Tandoori chicken is the most popular and delicious Indian appetizer.The name tandoor comes from cylindrical clay oven(tandoor) in which it is traditionally prepared.
But here in this version we gonna cook it in oven,as tandoor is not usually available in our house.
The tandoori chicken mostly being eaten as an appetizer and starters,sometimes it is also eaten as main course with naan or roti.Now Let us quickly jump into our mouth watering tandoori chicken recipe.
Ingredients
- Chicken Thigh/leg - 2
- Yogurt - 4 tbsp
- Salt- 1/2 tbsp
- Lemon - 1 tbsp
- Red Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
- Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
- Garam masala - 1 tbsp
- Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
- Cumin powder- 1/2 tbsp
- Mustard oil/Vegetable oil - 5 to 10 tbsp
Optional Ingredients
- Black salt(optional) - pinch
- Butter(optional)
- Chat masala(optional)
- Onion
- Carrot
- Potato
How to slit chicken
- First let us see how to cut the chicken piece.
- Wash the chicken and remove the unwanted tissues.Now run your sharp knife into the thicker part of the chicken and make slits at the joints too,Make a slit at leg where u can see a white tendon(ligament),tear this tendon which helps to cook your chicken well.
- 3 to 4 slits on top,3 on joints and one on leg,slits may vary according to the size of chicken
- After slitting chicken start with marination.
First Marination
- Take salt,red chili powder(1 tbsp),lemon(1 tbsp) and marinate it with chicken.
- Keep this for around 15mins.
Second Marination
- Take bowl add hung or thick yogurt,ginger garlic paste,red chili powder,garam masala powder,coriander powder,cumin powder,salt,little black salt,mustard oil.Mix all these ingredients well.
- Now dip the first marinated chicken in this mixture.Rub this mixture well inside the slits
- Keep this marinated chicken for around 45mins,if possible for 1 hr.
Procedure
- Pre-heat the oven to 400-450 F
- In a pan place the vegetables and put the chicken pieces over these vegetables.The chicken stock from chicken enhances the taste of vegetables.
- If your not adding vegetables,take a broiler pan,cover the pan with foil so that the chicken doesn't stick to the pan,drizzle little oil on this pan and make few cuts on the foil so that the water from the chicken settles at the bottom of the foil.
- Now put this chicken in the oven for around 25-30 mins(450F).(Time varies depending on oven)
- Tandoori chicken is ready to serve.
- For more crispy and sizzling chicken you can cook these tandoori chicken on grill before you serve.
- Before you serve brush it with little butter on top and sprinkle little chat masala on top,this step is optional.
- Serve tandoori chicken with green chutney and onion.
Note
- Preferably add kashmiri chilli as it gives a good natural color to the chicken.
- Please avoid using color.
- If you don't get mustard oil you can use mustard paste or any oil which you prefer.
- Hung curd- hanging the normal curd in a muslin cloth to remove the excess water from curd.