The raw chicken is marinated in a mixture of dahi (yogurt) and tandoori masala, a spice blend. It is seasoned and colored with cayenne pepper, red chili powder, or Kashmiri red chili powder as well as turmeric or food coloring. The skin is generally removed before the chicken is marinated and roasted.
The marinated chicken is placed on skewers and cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor oven, which is heated with charcoal or wood, which adds to the smoky flavour. The dish can also be cooked in a standard oven, using a spit , or over hot charcoal.
There is a range of tandoori recipes for whole grilled chicken, some of which are cooked in a tandoor and others over charcoal.
Grilled Chicken with Yoghurt
Ingredients
- 3 spring chicken ,skinned and cut into pieces
- 375 grams(g) yoghurt
- 4 tomatoes,fresh
- 2 medium onions
- 4 tablespoons(tbsp) tomato puree
- 4 green chillies
- 1 bunch parsley
- few cumin seeds
- 9 stalks of coriander leaves
- 4 tablespoons(tbsp) oil
- 2 teaspoons(tsp) salt
- juice of 2 lemons
- oil for brushing
Instructions
- Liquidise all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a blender to form a thick paste
- Marinate the chicken in this paste for about 1 hour
- Brush the chicken pieces with oil and grill under moderate heat
- Turn over the pieces after 10-15 minutes as they begin to brown
- Brush the other side with oil and grill for another 10-15 minutes
- Repeat the grilling for both sides
- When all the chicken pieces are brown, pour the sauce over it from the grill pan and serve
- Sauté potatoes, sweet corn and salad are good accompaniments