Uncle Bills Barbecue Tandoori Chicken Food

TANDOORI (INDIAN BARBECUED) CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Cut the wings off the chickens. Remove the neckbone carefully. Place the chickens on a cutting board and quarter them neatly. Then pull away the skin, using kitchen towels for a better grip if necessary. (Reserve the wings, neck, and skin for the stockpot.) Prick the chicken all over with a fork or a thin skewer. Make diagonal slashes 1/2-inch deep, 1 inch apart on the meat. Put the meat in a large bowl.
• 2. Add meat tenderizer and lemon juice to the chicken, and rub them into the slashes and all over for 2 minutes. Cover and marinate for 1/2 hour.
• 3. 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. (Alternatively, garlic and ginger may be crushed to a paste and blended with the remaining ingredients.)
• 4. 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_cooking 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.
• 5. 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 500°- 550°F. Take the chickens out of the marinade. Brush them with _ghee,_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 25-30 minutes, 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.
• To Broil Indoors:
• Preheat the broiler. Brush the grill with a little oil to prevent the meat's sticking. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, on the grill, and brush the slashed side with _ghee._Cook 2 to 3 inches away from the heat for 20 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Brush often with _ghee_during cooking.
• To Grill Outdoors:
• Fire the coal well in advance (about 1 1/2 hours before you are ready to begin cooking), so that a white ash forms over the surface of the coal. This is when the coal is at its hottest. Place the grill at least 5 inches away from the heat, and rub generously with oil. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, over the grill and brush them with _ghee._Let chicken cook without turning for 10 minutes. Turn, baste the other side, and cook for 10 minutes. Continue to cook, turning and basting the chicken every 10 minutes, until it is done. The cooking time for broiling and grilling usually varies widely. Much depends upon the intensity of the heat and its distance from the chicken. The point to remember is that the chicken pieces have been marinating in a very strong tenderizing solution for two days and therefore will cook much faster than standard broiled or barbecued chicken.
• Serve the chicken immediately, lightly brushed with ghee or oil and accompanied by Roasted Onions.

TANDOORI-ISH CHICKEN WITH LIME-PICKLED CUCUMBER

Steps:

• Slash the chicken with a sharp knife. Mix the yogurt, garlic, ginger, tomato purée, spices, lemon juice and 1½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
• For the pickle, mix together the lime juice, sugar, chilli and 1 tsp salt, then toss with the cucumber and red onion. Chill until ready to use or up to 1 hr.
• Blitz the yogurt, cumin and herbs with a pinch of salt until smooth. Chill until needed.
• Shake off the excess marinade and put the chicken on a baking tray, reserving the marinade. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then once at temperature, change the setting and heat the grill to high. Grill the chicken, skin-side-up, for 10-15 mins or until beginning to blacken a little. Change the setting back to an oven heat of 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tin, then brush with the reserved marinade and cook for 20 mins. Serve with the cucumber, yogurt, cucumber pickle and pilau rice.

UNCLE BILL'S EASY TO MAKE TASTY AND MOIST CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Remove any fat particles from the chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken under cold water and then pat dry with paper towels.
• Carefully pound the chicken to about 1/2 inch thickness.
• Sprinkle the chicken with dried dill weed, granulated garlic powder and lemon pepper.
• In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter on medium-high heat.
• Add prepared chicken, cover and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn chicken over and cook uncovered for another 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and there is no pink showing when a small cut is made in the center of the chicken. Do not overcook.
• Serve immediately.

UNCLE BILL'S CHICKEN BARBECUED ON A ROTISSIERE

Steps:

• Remove any parts from cavity (if any) and set aside for other use.
• Wash cavity and the whole chicken with cold water, then dry with paper towelling.
• Boil a large kettle of water to scalding hot.
• Place the chicken in a large pot and pour the scalding water over the entire bird including the cavities.
• The skin will shrink against the chicken meat and help keep the chicken moist.
• Dry the chicken with paper towels.
• Weigh the chicken to determine the weight for cooking.
• Sprinkle inside body cavity with dried dill weed, granulated garlic powder and coarse black pepper.
• Now stuff the cavity with the cut oranges, squeezing them slightly to release some orange juices. Insert the rosemary sprig.
• Tie the wings and legs with butcher string to keep them from flopping around when barbecueing.
• Place the chicken over the rotissiere spikes and attach the holder. Place the chicken in the centre of the holder.
• Rub or brush olive oil generously over the entire chicken and then sprinkle the five spice powder generoulsy over the chicken.
• Place the chicken in the rotissiere and close the door.
• Set your timer for 15 minutes per pound of chicken. Therefore, a 3 pound chicken will take 45 minutes to barbecue.
• It is not necessary to baste the chicken while it is barbeceuing.
• You may wish to test for doneness. Insert a meat thermometre into the breast of the chicken and it should read between 175 - 180°F Do not overcook.
• When the chicken is done, remove onto a plate and remove from the spit.
• Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 20 minutes before slicing.
• The skin of the chicken will be nice and brown and so tasty, that's if you wish to eat the skin.
• You can also use 2 large lemons (quartered) instead of oranges to give the chicken a nice lemony taste.
• You can use a larger chicken, up to 5 pounds.
• I prefer to use the Ron Popiel Barbecue Rotissiere or the Baby George Foreman Rotissiere.
• Serve with a Curry/Onion Sauce.
• NOTE: During cleanup, spray your counter, cutting board, pots, pans, utensils and other areas with full strength bleach that were used to prepare the chicken.
• You may wish to rub the entire outside of the chicken with plenty of butter, instead of olive oil. Sprinkle with dried bread crumbs or Panko crumbs and pat down into the butter. You will get a nicely browned and crispy skin.

TANDOORI CHICKEN (MADE EASY)

Steps:

• SLICE skinless chicken crosswise against the bone with 2-3 deep cuts through to the bone, (on each side of chicken legs).
• PLACE chicken pieces into a large Ziploc freezer bag for marinating.
• POUR the MARINADE mixture over chicken; REMOVE excess air from the Ziploc bag; SEAL the Ziploc bag; SQUEEZE the bag to roll and coat chicken thoroughly in marinade; PLACE bag into refrigerator to marinate 3-5 hours to overnight if desired for fuller flavor and more tender chicken (recommended but not absolutely necessary).
• PLACE one oven rack in the second-lowest position, and another rack in the highest position; PREHEAT oven to BAKE at 500°F (make sure oven is clean!); LINE a broiler pan with foil; SPRAY the foil liner with non-stick baking spray.
• REMOVE chicken from marination bag; SHAKE away excess marinade from chicken; COAT chicken on all sides with vegetable oil or light olive oil; ARRANGE chicken (bone-side up for thighs) in broiler pan without the grill cover; TURN on the overhead oven fan.
• BAKE chicken 20 minutes on the LOWER oven rack; TURN chicken pieces over tongs; CONTINUE baking chicken on lower rack for 7 minutes.
• SLIDE pan carefully from oven wearing oven mitts; BASTE chicken with oil; PLACE pan onto the top broiler rack; SET the BROILER to HIGH setting; BROIL chicken just until edges begin to slightly char, about 2 minutes.
• REMOVE chicken from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving; SEPARATE sliced onion into rings for garnishes.
• SERVING SUGGESTION: Garnish with sliced white onion, chopped fresh cilantro and serve with fresh lime wedges, fragrant basmati rice, nan bread with mint yogurt sauce (raita), cucumber salad, hot or iced tea or chilled lassi (TO MAKE FRAGRANT EAST INDIAN BASMATI RICE, see Recipe #408115).
• SERVE chicken with desired garnishes and side dishes and ENJOY!

BBQ TANDOORI-STYLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, slash the chicken thighs 3 times, going all the way down to the bone - this allows the marinade to get in, and means quicker and more even cooking. If you have the time, toss with the lemon juice and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and leave to marinate for 1 hr.
• Blend together all the marinade ingredients until smooth (add the extra lemon and salt if you skipped the first marinating stage). Pour over the chicken, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hrs (overnight is best).
• Heat the barbecue to a medium-high heat, or heat your grill to its highest setting and line a baking tray with foil. Place the chicken on the barbecue and cook, turning often, for 20-25 mins until charred and cooked through. Or place the chicken on the foil-lined tray and grill for the same amount of time, or until charred on both sides and cooked through. Top the chicken with the butter and leave to melt, then serve with lemon wedges.

UNCLE BILL'S VEGETABLE PAKORAS

Steps:

• BATTER.
• Sift flour into a mixing bowl.
• Add turmeric, cumin, chili powder and salt; mix well.
• Gradually ad warm water and mix to a semi-thick batter; set aside.
• VEGETABLES.
• In a medium size cooking pot, add potatoes, cover with water and bring to boil.
• Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• When potatoes are cooked, drain and mash potatoes; set aside to cool slightly.
• Chop cauliflower florets into small pieces; set aside.
• In a large frying pan, melt butter on medium heat.
• Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add cauliflower, peas, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper; cover and sauté for another 3 minutes.
• Add this mixture to the slightly cooled potatoes and mix well to incorporate.
• Using a teaspoon, spoon mixture by spoonfuls.
• Rub your hands with some olive oil and form the spooned mixture into balls.
• Flatten to about 1/4 inch thickness.
• Dip into batter so that they are covered with batter, let excess drain off.
• In a frying pan, heat canola oil to 375°F.
• Drop battered pakoras into the hot oil and fry for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side until they are light brown.
• Add more oil if required.
• Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Serve with your favorite yogurt dip or ketchup.
• YOGURT DIP.
• In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper and refrigerate for 1 hour before using.

UNCLE BILL'S BARBECUE TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove all skin and fat particles from chicken pieces and discard.
• Using a sharp knife, make several incisions about 1/4" deep in each chicken piece.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine tomato paste, ginger, minced garlic, pepper flakes, chili pepper, yogurt, coriander, cumin, salt curry powder, saffron strands and olive oil; mix well.
• Add chicken pieces to mixture and turn to coat on all sides.
• Cover and marinate chicken for at least 5 hours or overnight; keep in the refrigerator.
• Spray barbecue grill with a no-stick vegetable spray.
• Preheat barbecue to medium-hight heat.
• Place chicken pieces directly on grill.
• Barbecue on medium-high heat for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once.
• While barbecuing, baste chicken with any left over sauce.
• To ensure that the chicken is fully cooked, take a knife and cut into the thickest piece of chicken; there should be no pink showing.
• Serve hot or cold.
• Saffron strands may be purchased at most super markets.
• I do not use saffron powder.
• If desired, leave the skin on the chicken pieces.
• You may also make this recipe using all chicken breasts, (boneless or bone-in).