10 March 2021

Tandoori Chicken | Easy Home Recipe

A chicken dish invented by a man fleeing to India during the partition; cooked using a technology that dates back 5000 years and popularised across the globe by the British; that’s Tandoori Chicken for you! Read on to know a little about the origins of the Tandoor and Tandoori Chicken and learn how to make it at home without the Tandoor.

The Tandoor

Excavations conducted at the 5000 year old Indus Valley and Harappan civilizations have revealed traces of old clay ovens similar to the Tandoor. But, that doesn’t mean the Tandoor was invented in the Indian sub-continent. Traces of tandoor have also been found in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations and such a method of cooking with clay ovens buried in the ground was predominant in Central Asia around Turkey. History reveals that the “modern” tandoor found its way to India through the Mughals. And a few generations later, during the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir who frequently travelled to Kashmir and the neighbouring regions, the portable tandoor was invented; which later was put into use to feed the soldiers during war.

History also reveals that Guru Nanak Dev – the founder of the Sikh religion encouraged the use of Tandoors. In a bid to put an end to the caste barriers and promote equality among people, he brought in the concept of “Sangh Chulha” or Community Ovens, where people would join together and cook.

The Tandoor is basically a barrel or cylindrical shaped oven, originally made of clay but even metal ones are available now. Traditionally set into earth but nowadays the above the ground types are more in use. Usually fired with wood and charcoal directly inside the tandoor, but now gas fired tandoors are common-place. The heat generated in the tandoor is controlled by the amount of oxygen allowed into it. The Tandoor walls, reflect the heat generated by the burning fuel and boost the temperature. Portable electric tandoors have made their way into home kitchens and made tandoori cooking at home easier.

Cooking in a traditional tandoor involves four-techniques. The direct heat from the wood is akin to grilling while the radiant heat inside the tandoor has a baking effect. The heat from the walls of the Tandoor provide a griddling effect while the dripping marinade and melting fat produce smoke as they fall on the flame and impart a smoky flavour to the dish. Most of this goes missing in an electric tandoor which is similar to a conventional electric oven. However, with a couple of kitchen hacks we can attempt to replicate the flavours.

The Tandoori chicken

Although cooking in tandoor did not really originate in the Indian sub-continent, the Tandoori chicken which we know of today is a dish that originated in the Punjab regions of the Indian sub-continent; prepared by marinating chicken in a signature spice marinade and slow roasting it in a tandoor, resulting in a dry but soft and succulent dish.

It all started over a century ago in Gora Bazaar, in the Peshawar area of British India. Mokha Singh Lamba founded the Moti Mahal restaurant and working at this restaurant were Kundan Lal Jaggi, Thakur Dass, and Kundan Lal Gujral. This place had a tandoor built right in the middle of the restaurant, built by Gujral. By 1940’s the restaurant had become famous for its version of Tandoori Chicken which had a tempting bright-orange coloured exterior. Gujral has been credited with the creation of this Tandoori Chicken.

During the partition, Gujral along with Jaggi and Dass was forced to flee to India and settled in Daryaganj in Delhi. They tried to make a living with the culinary skills they had acquired in Peshawar and eventually built the now internationally acclaimed restaurant, Moti Mahal in Delhi. The Tandoori Chicken was an instant hit! With foreign dignitaries visiting this restaurant to savour their acclaimed dish, its popularity spread to all corners of the globe. However, even pre-partition, the popularity of this Tandoori Chicken has spread far and wide thanks to the British for whom grilling, roasting and fowl-eating is an intrinsic part of their culture.

How to make Tandoori Chicken at Home

Like any tandoori dish, the Tandoori Chicken also is marinated twice. The first marination consists of a paste made of ginger, garlic and green chillies, along with salt and lime juice. This paste is applied to the chicken and it is kept for marination for atleast couple of hours but preferably upto 12 hours (in the fridge). Before applying the paste though, prep the chicken.

You can cut the chicken into smaller bits but then the pieces would cook unevenly as the breasts take little time to cook while the thighs and drums take longer. Also, the beauty of Tandoori Chicken is in keeping it as whole as possible. Hence just halve it!. Then put some shallow slits in the breast and bone-deep slits in the thighs and drums. This will ensure uniform cooking.

As you near the end of time for the first marination, prepare the second marinade by mixing mustard oil, black cumin seeds, pepper powder, coriander powder, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder and kashmiri chilli powder. An optional but incredible ingredient you can add to this marinade is some powdered stone-flower. Mix these ingredients well and follow with the greek yoghurt, lime juice and salt and mix well until all ingredients are well combined. Finally add roasted gram flour and combine well to make a marinade of thick spreadable consistency. Apply this marinade on the chicken, coating it well and let it marinate for atleast couple of hours.

Next, line the halves on a greased baking tray and in they go into a preheated oven on the middle rack for about 40-50 minutes (flipping the pieces half-way). At the end of this time switch the oven to grill mode/ top heat and move the tray to the top rack to get a bit of char on the chicken. You can check the temperature of the chicken with a probe thermometer if you have one. The probe inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (but not touching the bone) should read around 70°C. Take the chicken out of the oven and transfer it to a deep dish for resting.

It is very important to rest the chicken before serving it, as the chicken will still continue to cook in the residual heat and the juices will be redistributed into the meat. When the thermometer reads 75°C, the chicken will be cooked perfectly. While resting, there are two things you can do to make this Tandoori Chicken feel very authentic. First, impart a bit more char marks on the chicken with the aid of a blow-torch and second, smoke the chicken.

To smoke the chicken, place a tiny bowl in between the chicken halves and place a red-hot piece of charcoal in it. Pour some ghee on the charcoal to make it smoke and immediately cover the dish with a tight fitting lid and allow the smoke to impart its flavour to the chicken. Done!

Serve the Tandoori chicken with a garnish of sliced onion rings, lemon wedges, fresh coriander leaves and some freshly made Mint-Yoghurt Chutney.

A special dedication

I’m posting this recipe today as a dedication for a very special person in my life. If you have glanced through the “ABOUT” section of this website, you would remember me mentioning my Grand-aunt Amy Pinto. She was a fabulous cook, avid-traveller and one of the most loving and caring person I’ve ever met. She was barely five-foot tall but was a colossus in every sense. There never was a dull moment when she was around. Although she lived in the USA, she had made Mysuru her second home and during my Bangalore days, I would never miss an opportunity to go visit her.

She loved like a parent and acted like a friend. When my chips were down, no matter which corner of the world she was in, she would constantly keep in touch and ensure everything was fine, driving away my worries and putting a smile on my face. She was a person full of energy and brimming with happiness right until her final days on earth. I’m sure she is smiling at me now from heaven. It is the 10th of March today and it is her birthday and Tandoori Chicken was one of her most favourite dish!

This recipe is my way of wishing her a Happy Birthday. I hope you will try out my recipe and enjoy it as much as my Grand-aunt Amy used to.