Tandoori Chicken
The classic tandoori BBQ flavor we adore at restaurants is well captured in this simple Tandoori Chicken dish. To achieve that smokey, charred finish, bake the chicken and then broil (or air-fry) it. includes instructions for smoking charcoal the old-fashioned way!Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken, also known as chicken tikka leg in many Pakistani restaurants, is arguably the most popular barbecue dish in South Asia. In addition to inspiring the development of Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken also signaled the introduction of cooking meat in Tandoors, which were previously only used to prepare Roti or Naan.Tandoori Chicken
Although restaurants have the advantage of having a grill or a tandoori, I believe that their tandoori chicken frequently lacks taste. Rather, they make up for it by using a lot of red chili powder. This dish replicates that smoky flavor while adding depth and character with its rich marinade and high-heat grilling.Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori Chicken Ingredients
Quarters of chicken legs:
The leg quarters I use are smaller and skinless than those you’ll find at supermarkets; you can purchase them in Halal retailers. Asking the staff at a Halal meat outlet to make the tikka/tandoori slits on the chicken is usually OK. Since skinless chicken is uncommon in conventional supermarkets, you will need to remove the skin yourself if Halal meat outlets do not carry it.
Tandoori Marinade
Greek yogurt:
Greek yogurt, often known as “hung” or strained yogurt, is frequently used in South Asian barbecue recipes. The thicker yogurt provides a richer flavor and coats the meat better (it’s not as watery). If you have ordinary yogurt on hand, feel free to use that in its place.
Garlic + Ginger:
Both can be mixed or finely minced in a food processor, or crushed with a mortar and pestle.
Melted butter + Oil:
Butter gives chicken taste, while oil keeps it moist.
Lemon juice:
Use ordinary vinegar instead.
Tomato paste:
An unusual addition to Tandoori chicken, it gives it taste and color. In my Tandoori Chicken Curry, I also use it.
Kashmiri chili powder:
An essential component of all things Tandoori, it gives color and a subtle amount of spice. Sub-paprika (smoked paprika would be too strong in this situation, therefore I wouldn’t recommend it).
More Spices:
Black pepper and red chili powder (sub cayenne) for heat, turmeric for balance, cumin for earthiness, coriander, and your favorite store-bought Tandoori Masala or Garam masala for a little kick.
Dried fenugreek leaves:
The secret ingredient that elevates your tandoori marinade (also used in my Butter Chicken marinade).
Sugar:
It balances out the flavors without being noticeable.
Red or orange food color:
Great if you want to fool your brain into believing you’re at a restaurant, but optional.
The recipe for Tandoori Chicken
The recipe card has all the instructions! A few pointers on the procedure:
Prep Chicken: Cut the meat on both sides in deep, slanted slices. If you can persuade your butcher to do this, you’ll gain extra points.
Marinate: Mix the marinade with a whisk. Before adding the chicken, taste, if you like. For the final product to have flavor, the marinade must be strong and intense. Be sure to reach the slits and nooks.
Preheat Oven + Line Tray: Take it out of the refrigerator and let it get closer to room temperature before preparing. Turn the oven on to 375°F, or 190°C. Use aluminum foil or parchment paper to line a large baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment and set a baking rack on it. This keeps the bottom of the chicken from becoming mushy. (In the absence of a rack, lightly grease the aluminum or parchment paper.) Arrange the leg quarters on the rack or baking sheet, meat side up. Save the extra marinade.
Bake: Bake at 165°F/73.9°C for 30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through. The overall time will vary depending on the size of the chicken parts.
Baste: After cooking, take the chicken out of the oven and turn it over again to reveal the meaty side. Over the chicken pieces, brush or bash the leftover marinade.
Broil: Depending on your oven, re-insert and broil for 4–5 minutes, or until gently browned. If your oven rack isn’t browned after six minutes—mine generally isn’t—move it to the top shelf and place it near the heat source. Broil for a further one to two minutes.
How to Smoke Tandoori Chicken
I’ve always been hesitant to provide instructions for smoking using the South Asian dhungar/charcoal method for safety reasons. A small disclaimer: Ideally, you should light coal outside or purchase a chimney starter. However, here is how you would proceed if you were only burning one lump charcoal or briquette of all-natural hardwood in a well-ventilated area:
- Set the heat to high on your gas stovetop. Using tongs, place a briquette or chunk of charcoal straight on the gas range’s rack, positioning it so that it is immediately over the flame. As the charcoal burns, it will first appear black and produce flames before forming a layer of gray ash. Move it around once one part of the coal goes gray and glows red, but there’s no need to hold it there with your tongs. The red flame indicates that the coal is ready for smoking, which is a positive indicator.require your time; a briquette will require around 8 minutes, while all-natural charcoal will take about 5 minutes. Burning all of the charcoal is not necessary, but it should be done thoroughly enough to keep the red flame going. An underdone fragrance is produced by underdone charcoal.
- In the meantime, form a sizable sheet of aluminum foil into a “bowl” that can accommodate your charcoal. (Any heat-safe bowl will work, but I prefer to use aluminum so I can discard it with the coal and have less cleanup.)
- The freshly cooked chicken should be put in a large, comfortably-fitting bowl or saucepan with a lid. Securely place the aluminum “bowl” over the chicken.
- Carefully set the lit charcoal on the aluminum basin using tongs. Working rapidly, drizzle the charcoal with 1-2 tsp of neutral oil to cause it to smoke. Cover right away with a lid or an airtight bowl. Give it four to five minutes to smoke. Next, remove the charcoal piece and aluminum “bowl” and throw them away. (Normally, I throw out.)
Using a briquette, I’ve discovered that you need to light the chunk of charcoal for longer than you think you’ll need to. If you don’t cook it long enough, it will smell like raw charcoal rather than the smoky scent we seek.
Ingredients
- Five (1130 g) skinless (~2.5 lb) chicken leg quarters
Tandoori Marinade:
- 82 grams (one-third cup) of whole-milk, plain Greek yogurt
- Two tablespoons of neutral oil, like grapeseed oil
- Two tablespoons of salted or unsalted melted butter (substitute additional oil)
- Two tablespoons of lemon juice
- Six to eight garlic cloves and one tablespoon of coarsely minced or crushed garlic
- One inch of ginger and one tablespoon of heaping, coarsely chopped or crushed ginger
- One tablespoon of tomato paste
- One tablespoon of sub-paprika Kashmiri chili powder
- Twice as much coriander powder
- Two teaspoons of cumin powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne or red chili powder, or 1 teaspoon for milder chile
- One teaspoon of store-bought garam masala Masala Tandoori
- 1/2 teaspoon of powdered turmeric
- Half a teaspoon of ground black pepper
- One tablespoon of dried sukhi methi (fenugreek) leaves, smashed between your fingers
- Half a teaspoon of kosher salt
- Note 3: 1/8 tsp sugar (I use cane sugar) and
- a pinch of red or deep orange food coloring are optional.
For Serving:
- lime wedges or lemon,
- chopped cilantro
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Chotney made with mint and/or imli (tamarind) (recipe in post)
Equipment
- Baking tray and
- rack are optional.
