Roasted Tandoori Chicken Food

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the marinade, toast the cloves, whole chiles, both types of cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds in a cast-iron skillet until fragrant, 3 minutes or so, shaking the pan. Then, pour the spices into a spice grinder and grind them until you get a fine powder.
• In large bowl, whisk together the spice mixture you just made with the yogurt, oil, malt vinegar, salt, ground cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger until well combined. It should smell amazing! Taste and adjust with more salt if it needs it.
• Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade and set aside; you're going to make a sauce out of this reserved marinade.
• Prick the chicken thighs with a fork. Add the thighs to the rest of the marinade, and toss to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour in the fridge, and at most overnight.
• When you're ready to cook, line a baking sheet with foil, and turn your broiler on. Place each chicken thigh on the baking sheet, making sure each one is coated with the marinade, but isn't swimming in it. Cook the chicken thighs under the broiler until starting to blacken, about 5 minutes. Then turn the oven to 350, and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees F, another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• While the chicken is cooking, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan, along with 1/2 cup water and the honey. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, whisking all the time. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl or gravy boat for serving.
• Serve the chicken thighs on a platter with a fresh squeeze of lime and a drizzle of the sauce.

TANDOORI ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the yogurt, ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, cayenne, garlic, and onion, and process to a smooth puree. Put the puree into a shallow, flat dish and place the chicken breasts into the puree, coating both sides evenly. Allow to marinate, covered and refrigerated, for several hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Season the chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper and place on a rack in a roasting pan that has been preheated for 10 minutes in the oven. Roast the chicken, turning once, until fully cooked but still moist and not dried out. Cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts.
• Alternately, prepare an outdoor grill and cook over indirect heat with the lid on, turning once. Serve the chicken breast with a salad and a grain such as lentils to make a complete meal.

CAST IRON TANDOORI ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Toast the coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garam masala, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper and cinnamon and warm through to make fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour everything into a spice grinder and process until fine. (Alternatively, crush the spices with a mortar and pestle.)
• Place the guajillo chiles in a bowl, cover with hot water and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain the chiles and finely chop. Combine the spices with the chiles, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and salt in a in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.
• Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken to a 1/2-inch thickness in between two pieces of plastic wrap. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour in the marinade and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight if you have the time.
• Heat the charcoal in the charcoal chimney. To closely replicate a traditional tandoor clay oven cooking environment, set two large cast iron skillets (about 12 inches each) over high heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Thread a skewer into each chicken piece so the chicken lies flat.
• Very carefully remove the skillets from the heat and add a layer of charcoal to one of the skillets. Working in batches, place the skewers over the coals in the skillet so they rest on the rim and the chicken is above the coals. Carefully cover the chicken with the second pan, making sure the skewers don't slip. Cook, turning once, until the chicken is bright red and charred and blackened around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the skewers, place them on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Serve with warm flatbread and raita.
• Combine the yogurt, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and process until the dough is smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. On a floured surface, using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten each piece of dough into a large oval, about 6-inches in length. Oil the grill grate. In batches, grill the flatbreads until puffy and charred around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Alternatively cook in a pizza oven or on a pizza stone for 4 to 5 minutes.) Hold the flatbreads on a plate under a warm towel as you cook the rest.
• Combine the butter with the garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon minced parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. Brush the hot flatbreads with the butter mixture.
• Combine the yogurt, cucumber, basil, mint, cilantro, agave syrup, cumin, garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse just enough to break down the cucumber and herbs slightly (the raita should still have texture). Do not overmix or the raita will become too runny.
• Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to come together and for the raita to firm and settle.

INDIAN TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove skin from chicken pieces, and cut slits into them lengthwise. Place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and lemon juice. Set aside 20 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Mix until smooth. Stir in yellow and red food coloring. Spread yogurt mixture over chicken. Cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours (the longer the better).
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium high heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook chicken on grill until no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.