How to make Tandoori chicken?!

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Funny enough even though I have made it from scratch with an authentic recipe unlike Tom's you see, I still buy a base spice and make it at home by pureeing the garlic and ginger in a blender with the citrus juice and the base spice adding only a bit of yougart, the restaurants use to much food colouring for me, a few drops of red and yellow at home are fine or a bit of turmeric and paprika will give you and orangish tone, I marinate mine overnight, if you use chicken breasts make some slits for the marinade to get inside, I made it the other day with whole leg quarters.

You can use whatever chicken pieces you wish, but chicken thighs have a lot more flavor and make the final dish more complex.

Tandoori Murghi (Tandoori Chicken)

Ingredients
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces, skinned and trimmed of all visible fat
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or malt vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and grated or crushed ginger root
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish
Slices of cucumber, red (Spanish) onion, tomato and lemon, for garnish

Method
Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork. Then, using a sharp knife, cut slashes in the flesh to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the chicken in a nonreactive large, shallow dish.

In a nonreactive bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and salt. Stir until well-mixed, then pour the mixture over the chicken and rub it into the flesh, turning the chicken several times. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (Do not marinate for longer than 2 days.) Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.

The chicken may be grilled or roasted. If using a charcoal grill, prepare a fire for direct-heat cooking. Position the grill rack 5 inches from the fire. Allow the coals to burn until white ash covers them and the heat is moderate.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to extract excess marinade, and brush with oil. Place the chicken pieces on a well-oiled grill rack and; grill, covered, with the vents open, turning 3 or 4 times, 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.

If roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil, and cook, turning once, 25 to 30 minutes until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.

Serve with sprigs of cilantro and slices of cucumber, red onion, tomato, and lemon.

The secret to making great tandoori chicken lies in the marinade. Get the marinade right and the chicken will be tender and full of flavor. Yoghurt and lime juice are very essential in making the marinade. You can use Tandoori masala bought from the store or make your own masala at home. Homemade masala works better and it's quite easy to make.

1 chicken ( you can cut it into pieces or use the whole chicken; the traditional tandoori chicken is a whole chicken)
300 ml yoghurt
2 tablespoons coriander seed
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 inch fresh ginger root - grated
2 cloves
3 dried red chillies or 1 tbsp dried crushed chili
1 tablespoon fresh coriander/ cilantro - chopped
1/2 onion red or green - chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 bayleaf
5 cardamom pods
1/2 tablespoon cumin seed
1 cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon peppercorn
1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt(or according to taste)
Some melted butter


Preparing the Chicken

To prepare the chicken, use a fork to prick or a sharp to slash the chicken flesh. This will help marinate the chicken very well. Squeeze half a lemon to the chicken and sprinkle some salts. Keep aside the chicken for about an hour.


Preparing Masala and Marinade

Mix the peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, bayleaf, cinnamon and grind it to a fine powder.

Take the onion, garlic, ginger, chilly, fresh corriander/cilantro and grind to a paste. Mix the paste with the powder you made in a bowl. Mix yoghurt. Squeeze the lemon. Add salt and mix well. You can add salt according to your taste. Transfer the ingredients to a saucepan and fry on low heat for about 5 mins. The marinade is ready.


Marinating

Pour the marinade over the chicken. Leave aside for about 8hours in the refrigerator.

Preparing to Grill

Remove the chicken about 30mins prior to grilling. Remove the extra marinade from the chicken and brush slightly with oil.

Grilling

Now the chicken is ready to be grilled. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put the chicken on a roasting pan and cook for about 20 mins. Remove the chicken and brush melted butter. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Cook for about 30 mins until the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a knife.

And if you are using a grill, preheat the grill to very hot. And cook for about 30 mins turning the chicken once. You can prick the chicken with a knife and check if the juices run clear. The juices will run clear if it is properly cooked.

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