor) complement this dish with their naturally milder flavors. Goes well with naan, roomali roti, chapatis or rice.
Materials:
2lb chicken (If using pieces, see note below). Trim - remove fat and skin - as much as possible.
To dry grind:
1 tsp cloves
1.5 tbsp black peppercorn
1.5 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp green cardamom seeds (hari elaichi)
3 black cardamom - seeds only (badi elaichi).
To wet grind:
2 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp oil
1.5" piece ginger - peeled
2 cloves garlic - peeled
3 fresh green chilis - seeded
1.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp mild chili powder (deghi/kashmiri mirch, or cayenne, or paprika)
For basting:
Ghee or unsalted butter - melted
Preparation:
Combine the dry spices and grind to a fine powder. Separately, combine the second set of ingredients and grind to a smooth paste. Now combine the dry powder with this paste and mix well. Marinade the chicken with this mixture. Make a series of deep gashes and work the paste into them. I've found that keeping a pack of disposable kitchen/multipurpose gloves helps with this. Refrigerate - at least overnight and up to 48 hours if desired.
Prepare oven by preheating to 400F. Remove chicken from marinade and set aside.
NOTE: Reserve excess marinade for basting - if desired - or discard. I prefer mixing it with the ghee/butter and using it to baste. Once the chicken is ready - I collect the excess and use it as a dipping sauce. If you do not want to do this, baste only with the ghee/butter.
Once the oven is heated, place chicken on a baking tray and cook for 30-45mins. If using portioned chicken (not whole), 20-30 mins may be enough (see below). ALWAYS check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure doneness - should be greater than 165. Baste periodically. Also note that if you're grilling over charcoal, the time will be different from that when using an oven.
TIPS: First, I've been using a large cast-iron dish for this recipe and it works really well. Second, I use my oven's broil setting to mimic the tandoor more closely. If you do this, be aware that the temperature generated is very high and that you may not want to keep the baking dish at the highest rack level - the second or third should do well. Also - never reach in to try and baste - ALWAYS take the dish out of the oven, using oven mitts, place on your stove top, and then carefully baste.
For portioned chicken (ie if you are not using the whole bird) the cooking time can be between 15-20 minutes - depending on the size of the pieces and whether they are boneless or not. Use standard methods to determine doneness - a meat thermometer to check the temperature, stick in a fork and see that the juices run clear - not pink, and other techniques that you can readily find in your cookbook.
Serving:
When ready, serve with lime wedges and chaat masala (see next post). Yellow lentils (arhar, masoor) complement this dish with their naturally milder flavors. Goes well with naan, roomali roti, chapatis or rice.
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