Tandoori Roasted Chicken

Tandoori Roasted Chicken

Scorched in Fire

Difficulty: Easy

Inactive Time: 1-24 Hours | Cooking time: 1 Hour

Serves 4

Are you tired of dry chicken? Are you sick of underseasoned, boring, or otherwise unsatisfying roasted chicken that makes you feel like white flour has more seasoning in it? Are you severely unhappy with your life or your foreseeable future?

If any of these are true or at the very least, not false, then Tandoori roasted chicken is exactly the right dish for you! Originating in India, this form of roast chicken involves marination of your meat in a heavily spiced yogurt flavored with spices unique to the chef making it, before roasting in a blazing hot oven to a crispy, charred exterior and a juicy, fragrant interior. 

The yogurt, unlike other marinades, penetrates deeper because the enzymes in the yogurt tend to break down the proteins in meat much the same way that acids do, but more effectively and using deeply scored chicken drums maximizes our surface area to meat ratio, making sure every bite gets some of that beautiful seasoning and also helps protect the meat from burning as it roasts and broils at the temperature we’ll be putting it through. The warm, earthy flavors of this dish are best paired with a neutral grain or starch, like rice, and cut with some kind of refreshing tartness or acid, like sliced sweet lemons or a garlic yogurt dip.

Food Dictionary:

Tandoori: A style of roasting in which meat is marinated in yogurt and then roasted in a vertical oven called a Tandoor over extremely high heat. This gives the chicken a beautiful charred exterior while maintaining moisture and flavor in the meat.

Kashmiri Chili Powder: An Indian type of chili powder with a bright red tint, hotter than typical American chili powder but not quite as potent as cayenne. You should be able to find this in most Indian or South Asian grocery stores but if you are unable to find this, regular powder should be fine. If you want it to be hotter, add an extra teaspoon of cayenne with the plain chili.

Ghee: A type of cooking fat popular in India, made by browning butter over gentle heat and clarifying it by straining out the milk solids since the solids tend to burn at high temperatures. This makes it ideal for frying meat and vegetables and adds a nutty, savory aroma.

The Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 Ibs chicken drums

• ½ cup 2% Greek yogurt

• 4 Tbsp whole coriander (3 Tbsp ground)

• 3 Tbsp cumin seeds (2 ½ Tbsp ground)

• 6-8 whole  green cardamom pods (1 Tbsp ground)

• 3 Tbsp Kashmiri Chili powder (or substitute plain chili powder)

• 2 Tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 inches of whole cinnamon stick (about 1 ½ tsp ground)

• 3 star anise pods (1 Tbsp ground fennel)

• ½ Tsp grated or ground Nutmeg

• 1 Tbsp oil

• 1 head of garlic, peeled

• 2 inch knob of ginger, peeled

• 1 large lemon

• Optional: 2 Tbsp Ghee

The Process:

Marinade

1. Begin by cutting semi-deep slits into the chicken drums into the thickest parts of it and salt generously, getting some into the slits 

   1. For presentation extra points and to prevent burning, cut around the circumference of the bone near the thin end to cut the skin and gristle knob off of the drumstick to expose the bone so the drum looks like a somewhat lopsided lollipop

2. If using whole spices, place the spices in a steel or cast iron pan over medium heat, starting with the largest spices (cinnamon and anise) and letting toast for 1-2 minute stages before adding the next ones, toasting lightly and gently until fragrant

3. Let cool for a few minutes and pour all the whole spices into a spice grinder, personal blender, or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder

   1. Do not use a blender or grinder you plan on using for other things, as this will probably scratch up your bottle and/or make it smell like fragrant spices unless you’re into that

4. Pour out and reserve the spices lend the ginger and garlic in the same blender, adding a bit of oil to help it grind down

   1. It is at this point your kitchen should smell amazing, but try not to get any of the mix on your clothes. It stains pretty bad

5. Put the yogurt into a large bowl with the spices, garlic-ginger oil, and juice of half the lemon and mix to homogenize. 

   1. At this point, the marinade should be a bit thicker than the yogurt you started with but if it seems too thick, add whole milk, lemon juice, or olive oil to thin it out little by little. These will all give you slightly different results, with milk being less impactful but lemon juice adding tartness and the extra oil helps to crisp the chicken

6. Add in chicken drums, ensuring even coverage and massage gently into the meat

7. Place in fridge or otherwise let marinate for anywhere from an hour to overnight before the next step

Roasting:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Place the chicken onto a rack on a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking off excess marinade

3. Place into the oven and roast for 20 minutes before flipping over all of the pieces and rotating the tray, roasting for another 20

4. Turn on the broiler to medium heat or about 500 degrees

5. Rotate the chicken again, broiling for about 5 minutes on the middle rack before flipping and broiling again the same amount of time or until the meat registers 170 near the bone

   1. It is at this point you can optionally melt some ghee and brush the chicken down while it is roasting

   2. Also note, if the chicken is already browned well enough, do NOT broil or you may burn it. Simply keep it in the oven for 10 minutes at a time or until cooked through

6. Remove and serve over white rice, with naan bread, or in a flatbread wrap with the other half of the lemon, sliced into wedges. Some good vegetables to serve this with are pickled cabbage and onion, or seared onions, hot peppers, and roasted garlic