Tandoori Chicken

[Yakuta]

Being from India I experiment with restaurant recipe until I get the results I am looking for. Here is how I make tandoori chicken and it comes out juicy and flavorful everytime. It's not bland.

Boneless skinless chicken (no skin in Tandoori chicken). You can use any kind you like
1 cup of plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp of ginger paste
1 heaping pinch of red food color
Spice mixture: Here is how to make it. Dry roast 1 tbsp of cumin seeds, 1 tbsp of corrainder seeds and 2 dried arabol chillies and then powder them in a coffee grinder.

Add 2 heaping tbsp of this spice mixture to the yogurt
1/4 cup of freshly chopped cilantro
1/4 ccup of freshly chopped mint
2 tsps of salt

Marinate the chicken in this mixture overnight (especially if you are using leg or thigh peices or a whole chicken, if it's breast meat you are using you should marinate it for atleast 3 hours)

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on a large plate and grill on an outdoor or indoor grill. I like to pour the left over marinade in a saucepan and just cook it until it's nice and thick and then pour it over the grilled chicken before serving it.

Also traditional tandoori chicken is served with sweet onion slices that are grilled until they are caramalized and a squeeze of lime wedge.

Try it this way and see if you still think it's bland.

[scott123]

Yakuta, welcome to the forum. Where in India are you from?

The mint in your recipe is an interesting addition. 1/4 c. seems like a lot of mint to me, but then I've only used it raw. Does cooking the mint mellow it?

And lastly, do you have a recipe for a butter sauce to go with this?

[Yakuta]

but it's not and fresh mint is quite mellow than the dried stuff. It gets lost as the chicken grills. Anyway, we Indians like good amount of herbs and spices so if you want to reduce the quantity feel free to do so. Some people don't like mint at all and herbs are flexible you can add more or less to your liking.

Yes here is a recipe for a butter sauce. Make the tandoori chicken first and then prepare this sauce. Simmer the chicken in it and it's ready to be consumed.

1 cup of heavy cream
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tsp of curry powder ( I make mine from scratch because it provides more flavor but you can use a store bought variety and it will work fine)
2 small garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tbsp of butter
salt to your liking

Add butter in a saucepan. When it melts add the cumin seeds and the finely chopped garlic. Next add the curry powder. Let it toast for a couple of seconds. Next add the tomato sauce and then the cream.

Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes on low. Next add the grilled chicken and cover and let it simmer for another 10 minutes and the chicken is ready to be served. I like to top mine with cilantro and serve with soft pita breads or naans

BTW: Thanks for the welcome Scott, I am originally from Bombay but have now lived in the US for 16 years.

[scott123]

Thanks Yakuta!