How to Make Tandori Chicken - Juicy Tandoori Chicken Recipe in Indian Style

Its wintertime plus holiday season and people eat a lot of chicken and meat in this time of year to keep themselves warm and their tummy happy. Sometimes, they might get bored of eating chicken fries and nuggets on Christmas and New Year and that’s why I would like to share with all of you how to make juicy tandoori chicken recipe in Indian style. We all know for sure that there are a lot of recipes that can make chicken dishes fabulous but chicken tandori is the favorite dish of not only Indians but of non-vegetarian food lovers around the world.

Before we go ahead with this juicy tandoori chicken recipe, some people must be wondering that what is the meaning of tandori chicken, so for your information, I have mentioned below a brief definition and history of chicken tandoori.

Tandori Chicken is a chicken dish dating back from time of Mughal Empire in Southeast Asia and East Asia. Since that time, this dish remained very popular in that area for many centuries, especially in India. It was around the time of British rule in India, when Britishers tried this dish including several other Indian dishes and shared and spread the aroma of chicken tandoori to people of different countries of the world who then developed a strong instinct for this dish. Chicken tandoori has know become one of the best and easy nonvegetarian snack or side dish around the world. This special marine chicken mixture with yogurt and spices like garam masala - garlic, ginger, cumin, and other spices has aroused the senses of many Kings in the past and is doing the same for food lovers till now. It is traditionally served hot with spices and lemon. Cayenne pepper gives it a distinctive red color. Adding turmeric gives chicken tandoori an orange color. A dish known as “Afghani Chicken” is also prepared by the same method but due to addition of extra cream, it becomes much more juicy and color turns white. Afghani chicken is liked by people who want an extremely juicy chicken recipe and tandoori chicken is liked by people who want juice and crisp flavor at the same time. Tandori chicken is cooked at high temperatures in Indian furnaces, i.e., tandoors but also can be prepared on a grill.

Style #1 - How to make tandori chicken legs in an oven?

Ingredients to make tandori chicken legs:

1. Chicken Legs –8 in numbers.

1. Kashmiri red chilly powder - 1/2 tablespoon.

1. Lemon - Juice of one.

1. Yogurt – 1 cup.

1. Salt according to the taste.

1. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tablespoons.

1. Garam masala powder (Tandoori masala)-1/2 tablespoon.

1. Chat Masala – 1 tablespoon.

1. Oil - 4 tablespoons.

Preparation to make tandori chicken legs:

1. Make gashes on the chicken legs.

1. Marinate these chicken legs with all ingredients, except oil.

1. Now refrigerate for around 3 to 4 hours.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F.

1. Now line a baking tray with foil and pour some cooking oil.

1. After baking for approximately 15 minutes, turn the pieces and then bake them for another 15 minutes.

Now what, just place the chicken legs in a plate and sprinkle over them some chat masala and lemon and your yummy chicken tandoori is ready.

Style #2 - How to make full tandori chicken in an electric tandoor?

Since buying a traditional Indian tandoor and maintaining it with coals is really difficult and expensive, I would suggest you to buy an electric tandoor oven and prepare this recipe.

Ingredients to make full tandori chicken in an electric tandoor:

1. Take six pieces of thawed and skinned chicken, what ever portions you like.

1. Two teaspoons of ground coriander.

1. Two teaspoons of tandoori paste masala available in local grocery stores.

1. Red pepper powder according to the taste.

1. Garlic powder.

1. Salt according to taste.

1. One teaspoon of ground jeera.

1. Soy sauce or yogurt, as you like.

1. Electric tandoor.

Cooking Instructions and preparation to make full chicken tandoori:

1. If you have readymade chicken tandoori paste, then it is really easier.

1. Now replace all occurrences of masala listed above and soy sauce or yogurt with the readymade chicken tandoori paste.

1. Place the chicken on a plate and make gashes or deep cuts in it so that masala seeps inside the chicken quickly.

1. Some people use soy sauce as the base and if it is your case, then put some soy sauce on gashed chicken pieces and let the soy sauce seep through the cuts.

1. Now rub all the masalas as a mixture so that all the masala seeps through the cuts with soy sauce. You can also leave it for a little while to seep in the chicken pieces.

1. Some people use yoghurt as the base and if it is your case, then you will definitely get a more authentic taste because the original tandoori chicken is after all marinated in it. In this case, mix all the masala or spices in yogurt first and then rub on the stuff into chicken gashes as before. Yoghurt leaves a considerable amount of water behind making your tandoori chicken dish juicy. Don't throw away this extra juice and let it evaporate in the electric tandoor with the chicken. In this way, you will be able to keep the chicken pieces from getting dry if they are overcooked. Now cook the chicken until it starts turning orange or brown.

Serve it hot in the plate with laccha onions and pudina chutney to your guests, friends, family, and relatives and get appreciation.

Best of luck