Whole Roasted Tandoori Chicken Food

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.

TANDOORI-STYLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• • In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and 2 teaspoons of the seasoning salt. Place the chicken in a large lock-top plastic bag. Add the yogurt mixture and turn the chicken to coat evenly. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.
• • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt over them. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Place on a rack (a vertical roaster works well), and arrange in the pan on top of the potatoes. Pour the remaining reserved marinade over the potatoes and turn to coat them lightly.
• • Roast the chicken for about 30 minutes. Turn the potatoes so they cook evenly. Roast for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a knife and the potatoes are crispy and cooked through.
• • Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for a few minutes. Carve into pieces and arrange on a platter. Surround with the potatoes. Pour the juices from the pan over the chicken and potatoes. Garnish with parsley or watercress and serve immediately.

TANDOORI ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix the marinade ingredients with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Slash the legs of the chicken a few times, then rub the marinade all over, including under the skin of the breast. Marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the onions, lemon halves and ginger in a roasting tin. Sit the chicken on top and roast for 1½ hrs or until the thigh juices run clear when tested with a skewer.
• When the chicken is done, lift out of the tin, sit in a new dish, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest. Fish out the ginger from the tin and discard. Scrape out the roasted middles from the lemons into a food processor, add the onions and any pan juices, and whizz to a purée. Scrape the purée back into the tin and sit on the hob. Stir in the coconut milk and bubble gently, scraping up any chicken bits that have stuck. You can add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Stir in the coriander and serve with the chicken.

WHOLE TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Clean and dry the chicken, leave the skin on.
• In a blender or liquidizer, add in the chopped onion, ginger and garlic and grind to a fine paste.
• Pour the onion mixture into a bowl, and add in the rest of the ingredients - ground spices and salt, lemon juice, yoghurt, tomato puree and oil and give it all a thorough mix.
• I use the roasting tin that I cook the chicken in, to marinade the chicken as well!
• So, line a roasting tin with foil (makes washing up easier!), place the chicken in the roasting tin and pour the marinade onto the chicken and rub it in all over on the outside and the inside as well and cover the tin with another piece of foil.
• Refrigerate for at least 8 hours but preferably over-night.
• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350F/180°C.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it stand at room temperature for at least 30-45 mins before cooking (on a warmer day, 30 mins will do).
• Place the chicken in the centre shelf of the oven for 1 hour, basting with the juices from the tin half way through.
• After 1 hour, take the foil off and return the chicken back to the oven for another 20 minutes basting every 10 minutes to nicely brown and crisp up the skin.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and cover with foil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

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.

WHOLE TANDOORI CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD SEED-ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• 2. Grind together the cumin, fenugreek (if using), coriander, and black pepper in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Move to a small bowl, and mix in the turmeric and salt. Mix in the ghee to form a seasoned paste. Rub all over the chicken, including under its skin.
• 3. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Tie together the wings and legs and place in the oven. Roast until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the breast and leg is 150 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.
• 4. While the chicken is roasting, add the potatoes to a medium pot and cover with water. Boil until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the canola oil. Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes and mustard seeds and stir occasionally until golden brown. Season with salt.
• 5. Place the chicken on a platter and garnish with the potatoes. Serve.

WHOLE ROASTED TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix spices and lemon juice.
• Add yoghurt.
• Color with coloring to make an intense red/purple color.
• Add oil.
• Skin the chicken and tie it up nicely.
• Make deep incisions all over the thighs and breasts.
• Put the chicken together with the marinade in a tight plastic bag and massage the marinade with your hands into the incisions.
• Keep refrigerated for at least 4 but preferably 12-24 hours, turning the bag now and then.
• Roast the chicken for 30 minutes in 200 deg C/400 deg F oven with grill, turning often and patting with any marinade left in the bag.
• Raise the temperature to maximum and roast for another 20 minutes. The chicken should be well browned and almost black burnt in color.
• Serve with lemon or lime wedges either as an appetizer on lettuce leaves or as a main course with rice. In either case, standard yoghurt serves as sauce.

WHOLE ROASTED TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Roughly chop the garlic, ginger, and red chilies, Using a mortar and pestle, pound into a smooth paste. (Alternatively, use a blender to blend into a smooth paste).
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the Greek style yogurt, lemon juice, ginger garlic chili paste, kosher salt, garam masala, ground cumin, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ground cardamom, ground cayenne, dried fenugreek leaves, red-orange food coloring powder, and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Mix well until evenly combined, then set aside.
• Spatchcock (also known as butterfly) the chicken and remove all of the skin except for on the wings and wingtips. (Note: Refer to my Spicy Thai Roast Chicken post for step-by-step photos and instructions on how to spatchcock a chicken. You need to cut on either side of the spine using kitchen shears and remove it, then flip the chicken over and press down on the breast plate to flatten it. If your chicken came with any giblets, you can remove them and either save for another use or discard.) Use paper towels to pat-dry and clean the chicken well and remove any slimy or bloody bits from the inside cavity. Using a sharp knife, make a few deep slits on the breasts, thighs, and legs.
• Place the chicken breast side down in the marinade bowl and using your hands (wear disposable gloves), rub the marinade all over. Then flip the chicken over and rub the marinade all over the top part until fully coated. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in the fridge. Allow to marinate for 6-8 hours, or 24 hours for best flavor.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge 45 minutes before you're ready to roast to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Lightly brush the rack with 1 teaspoon of olive oil (or spray with cooking spray). Place the chicken breast side up on the wire rack and tuck the wing tips underneath if you can. Pour 2 cups of water into the baking tray (to prevent dripping marinade from burning while the chicken cooks.)
• Place the chicken in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons canola oil to a small sauce pot and add any remaining marinade from the bowl. Simmer over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until darkened and slightly thickened. Remove the chicken from the oven at the 20 minute mark and baste with the thickened marinade using a silicone pastry brush. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. (Note: To check for doneness, insert a digital food thermometer into the inner thigh area close to the breast but not touching the bone. It should register 73°C/165°F. If you don't own a digital thermometer, you can check if the chicken has cooked through by piercing the same area with a knife. The juices should run clear.)
• Turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes, until the wings and meat has charred around the edges.
• Transfer the baking tray to a cooking rack and allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Arrange red onion slices, cucumber slices, and lemon wedges on a large serving platter. Place the chicken on the platter, either whole to carve at the table or cut into pieces. Garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves and serve with Cilantro and Mint Sauce, roti or naan, a simple salad, and warm steamed rice.