Quick Recipes – Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken is a dish enjoyed by many in restaurants and at home. It is one of the most popular chicken dishes originating from Punjab between the border of India and Pakistan.

Tandoori chicken actually dates back to the Moghul period. A popular story about the dish is that it was created by Kundan Lal Gujral at his restaurant the Moti Mahal, in Peshawar, in the 1920’s during British Rule.

Gujral experimented by cooking chicken at high temperatures in clay ovens called tandoors where usually local village folk cooked naans (bread). He was able to cook the tender chickens in these ovens making them succulent inside and crispy outside.

The result was a huge success. Hence, the name Tandoori Chicken. Although today, a clay oven is not needed to cook this delightful dish!

Here is a quick recipe for making tasty and delicious Tandoori Chicken. Serves up to four people.

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or skinned chicken drumsticks or thighs
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. chilli powder
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder*
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper*

* Note, that you may use Tandoori Masala Powder, which you can buy in a packet instead of curry powder and cayenne pepper. So use, 2 Tbsp of this spice instead.

Method:

1. Wash the chicken, drain the water and then with a knife make sears into the chicken in various places. Slitting it in order to allow the mixture to enter.
2. In a large bowl, mix the yogurt and spices to prepare the marinade.
3. Add the chicken to the bowl and coat the chicken with the mixture fully. Cover and let this chill for at least an hour or overnight which is recommended.
4. When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the marinade and place it in a roasting dish.
5. Peel and cut the garlic cloves into slices and spread them over the chicken pieces.
6. Cover in foil and roast in the oven on a heat of 350.c for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender and fully cooked. Do not over cook as it will get too crispy on the outside.
7. Squeeze lemon juice over it and server with mixed salad.

As you can see its not very complicated or time consuming to make this popular Punjabi dish. Enjoy!

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