Tandoori chicken

By: Ragini Dey
From: Spice Kitchen
Serves: 4
Photographer: Jana Liebenstein

India’s original fast food, tandoori chicken, can be cooked on a barbecue or in an oven. However, it is difficult to produce the fabulous, smoky, charcoal-scented flavour of this dish without a charcoal oven. The tandoor, a clay oven fired with charcoal, was introduced into North-West India during Mughal rule (1526–1858). Today, tandoori-style food is an important facet of Indian cooking and modern tandoors are made of stainless steel and insulated with fibreglass and fired by gas. For a complete meal, serve this dish with a leafy green or garden salad and Naan.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1 x 800-1kg	chicken
1	lemon, juiced
pinch	salt
1 1/2 teaspoon	chilli powder
	Ghee
or	salted butter, for basting
	lemon wedges, to garnish
	sliced red onion, to garnish

Marinade

Quantity	Ingredient
1 teaspoon	Ginger paste
1 teaspoon	Garlic paste
60g	plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon	Garam masala
pinch	tandoori colour, (see Note)
pinch	whole mace
	Naan, to serve

Method

Remove the skin from the chicken and make small incisions in the body and legs with a sharp knife. Place on a shallow dish or plate and rub with the lemon juice, salt and chilli powder. Put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
To make the marinade, mix together the ginger and garlic pastes, yoghurt, garam masala, tandoori colour and mace in a small bowl. Coat the chicken with the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for a further 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 250°C. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put in a roasting tin. Cook in the oven for about 30–40 minutes, turning and basting with the ghee or butter every 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
Alternatively, preheat a gas barbecue with a lid to high, or a charcoal barbecue with a lid until the charcoal or barbecue fuel briquettes become red embers. Insert a metal rod through the chicken and place it on a flat tray. Put the tray on the barbecue, close the lid and cook for about 30–40 minutes, turning and basting with the ghee or butter every 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
To check if the chicken is cooked through, insert a knife into the joint dividing the thigh and the drumstick. If the juices that run out are clear, the chicken is cooked – any signs of blood or a pinkish liquid means the chicken needs further cooking.
Cut the chicken into 8 pieces with a very sharp knife or cleaver, garnish with the lemon wedges and onion slices and serve.