Tandoori Chicken | Tandoori Masala Powder

It is quite common to see a dish like this appearing on almost every menu card of a restaurant. Tandoori Chicken does not need any introduction or a description anymore since by now it has made its place in every country and in every heart.

‘Tandoor’ as we all know is an oven made out of clay and the heat is generated by charcoal or wood-fire. The more sophisticated versions are now fitted with LPG gas and electricity rather than the traditional wood as fuel. The basic idea is to maintain a high heat at a constant level for the meat to cook fast and retain its juices and flavors at the same time.

In this recipe, I have attempted to show my readers, an easy way of making homemade tandoori masala powder. The advantage of making your own spice mix at home is that we can very well avoid the preservatives and also control the level of salt.

The secret to a good tandoori chicken lies in the way it has been marinated along with the right blend of yogurt and spices. We need to keep yogurt content as less as possible as it burns faster when cooked on direct flame. The spices used are all basic and available on your kitchen spice rack.

 

Tandoori Chicken with Homemade Tandoori Masala Powder

Shanaz Rafiq

Tandoori Chicken is a kabab dish, where it is marinated first with lemon juice and salt in order to tenderize it for quick cooking and then marinated again with a blend of yogurt and spices to enhance the flavors. It is then baked in a traditional tandoor.

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Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Barbeque, Kababs

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 kilogram chicken 4-5 thigh pieces
• 3 tablespoon tandoori masala powder homemade
• 2 tablespoon yogurt
• 2 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon mustard oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice half lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Homemade Tandoori Masala Powder:

• 20 dry red chilies long
• 3 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds methi seeds
• 3 pieces cinnamon 1 inch each
• 7 green cardamom
• 7 cloves
• 2 black cardamom
• 1 tablespoon kasoori methi dry fenugreek leaves
• 1 teaspoon black salt

Instructions

 

For Tandoori Masala Powder

• Heat a pan and dry roast the first nine ingredients from the above list.
• Transfer the roasted spices to a grinding jar. Add kasoori methi and black salt and grind to a smooth fine powder.
• Pass the powder through a sieving mesh to get a fine and smooth powder.
• Store the powder in an air-tight container.

For Tandoori Chicken

• Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry with a kitchen towel so that there is no extra moisture.
• Marinate with salt and lime juice for 1 hour.
• Then add ginger & garlic paste, yogurt, tandoori masala powder, and mustard oil to the chicken pieces. Mix well and marinate again for at least 3 hours. (You can also marinate overnight in a refrigerator)
• Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees C. Place the marinated chicken pieces on a baking tray and place the tray in the oven close to the top flame.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. After 20 minutes of baking, remove the tray and brush the chicken pieces with ghee or butter. Again bake for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with mint chutney.

Video

Notes

Use 3 tablespoons of tandoori masala powder for 1-kilogram of chicken.

Keyword Chicken, Kabab, Tandoori, Tikka