Tandoori Chicken

Recipe adapted from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking.

6 servings

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken breast pieces - 2 pounds
Lemon juice - 1/2 cup
Salt - 2 Tsp
Yogurt - 2 cups
Onions - 1 large, quartered
Ginger - 2 Tsp minced
Garlic - 4 whole cloves
Coriander seed - 1 Tbsp
Cumin - 1 Tbsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric - 1 Tsp

Directions:

- Cut the chicken breasts into halves. Using a sharp knife, cut deep slits into each piece, making sure not to cut all the way through.
- Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, and rub it in. Pour the lemon juice over it and mix it in. Leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- In a blender, combine the yogurt, onion, ginger, garlic, coriander seed, cumin, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. Blend until it forms a smooth paste.
- Pour this into the bowl with the chicken and mix well. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours; overnight is always best. More than a day of marinating will shred the chicken, so don't do that.
- Grease a roasting pan or baking dish big enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer. Shake as much marinade off as possible, and arrange the chicken pieces in the roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 475 F.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes max. Start checking for doneness at about 15 minutes.
- Serve hot with coriander chutney. You can also simmer the marinade for about 15 minutes to get a thick sauce for the chicken.

Posted by Waqas