By Jessie Lehail,
Special to The Post
Tandoori chicken is a traditional dish many South Asian have grown up loving. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices, and cooked in a tandoor, a clay oven that is also used to bake naan. At home, I revise this traditional dish by placing it under the broiler.
I have a few tips to elevate your homemade tandoori chicken from store bought to sublime. Be careful about the marinating time. Let the chicken sit too long and the yogurt will turn its flesh from soft and supple to mushy. Don’t let it marinade for longer than 24 hours.
The chickpea flour is my secret. It makes the marinade turn into an adhesive without imparting flavour. Since my mom mixes, roasts, and grinds her own garam masala, I absent-mindedly use her delicious mixture. For readers who don’t have an Indian mother, garam masala can be purchased pre-mixed from any supermarket.
Traditionally, tandoori chicken uses a lot of turmeric and ground chillies to achieve that distinctive red orange colour, but now food colouring is used often. I recommend refraining from using food dyes, instead try saffron, a pureed beet, or paprika to get that tandoori red look.
• 2 lbs chicken thighs (bone-in)
• 1 cup full fat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ inch piece of ginger
• 2 chilies (more if you like it spicier, I use 4)
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon asafetida
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 lemon (grated rind and juice)
• 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Saffron, pureed beet, or more paprika
Clean and dry chicken pieces. Make incisions on the pieces with a sharp knife and place chicken in a Ziploc freezer bag. In blender mix all remaining ingredients of the marinade. Marinate chicken at least six hours, up to 24 hours. To cook, preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and then parchment paper. Arrange chicken on parchment. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Don’t place the rack right below the grill, as it will char the meat too fast. Keep it in the middle, but still grill on high heat, which makes for even cooking and a bit of charring. When cooked, sprinkle with more lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.
Jessie Lehail is the author of Indian Influence, a food blog that takes global eats and reinterprets them with a South Asian influence. Visit her blog at www.indianinfluence.ca.
Add new comment