tandoori chicken (barbequed chicken)




Ingredients

Chicken breast or chicken thigs and legs(about 2 to 2-1/4 pounds)
2-1/2 teaspoons unseasoned natural meat tenderizer
1/3 cup lemon juice

FOR MARINADE
1 tsp cumin powder(jeera powder)
1 tblsp ginger paste
1tblsp garlic paste
1 tblsp red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon tandoori coloring, or 1 tsp paprika
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Clarified butter(ghee) or light vegetable oil for basting

 

Method:  
Prick the chicken all over with fork or a thin skewer. Make diagonal slashes, + inch deep, 1 inch apart on the meat. Put the meat in a large bowl. Add meat and lemon juice to the chicken, and rub them into the slashes and all over for 2 minutes. Cover and marinate for an hour. Put all the ingredients of the marinade into the container of an electric blender or food processor, and blend until reduced to a smooth sauce. Pour this marinade over the chicken pieces and mix, turning and tossing, to coat all the pieces well.
A note of caution: Since certain brands of Tandoori coloring tend to stain the fingers, it is advisable either to use a fork to turn the chicken pieces in the marinade or use a pastry brush to spread it over the chicken.) Cover and marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight, turning several times. Chicken should not remain in the marinade for more than 2 days, because the marinade contains a meat tenderizer which, with prolonged marinating, alters the texture of the chicken meat to very soft and doughy.
Take the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. The chicken is now ready to be either roasted in the oven or broiled over an electric or charcoal grill.

 



TO ROAST IN THE OVEN:
Start heating the oven to 400-475 degrees. Take the chickens out of the marinade. Brush them with the ghee or vegetable oil, and place them on an extra-large shallow roasting pan, preferably on a wire rack. Set the pan in the middle level of the oven, and roast for 45-minutes to an hour, or until the meat is cooked through. There is no need to baste while the chicken pieces are roasting, because the enclosed environment keeps the chickens from drying excessively.