Cast Iron Tandoori Chicken Recipes

RESTAURANT-STYLE TANDOORI CHICKEN IN THE OVEN!

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, stir together the yogurt and lemon juice. Add the spices, minced garlic, and chili paste, and whisk until you have a smooth, thick marinade.
• Put 6 pieces of the chicken in each of two zip-lock bags, and add 1/2 the marinade to each bag. Zip closed and knead the bags until the chicken is well-coated with marinade. Open bags slightly, squeeze out most of the air, and zip closed again. Refrigerate 12-24 hours. If serving this for dinner, I usually make the marinade and start the chicken soaking the evening before.
• Turn the bags and knead the marinating chicken once or twice while it's in the refrigerator.
• When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator, line a large roasting pan with foil, lay a rack over the pan so air can circulate under the roasting chicken, and pre-heat your oven to 425. If you have a convection bake or convection roast cycle, use that.
• Place the chicken pieces on the rack so they are not touching. Empty what is left of the marinade into a bowl or measuring cup and touch up any "empty" spots on the chicken pieces with the marinade.
• Once the oven is hot, put the pan with the chicken in the oven, and leave the door closed (no peeking!). Turn the chicken pieces once after 30 minutes of cooking time, then roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly charred on the second side, but no more than 15 minutes for legs and thighs. If you are cooking breasts, poke one with a skewer to make sure the juices run clear.
• NOW TURN THE OVEN OFF, and let the chicken rest in the closed oven for 20-30 minutes more (not critical, but NO PEEKING!).
• Remove the chicken to a warm platter, garnish with the onion rings and a few squeezes of lemon, and enjoy!
• See if you don't agree this is as good as any "authentic" Tandoori chicken you've ever tried!

CHEF JOHN'S TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk lime juice, yogurt, tandoori powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from the bag and transfer to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Pat chicken pieces dry with more paper towels.
• Grill chicken on the preheated grill with the lid open for 2 minutes. Close lid and continue to grill chicken for 6 minutes.
• Turn chicken, close lid and grill until well-browned and meat is no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).

INDIAN TANDOORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove skin from chicken pieces, and cut slits into them lengthwise. Place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and lemon juice. Set aside 20 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Mix until smooth. Stir in yellow and red food coloring. Spread yogurt mixture over chicken. Cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours (the longer the better).
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium high heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook chicken on grill until no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.

CAST IRON TANDOORI ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Toast the coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garam masala, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper and cinnamon and warm through to make fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour everything into a spice grinder and process until fine. (Alternatively, crush the spices with a mortar and pestle.)
• Place the guajillo chiles in a bowl, cover with hot water and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain the chiles and finely chop. Combine the spices with the chiles, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and salt in a in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.
• Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken to a 1/2-inch thickness in between two pieces of plastic wrap. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag. Pour in the marinade and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight if you have the time.
• Heat the charcoal in the charcoal chimney. To closely replicate a traditional tandoor clay oven cooking environment, set two large cast iron skillets (about 12 inches each) over high heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Thread a skewer into each chicken piece so the chicken lies flat.
• Very carefully remove the skillets from the heat and add a layer of charcoal to one of the skillets. Working in batches, place the skewers over the coals in the skillet so they rest on the rim and the chicken is above the coals. Carefully cover the chicken with the second pan, making sure the skewers don't slip. Cook, turning once, until the chicken is bright red and charred and blackened around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the skewers, place them on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Serve with warm flatbread and raita.
• Combine the yogurt, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and process until the dough is smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. On a floured surface, using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten each piece of dough into a large oval, about 6-inches in length. Oil the grill grate. In batches, grill the flatbreads until puffy and charred around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Alternatively cook in a pizza oven or on a pizza stone for 4 to 5 minutes.) Hold the flatbreads on a plate under a warm towel as you cook the rest.
• Combine the butter with the garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon minced parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. Brush the hot flatbreads with the butter mixture.
• Combine the yogurt, cucumber, basil, mint, cilantro, agave syrup, cumin, garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse just enough to break down the cucumber and herbs slightly (the raita should still have texture). Do not overmix or the raita will become too runny.
• Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to come together and for the raita to firm and settle.

TANDOORI FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make a few slashes in meat side of each thigh. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine chicken and marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. In a large straight-sided skillet (preferably cast iron), heat 3 cups oil (it should be about 1/2 inch deep) over medium-high until a thermometer registers 350 degrees.
• Working with 6 pieces at a time, remove chicken from marinade, wiping off excess with a paper towel. Dredge in flour mixture and add to skillet, skin-side down. Partially cover and fry until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes a side. (Adjust heat to maintain oil temperature between 330 degrees and 350 degrees; do not let it go over 350 degrees, and return to 350 degrees between batches.) Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined plate; place in oven to keep warm.
• Mix together onion and lime juice; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil and herbs. Season with salt. Serve chicken, with onion salad and cucumbers.