Tandoori Chicken
I have vivid memories as a child of Dad cooking Mum’s delicious tandoori chicken in his black Weber barbeque for lunch and dinners. I wasn’t really into Indian food as a child, but this dish was one thing I would always love to eat. There’s nothing quite like a good piece of tandoori chicken and I’ve been developing my own recipe for over a decade now. After several adjustments I think I have a pretty good version, which is very easy to make and tastes pretty authentic – only minus the smoky flavour of being cooked in an actual tandoor oven! A few things to note: you should be able to find mustard oil and spices at your local Indian store, I butterfly the chicken as it reduces roasting time and is easier to carve, and lastly, there is no need for red food colouring – the Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric give the lovely, natural colour.
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes + overnight marination / Cooking Time: 60 minutes + 15 minutes resting
Ingredients
For the wet rub:
- 1 butterflied whole chicken (approximately 1.6kg), skin on
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 2 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 heaped tsp garlic and ginger paste
For the yoghurt marinade:
- ½ cup thick Geek yoghurt
- 2 tsp garam masala powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 heaped tsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tbl mustard oil
Method
- Make a few cuts on the legs, thighs and breasts of the chicken with a sharp knife (for intense marination into the meat).
- Rub the lemon juice and salt on the flesh and into the cuts of the chicken.
- Add the rest of the wet rub (turmeric, Kashmiri powder and garlic and ginger paste) and massage well on the flesh and into the cuts. Cover in a bowl and leave in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate.
- Combine the yoghurt, garam masala, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, garlic and ginger paste and mustard oil in a small bowl to make the yoghurt marinade. Add this to the chicken and ensure complete coverage over the meat.
- Cover and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate. Remove from the fridge 2 hours before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 250°C fan bake. NOTE – the high temperature seals the chicken during initial cooking, retaining moisture while also getting a nice slightly charred skin.
- Place the marinated chicken on a roasting rack on a tray, breast and thigh side up. Place chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. Save any excess yoghurt marinade left in the bowl.
- Reduce temperature to 200°C, rotate tray/rack 180° and baste with any remaining yoghurt marinade. Cook for further 30 to 35 minutes, until juice run clear when chicken is poked near the leg/thigh joint.
- Remove from oven, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes before carving up and eating!
Serve with naan/pita bread, salad and/or a yoghurt raita.
Enjoy! GPW