Tikka dishes

How to cook… Tandoori Chicken

Recipes

Serves 4 as a starter

It’s hard to resist this classic Indian dish. Marinated in the delicious spices of the Tandoori Marinade and then cooked in a tandoor, Tandoori Chicken makes a great starter with salads and pickles. You can create this classic dish at home using your oven – even down to the iconic charred edges.

What you need…
• 4 chicken thighs, skinned and trimmed of excess fat
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 recipe of Tandoori Marinade

How to make it…
1. Make 2–3 small cuts about 3mm deep into the flesh of each thigh. This helps the chicken absorb the the marinade and gives the cooked thighs a nice look too.
2. Squeeze the lemon over the thighs, rub it in well and leave for 15 minutes. This will degrease the chicken and also helps the chicken absorb the marinade.
3. Shake off the excess lemon and coat the thighs in the Tandoori Marinade. Leave for at least 15 minutes but preferably 24–48 hours.
4. Preheat your oven to 170 C. Place the thighs on a baking tray, ensuring all the pieces are kept well apart and cook for 25 minutes.
5. Turn the thighs over and turn the heat up to 240 C. This will blacken the edges of the thighs, creating the same effect achieved by the tandoor.
6. Serve with salad and pickles.

CHEF’S TIP
You can mimic the smokey taste of the tandoor by using a small amount of smoked paprika in the Tandoori Marinade.
Tandoori Chicken, just add salad and pickles.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Tikka • Butter Chicken • Chicken Rogan

Why did the duck cross the road? … The chicken was on holiday.

How to make… Tandoori/Tikka Marinade

Recipes

Makes enough for 800g–1kg of meat

Tandoori/Tikka Marinade is what you will need for all those delicious tandoori and tikka recipes, including everyone’s favourite, Chicken Tikka Masala, starter Tandoori Lamb and other popular dishes such as Butter Paneer and Tikka Shaslick.

What you need…
• juice of 1 lemon
• 200g plain plain yoghurt
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoon fresh garlic paste or very finely chopped fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste or very finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 Tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon mint, finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoon paprika

•1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 tsp turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 30ml water

How to make it…
1. Simply mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.

CHEF’S TIP
If you are looking for that bright red colour for your tandoori dishes, as favoured the old-school curry houses, you can add a add in a drop of red food colouring..
Tandoori/Tikka Marinade, the key to all those delicious tandoori and tikka dishes.

If you like this you should try our…
Chicken Tikka • Tandoori Chicken • Chicken Tikka Masala

This is a great marinade … according to a mysterious sauce.