Classic Chicken Tandoori

Who doesn't love Tandoori? And who doesn't know about Tandoori? Tandoori is as synomymous with India as Tacos are to Mexico. Go to any Indian or Asian fusion restaurant and this item is a must on every menu. When others think of Indian food they associate it with Chicken Tikka Masala or Tandoori. Tandoori comes from the word "Tandoor" meaning " a hot clay oven" in which chicken pieces marinated with spices are roasted in high flame. Tandoori can be thought of as an Indian version of barbeque chicken. There are several recipes for making tandoori which use different combination of spices. The one we presented here is extremely easy, simple and delicious. We adapted it from the book "India's 500 Best Recipes." However, we haven't followed the exact measurements of ingredients. Yet ours came out great.


Preparation time: 24 hours
Cooking time: 22 mins

5 chicken thighs with skin removed
3/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
4 tbsp tandoori masala( we used Rajah Tandoori Masala spice mix)
3 tsp of melted ghee or butter
salt to taste

Make several deep incisions on all sides of the chicken pieces. This helps the marinade to soak in and gives more flavor to the chicken. After making the incisions, mix the chicken thoroughly with yogurt, salt and the masala powder. Put the marinaded pieces in the refrigerator and leave them overnight(we marinaded ours for 9 hours). Just before broiling, take the chicken from the fridge and put the oven on broil. Let it heat for 5 mins before you put the chicken in. In the meantime, spray the broiling pan with PAM(or any other cooking spray). Baste the pieces on the top with the ghee(or melted butter) and place them in the oven. Broil for 10 mins. Open the oven, baste both sides with the remaining marinade and broil for 12 more mins. Remove from oven and serve with lemon wedges and thinly sliced red onions.

Enjoy!