Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken Drumsticks - 10 Nos.
Red Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Garlic - 10 pods
Lemon - 1/2
Thick Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 3 tbsp





Method

1. Wash the chicken well with cold water.
2. With a sharp knife, make slits in the flesh portion of the chicken.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp salt and the 1 tbsp lemon juice.
4. Rub this mixture into the slits made in the chicken pieces.
5. In a mixie / blender, grind the ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
6. In a wide bowl, add the ginger garlic paste, lemon juice of 1/2 lemon, yogurt, all the masala powders & salt.
7. Mix them together.
8. Now, add the chicken pieces & mix them with all the masalas. Make sure the masala is coated all around the chicken.
9. Now add oil and mix one more time.
10. This marinated chicken can be cooked immediately or later after refrigerating / freezing.

How to make tandoori chicken in oven?





Grilling tray & baking tray

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Take a baking tray and line it with aluminium foil sheet. (This is to collect the liquid dripping from the chicken)
3. Place the grilling tray on the baking tray.
4. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on the grilling tray.
5. Place in the lowest rack of the oven.
6. Cook for 30 min.
7. Now, turn the chicken pieces, so that the other side also gets cooked. Let this cook for another 30 min.
8. Set the oven to broil mode and roast the chicken for another 20 min, 10 min for each side or until crispy.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves, sliced onions, thin sliced tomatoes, spring onions, lemon slices (optional)
10. Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side.

How to make tandoori chicken on a Barbeque grill?

1. Line the top of the BBQ grill with aluminium foil sheet.
2. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on the grill.
3. Cook all sides, turning often till the chicken becomes slightly crisp & turns nice reddish - brown color.
4. The chicken gets cooked faster than in a conventional oven.
5. If cooked in flame, the chicken gets cooked in minutes.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves, sliced onions, thin sliced tomatoes, spring onions, lemon slices (optional)
7. Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side.

Note

1. In conventional oven, the chicken can be arranged directly on the baking tray (without the grilling tray). But the water that drips out of the chicken will stay in the tray while cooking, but evaporates and dries out while broiling.

Chettinad Spicy Chicken

Need a spicy chicken recipe that goes excellent with rice & all tiffin varieties.......Stop here.... Read below............Proceed to the kitchen.

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut into small bite - sized pieces)

Ginger - 2 inch piece

Garlic - 6 pods

Green chilli - 2

Gingelly oil (Nallenai) - 3 sp

Cinnamon (Pattai) - 1 inch piece - 4 Nos.

Cardamom (Elachi / Elakkai) - 3 Nos.

Cloves (Kirambhu) - 5 Nos.

Bayleaf - 1 (medium sized)
Whole Pepper (slightly crushed) - 1/2 sp

Big onion (very finely chopped) - 1 large

Tomato - 3 (very finely chopped)

Coriander powder - 1 sp

Red chilli powder - 3/4 sp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp

Garam masala powder - 1/2 sp

Chicken masala powder -3/4 sp (optional)

Salt - To taste

Method

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces (so that the masala gets incorporated into it), wash throughly and keep aside.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste adding necessary water.
3. In a pressure cooker under medium heat, add oil.
4. When oil is bubbling hot, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and crushed pepper.
5. When these start to splutter, add onions (very finely chopped so that it gets nicely fried).
6. When the onions are deep fried but not brown, add the tomatoes.
7. Fry well till the tomatoes turn mushy. (make sure the onion & tomatoes got mixed with eachother and oil starts oozing out)
8. To this add the grind paste and fry for another 3 min till the raw flavor goes off.
9. To this, add the the masala powders and salt. Fry for another 2 min in a low - med heat. Don't burn.
10. Add the chicken pieces and mix them together with the whole masala.
11. Add sufficient water (this quantity of water determines the final gravy consistency. So care needs to be taken).
12. Check for salt & chilli powder.
13. Close the cooker & cook in a medium heat for  5 - 8 whistles.
14. Serve with white rice / Idli / Dosa / Chappati / Parotta.

Note

1. The taste of this recipe lies in ' how patiently the ingredients are fried in a medium heat'.
2. Never burn the ingredients while frying.
3. Pepper can be added as whole (20 Nos.) instead of crushed.
4. Chicken oozes out lots of oil. So better check on the oil added.
5. Tastes excellent when the gravy thickens. So if found too watery, simmer (don't boil) in a low - medium heat till the required consistency is reached.

Chicken 65

Ingredients

Chicken pieces - 10 (big size w/ bones)
Red chilli powder - 2 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp (optional)
Chilli chicken 65 powder - 1 sp (optional)
Salt - To taste

Method

1. Wash the chicken pieces and place them in a bowl.
2. Add the other ingredients and mix well so that the masala spreads all over the chicken pieces.
3. Keep the bowl closed, in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hrs (marination).
4. Deep fry in oil over medium heat until crisp and brown.
5. Serve hot with chicken curry / variety rice / sambhar or simply as an appetizer.

Note

1. Chicken w/ bones suits this recipe well. But chicken w/o bones can also be used.
2. The marinated chicken can be kept in the freezer (stays good for 2 -3 days) and can be fried whenever required.

Chicken Varuval

Ingredients

Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut to bite - size pieces)
Gingelly oil - 3 sp
Big onion - 1 (medium)
Tomato - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 sp (if preferred)
Cinnamon - 1 (1 inch piece)
Cardomom - 2
Cloves - 5
Red chilli - 2
Ginger - 2 (1 inch piece)
Garlic - 6 pods (large)
Coriander powder - 3/4 sp
Cumin - 1/2 sp
Fennel (perunjeeragam) - 1/4 sp
Coconut - 1/8 of a whole coconut

Method

1. Wash chicken well and keep aside.
2. In a blender / mixie, grind the ingredients 'from cinnamon to coconut ' in the ingredients list, to a fine paste.
3. In a pressure cooker, add gingelly oil.
4. Add onion, curry leaves and deep fry at a medium heat.
5. Add tomatoes and fry them till mushy and oil starts separating out.
6. Add the blend mixture and fry for another 2 min.
7. Add the chicken pieces along with little water.
8. Cook for about 4 whistles in a low - med heat.
9. After releasing the steam, place cooker in a low heat.
10. Allow the contents to simmer to get a dry consistency.
11. Serve as appetizer or as a side.

 Note

1. Chicken pieces w/ bones suits this recipe well.