Tandoori Chicken

Many thanks to Dhiraj and his sister Kiran for this wonderful recipe. The recipe is super simple and so perfect for a change of pace when you want to BBQ. You can make this well in advance with dark meat chicken on the bone and let it sit for as much as a day or two refrigerated in its marinade as the Yogurt penetrates the flesh and cultures start to break down the protein.

This Indian dish is named appropriately after the "gadget" that it is prepared in. It was developed to be cooked in an Indian clay oven called a Tandoor. This clay oven has the ability to heat up to 900 degrees using natural lump charcoal. This renders the protein with a crispy exterior almost as if it was fried. It also creates such a crisp crust on the exterior of the protein it seals the juices in the protein and allows the protein to stay juicy. The yogurt added here is not only for richness and flavor it also helps to break down the flesh and hydrates it so that it doesn't burn during the baking process. This is a world famous dish synonymous with Indian cuisine.

This recipe goes wonderful with a side of Basmati rice. Delish.

Tandoori Chicken Software:
4 skinless leg quarters
2 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 cup yogurt
3tbsp oil
2tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp coriander powder
1tbsp cumin powder (My deviation from the original recipe)
1 tsp garam masala powder
SnP

Tandoori Hardware:
Covered BBQ grill or oven. Hell if you have a Tandoori oven go for it.
Food Processor or Mortar and Pestle

To Prepare the dry spice toast whole coriander and cumin in a medium heat in a dry pan. Toast until you can smell the oil off of the pods warming to the surface and giving off a warm smell. It should take 5-10 minutes shaking often.

 
This works better with the original "food processor" the mortar and pestle. If you don't have one or are impatient then go for a food processor. I highly suggest the mortar pestle method as it really bring out the flavor of the herbs by bruising the flesh rather than crushing it.

 
First start with toasted coriander under a powder, then mix the Turmeric, Garam Masala, and Chili Powder. Pound and grind until homogeneous. Then take chopped garlic and ginger and either finely mix or blitze in a food processor. Mix the wet and dry in the mortar and mash until you have an aromatic homogeneous paste. Mix with yogurt and set aside.

 
To prepare your chicken remove the skin, rinse under cold water and make 45 degree angle slits in the chicken. The point here is that the skin will prevent the marinate from permeating the flesh. The slits assist with the permeation and quickens the cooking process a bit. This is especially important for bone in meats that take a bit longer to cook.

 
Pat the chicken dry so that the spices stick to the flesh. SnP and smear the marinate on both sides. Refrigerate for 6 hours to 2 days.

 
On the day of cooking take the chicken out an hour before cooking to let the flesh come up to room temperature. This is perfect as you start the coals of your Grill or Preheat your oven to the Max temperature setting.
 

Once the grill is ready with the coals set it to indirect heating by placing the heated coals to one side and place a drip pan with water directly underneath the chicken. Place chicken on a heated, cleaned and well oiled grate and cover. Cook for approximately 30 minutes turning over only once and absolutely no peeking.

 

If using the oven just the chicken on a baking tray and place into the oven once the max temperature has been reached. Keep an eye on the chicken and cook at this chicken only until the desired browning has occurred approximately 10 -15 minutes. Once the chicken looks really good and browned drop the temperature to 375 and cook for another 20 minutes until you can pierce the flesh and the liquid runs clear and free of blood.