When the aroma of freshly cooked or grilled Chicken Tandoori emanates from the kitchen, you might drool. Well! It is not you alone. Man has been created in such a manner so that one gets the hunger pangs on smelling such delicious food. Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tandoori, or Tandoori Murgh, whatever you call it, is one of the delicacies that will never grow old. It is one of the top North Indian dishes that we have today.
The word ‘Tandoor’ comes from the Persian word ‘Tanner.’ The chicken meat is mainly marinated many hours before it is grilled or cooked. Some ingredients that go into it are yogurt, tandoori masala, nutmeg powder, cumin powder, and so on. It is one of the unique meat dishes in India. The process of cooking is the uniqueness of this recipe. It is the clay oven or tandoor that plays a huge role. It imparts a Smokey flavor to the dish.
The Story Behind The Tandoori Chicken:
You should also know the story behind the Tandoori Chicken. One Mr. Kundan Lal Gujral from the restaurant Moti Mahal probably is the creator. He wanted to make a new dish, so he tried cooking the chicken in the fire oven made from clay. Most naans and flatbreads are cooked in such clay ovens. The chicken from the clay oven turned out to be fried yet succulent. It created a buzz amongst his customers at his restaurant. The story mainly goes back to the recent past, during the times of Jawahar Lal Nehru Ji. However, you can trace the lineage of chicken cooked in this manner to the Mughal era—the temperature inside the oven is800-to-900-degree F, which adds to the juiciness.
The chicken is roasted without the skin, and the masalas are applied to the chicken to keep it from drying. The time of marination is quite lengthy. So, that also tends to cut down on the cooking time. It takes around 10-15 minutes to get the dish ready. The chicken will click right with crispy outside and the succulence inside. Now, you can get a chance to go through the recipe tweaked a bit for home cooking. Read it and make it for yourself and your loved ones.
Chicken Tandoori Recipe:
- Chicken leg and breast pieces – 600-700 gms
- Yogurt 200 gms
- Garam Masala 1 tsp
- Cumin Powder 1 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
- Ginger paste 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste 1 tbsp
- Tomato Paste 1 bowl
- Ghee – a little bit
- Charcoal piece
Green Chutney:
- Coriander leaves
- Pudina leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- Yogurt
Process of chicken tandoori:
Take the chicken leg pieces and breast pieces, and clean them thoroughly. Mix all the above ingredients with the chicken and leave it for 30 minutes to marinate. You must take a charcoal piece and place it in a bowl, along with the chicken pieces. Add some ghee to it for added aroma. Put a lid on top, and see the aroma of ghee and smokiness of the charcoal getting infused into the chicken pieces.
Also Read: The Wonderful and Blissful Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Recipe
In the next step, you have to transfer the chicken to a pressure cooker, adding a small bowl of tomato paste, salt as per taste, ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin powder, and ½ tsp chili powder. Let the mixture simmer for some time. Make sure that the chicken turns brown completely — Cook in the pressure cooker for up to 5 whistles.
You have to serve the chicken with Green Chutney. Grind all the green chutney ingredients in a mixer grinder and serve it. The recipe uses very few masalas and oil. So, you can eat it, even on a diet. It is a crispy chicken on the outside, with a succulent and juicy texture inside. The taste of the chicken will overwhelm you. You will love the dish. Cook it for special occasions and earn praises.
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