Indian food is so aromatic...
I love the variety of spices used in that cuisine, not to mention their health benefits.
From all the South Asian dishes Chicken Tandoori is definitely one of my favourites, especially when served on fragrant rice like Biryani. Enjoy cooking!
The secret of the best Chicken Tandoori is the meat quality and marinating time.
The longer marinating period the better. It gives the meat enough time to absorb all those beautiful flavours!
Remember to always pick the meat from suppliers that do respect animal welfare, if you cannot afford it try to eat less meat but better sourced.
Making cuts in the meat helps the marinade to penetrate deeper, thus giving a better result.
Serves 3 hungry heads
Ingredients for Chicken Tandoori:
3 good quality chicken legs
3 tbsp of natural yoghurt
1/2tsp of salt
half lemon juice and zest
3tsp of garlic and ginger paste
2tbsp of Kashmiri mild chilli powder (if you are not a big fan of spicy food substitute with 2tbsp of paprika)
1tsp of turmeric
1/2tsp ground coriander
1tbsp oil
Instructions for Chicken Tandoori:
Prepare the chicken by removing the skin and separating the drumstick from the thigh. Next, make three deep cuts on each side of the pieces (This helps marinate to penetrate deeper)
Place the chicken in the bowl and rub with 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2tsp of salt.
Mix remaining marinade ingredients and rub in the meat.
Place in the fridge for 24 hours (2 hours minimum if you in the rush)
To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to a 220C fan (428F) setting and place the meat on a flat tray with some baking paper. Once the oven is hot, roast the chicken for 30 minutes on one side, flip to another, and continue on the grill setting for another 10-15 minutes.
Rest under foil for 5 minutes before serving.
Ingredients for Vegetable Biryani:
300g (10.6oz) of extra long basmati rice
2tbsp of ghee or vegetable oil
1 small cinnamon stick
7 cardamom pods
7 cloves
1 star anise
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 large green chilli, seeds removed and sliced
3tsp of garlic and ginger paste
2 small potatoes, small dice
1 medium carrot, sliced
80g (2.8oz) of green beans, sliced
1/2tsp of salt
1tsp garam masala
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp Kashmiri mild chilli powder
1/2tsp ground cumin
5 curry leaves (optional)
3tbsp of natural yoghurt
half lemon juice and zest
550ml (0.6quarts) of vegetable stock
Instructions for Biryani:
Soak the washed rice in water for 30-50 minutes.
In a large frying pan or a pot, medium heat 2tbsp of ghee and fry aromatics for 2 minutes (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise)
Next, add sliced red onion, sliced green chilli and garlic and ginger paste, cook for 5 minutes.
Turn up the heat and add 2 diced potatoes, sliced carrot and green beans, season with 1/2tsp of salt and cook until starts to brown (10 minutes)
Lower the heat and mix in garam masala, turmeric, mild chilli powder and cumin.
Add 5 curry leaves, 3tbsp of natural yoghurt, rice and 550ml of vegetable stock, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, cover with a lid and continue cooking for around 15 minutes or until rice absorbs all the liquid.
Once ready, mix it with a spoon, cover with a lid and rest for another 15 minutes.
Your Biryani is ready to be served, drizzle with lemon juice and zest, adjust the saltiness if necessary. Enjoy!
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Ingredients for Cucumber Raita:
150g (5.3oz) of natural yoghurt
100g (3.5oz) of grated cucumber
half a green chilli, thinly sliced
a handful of coriander
black pepper to garnish
Instructions for Raita:
1. Mix all the ingredients together and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.
Insight:
When cooking chicken legs the core temperature should reach 80C (176F) significantly higher than a breast meat 72C (162F)
Remember to rest the meat after cooking, this helps the juices to redistribute in each piece.
Soaking rice helps it to absorb moisture inside each grain. This helps to cook quicker and better.
Check my other Indian style recipes:
