Tandoori Chicken, the name itself, is quite enough to make everyone’s mouth water in no time. It’s is one of the most valued and loved Barbeque Indian cuisines around the world. This dish is made with succulent and tender chicken marinated with whole spices. Tandoori Chicken is perfectly delicious, spicy, smoky, and aromatic, with the right seasonings. This dish is indeed the pride of Indian cuisines.
About the Recipe
Ingredients play a pivotal part in making a perfect tandoori chicken recipe. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on selecting the right seasonings and ingredients. In order to make the chicken succulent and spicy, it is first marinated in a freshly prepared tandoori masala along with oil, garlic, ginger, yogurt, and lime juice.
You can toast the spices in a pan if you wish to enhance the flavor. The mix of spices and yogurt tenderizes the chicken, giving it a perfect taste before it is roasted or grilled. In addition, this dish is best prepared in a Tandoori Clay but can also be made in an oven. The key to the best tandoori chicken recipe is the whole spices, as they bring the excellent flavor.
As for the chicken, you can add any chicken piece you like, including boneless, thigh piece, chicken breast, etc. The chicken takes approximately 30 minutes to marinate. However, if you wish to enhance the flavor, you can marinate it for 4 hours or longer.
Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Coriander Seeds
- Cumin Seeds
- Fennel Seeds
- Yogurt
- Whole Cloves
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Green Cardamom
- Black Cardamom
- Bay Leaf
- Lemon Juice
- Ginger and Garlic Paste
- Vegetable Oil
- Salt
- Kashmiri Chili Powder
- Dried Red Chili
- Whole Black Pepper
Note: You can add/remove ingredients as per your taste and preferences.
The Preparation Process
The first step is to toast all the spices, including coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, green cardamom, black cardamom, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and whole black pepper a pan. This will give the spices an enhanced flavor and aroma. It’d be best to cook them on low-medium heat to avoid over-cooking. After that, let the spices cool down for a couple of minutes and then grind them in a grinder with dried red chilies and bay leaf.
Add yogurt, whole spices, red food coloring, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice, and vegetable oil to the bowl. Mix them all and pour the marinade into a large mixing bowl. After that, add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix it well using a rubber spatula until the spices reach deep down the chicken pieces. Cover the mixing bowl with foil or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. You can also let it rest for 30 minutes; however, the more time you marinate the chicken, the tastier it’ll become.
The last step is to prepare the tandoori chicken in an oven or grill. If you’re using an oven, roast the chicken at 450°F (232°C) for at least 40-45 minutes, and remember not to over-cook it. You can check if the chicken is correctly cooked by poking with a knife. Take the tandoori chicken out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Once your tandoori chicken is ready top it with sliced onion and cilantro and serve it with naan, chutney, or cucumber raita. Enjoy!