TANDOORI CHICKEN

My husband came back from India, couple of days back. And unpacking his bags with all the stuff from India was a lot of fun and a whole lot of work. Though he had to pay fifty bucks extra for travelling with extra luggage, but I guess for all the authentic spices and lots of mithai.....its worth it. So I have been busy with all that.

I did not make this recipe for his homecoming (he is a vegetarian), this was made a week back when my brother was here. Again, this was something I made for the first time. Never liked the tandoori chicken that we get here in Indian restaurants. Somehow I feel the chicken to be too dry and without any spices. So I made this the way I like it. spicy, tender and juicy. And trust me it was a treat. Loved it. The marinade had gone right inside the meat, making it soft and juicy.

yummmmyyyy. 

Here goes the recipe.

You will need

• curd- 1 cup
  
• kasoori meethi-1/2 tsp
  
• red chilly powder-1 tsp
  
• tandoori masala- 1 tbsp (regularly available at any indian grocery store)
  
• coriander and cumin powder- 1 tbsp
  
• amchoor powder (dry mango powder)- 1/2 tsp
  
• oil- 1 tbsp
  
• ginger and chilly paste- 1 tsp
  
• grated onions- 1/2 cup
  
• chicken- 1 pound

You have to

1. remove any excess water from the curd. If using home made curd, tie it in a muslin cloth and leave it overnight. 
   
2. take teh curd in a bowl.
3. mix in the grated onion, ginger chilly paste and the oil into the curd.
   
4. mix in all the other spices, except the tandoori masala.
   
5. add in the chicken,mix everything up. leave it to marinade.
   
6. the longer it sits in the marinade the better. overnight is best.
   
7. preheat the oven to 450, place the chicken pieces in a baking dish. 
   
8. pour the extra marinade all over the chicken, sprinkle the tandoori masala. 
   
9. cover with a foil, and bake it for half an hour.
   
10. remove foil, turn over the chicken pieces and roast it, till all the marinade dries up, and the chicken is nice and brown on both sides.
    
11. serve with naan, sliced onions, and lemon wedges.

yummmyyyy

You can grill it in the Barbe-cue. 

make it on the stove top, on a griddle.

leftovers make very tasty wraps. just take off the meat, chop it, and add it to a tortilla with lots of salad leaves.

it would taste very good if mixed with cooked rice and sauteed for a few minutes. a quick chicken pulao.

or simply just have it with a bowl of salad.

enjoy.