What is Chicken Tandoori
Chicken Tandoori is chicken roasted in Tandoor. Tandoor is a traditional oven made of bricks and mud. Charcoal or Wood logs are burnt to produce heat. Tandoor is Asian traditional fire stove.
The temperature in Tandoor can be as much as 900F. Tandori got its name from the tandoori oven. The food roasted in the tandoor is tandoori. Chicken Tandoori is checken roated in Tandoor. Tandoori roti is bread roasted in Tandoor.
For tandoori chicken, either whole chicken or a big piece of chicken meat with bone is used.
Generally, but not necessary, chicken is marinated overnight in yogurt and seasoned in tandoori masala. Other spices such as turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, red chili powder and paprika are also added to add flavor and red color to it.
Tandoori Chicken is traditionally cooked in the Tandoor oven for few minutes. This gives it a very smoky and charred flavor, which accentuates the taste of the chicken.
Cooking time may varies on your preference of crispy or tender meat. It is good to add masala again When the chicken is half done by removing chicken from tandoor and add couple of masala and sauce layers on it. Don't forget to inserted back to cook it fully.
How to make Chicken Tandoori Utensils  Baking tray Bowl to mix and Marinate Ingredients Chicken drum sticks or thighs 12 pieces of Tandoori chicken powder (you get them in Indian Grocery stores) ½ cup Plain yogurt ½ cup lemon2 Onion 1 Green onion1 Mustard Oil 2 table spoon Red bell-pepper (optional) 1 Aluminum tray or foil Salt to taste Method Take Chicken pieces one by one and make 3-4 deep cuts. Mix yogurt, tandoori powder, mustard oil and salt as required. Mix the paste with chicken pieces and let it stand for at least 6 hours. After Six hours arrange pieces in tray, cover with aluminum foil Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 250 F, and then bake and broil alternately in 30 min in a cycles for 2 hrs. Occasionally, take the tray, out, and rearrange the chicken pieces before putting them back in. If there is too much water drain it. If the chicken pieces look too dry, sprinkle some water mixed with lime juice on them After baking is done, take the pieces out and brush off the excess tandoori paste from them. Put the pieces in an open tray in the oven for 2-3 minutes( just to get them look crisp and dry.) You can add a garnishing of stir-fried onions and bell-peppers and lime juice on the chicken before serving. Serve hot...!!! |