Moghul Style Tandoori Chicken Murgh Tandoori Recipes

TANDOORI CHICKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• To a mixing bowl, add greek yogurt or hung curd (thick curd). If you do not have it make your own following the notes below.
• Next add in ginger garlic paste, garam masala, red chili powder, salt, turmeric, kasuri methi, pepper powder and coriander powder.
• Pour oil and lemon juice as well.
• Mix everything well. The marinade has to be thick and not of dripping consistency. Taste it and add more salt and chili powder if needed.
• Make deep gashes over the chicken and add it to the bowl.
• Marinate the chicken well into the gashes.
• Cover and set aside for at least 6 hours. If you reduce the marination time, chicken will not turn soft and juicy. It may not get cooked well if making on tawa.
• Preheat the oven to the highest for atleast 15 to 20 mins. In my oven it is 470 F or 240 C. For the stovetop and air fryer method, please follow the step by step instructions above the recipe card.
• Place a foil on a oven tray to collect the drippings.
• Then keep a greased wired rack on the tray.
• Place the chicken pieces over the wire rack.
• Grill the chicken for about 15 mins.
• For spicy version mix together 1 tsp red chili powder with 1 tbsp oil.
• After 15 mins of grillling, baste the red chili oil over the chicken. You can also baste the left over marinade over the chicken.
• Turn the chicken to the other side and baste the red chili oil or marinade.
• Grill for another 6 to 10 mins or until the chicken is cooked through. You will need to adjust the timing as it depends on size of the chicken pieces.
• The last 5 mins, set to broil mode. Alternately you can move the entire tray with wire rack to the top most rack for the last 5 mins. This gives the charred effect.
• Brush the drippings all over the chicken. This keeps the chicken moist. You can also burn a char coal piece and place it in a small cup. Bring out the chicken tray from the oven and place the cup of char coal in the tray. Cover with a large bowl or foil. Allow it to smoke for 5 to 7 mins.
• Restaurant style tandoori chicken is ready. Serve with this Cilantro Chutney or Pudina Mint Chutney alongside onion and lemon wedges.

TANDOORI (INDIAN BARBECUED) CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Cut the wings off the chickens. Remove the neckbone carefully. Place the chickens on a cutting board and quarter them neatly. Then pull away the skin, using kitchen towels for a better grip if necessary. (Reserve the wings, neck, and skin for the stockpot.) Prick the chicken all over with a fork or a thin skewer. Make diagonal slashes 1/2-inch deep, 1 inch apart on the meat. Put the meat in a large bowl.
• 2. Add meat tenderizer and lemon juice to the chicken, and rub them into the slashes and all over for 2 minutes. Cover and marinate for 1/2 hour.
• 3. Put all the ingredients of the marinade into the container of an electric blender or food processor, and blend until reduced to a smooth sauce. (Alternatively, garlic and ginger may be crushed to a paste and blended with the remaining ingredients.)
• 4. Pour this marinade over the chicken pieces and mix, turning and tossing, to coat all the pieces well. (_A note of caution:_Since certain brands of _Tandoori_cooking tend to stain the fingers, it is advisable either to use a fork to turn the chicken pieces in the marinade or use a pastry brush to spread it over the chicken.) Cover and marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight, turning several times. Chicken should not remain in the marinade for more than 2 days, because the marinade contains a meat tenderizer which, with prolonged marinating, alters the texture of the chicken meat to very soft and doughy.
• 5. Take the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. The chicken is now ready to be either roasted in the oven or broiled over an electric or charcoal grill.
• To Roast in the Oven:
• Start heating the oven to 500°- 550°F. Take the chickens out of the marinade. Brush them with _ghee,_and place them on an extra-large shallow roasting pan, preferably on a wire rack. Set the pan in the middle level of the oven, and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. There is no need to baste while the chicken pieces are roasting, because the enclosed environment keeps the chickens from drying excessively.
• To Broil Indoors:
• Preheat the broiler. Brush the grill with a little oil to prevent the meat's sticking. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, on the grill, and brush the slashed side with _ghee._Cook 2 to 3 inches away from the heat for 20 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Brush often with _ghee_during cooking.
• To Grill Outdoors:
• Fire the coal well in advance (about 1 1/2 hours before you are ready to begin cooking), so that a white ash forms over the surface of the coal. This is when the coal is at its hottest. Place the grill at least 5 inches away from the heat, and rub generously with oil. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, over the grill and brush them with _ghee._Let chicken cook without turning for 10 minutes. Turn, baste the other side, and cook for 10 minutes. Continue to cook, turning and basting the chicken every 10 minutes, until it is done. The cooking time for broiling and grilling usually varies widely. Much depends upon the intensity of the heat and its distance from the chicken. The point to remember is that the chicken pieces have been marinating in a very strong tenderizing solution for two days and therefore will cook much faster than standard broiled or barbecued chicken.
• Serve the chicken immediately, lightly brushed with ghee or oil and accompanied by Roasted Onions.

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.

TANDOORI-STYLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• For marinade, combine all ingredients except for chicken, oil and lime wedges in a food processor and purée until smooth.
• With a sharp knife, make several incisions on each chicken piece to help marinade penetrate meat. Transfer chicken to a large glass or ceramic baking dish and pour in marinade, turning chicken pieces to coat. Cover dish with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken pieces from marinade. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan and drizzle with vegetable oil. Roast, basting occasionally, until juices run clear and meat is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely, then wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with lime wedges.

MURGH MAKHANI (INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Stir the yogurt and tandoori masala powder together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined; add the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
• Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Drain and discard any excess marinade.
• Puree the onion, ginger, and garlic with the water in a blender until it forms a smooth paste; set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cook the chicken in the hot oil until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from skillet and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons in the skillet.
• Fry the onion paste in the hot oil until the moisture is mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle the garam masala and chili powder over the mixture; cook 1 minute more.
• Pour the tomato sauce into the mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook another 5 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pan along with the half and half; bring to a boil. Add the butter, fenugreek leaves, and salt; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes.

MOGHUL STYLE TANDOORI CHICKEN (MURGH TANDOORI)

Steps:

• Wash the chicken pieces and pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Make a couple of deep diagonal slits across the thickest part of each piece with a sharp knife.
• Steep the saffron thread in hot water for 15 minutes.
• Combine the steeped saffron threads and water with the salt and lemon juice and rub well into the chicken pieces, particularly into the cuts.
• Leave to marinate for 1 hour. Drain the liquid off from time to time and pour over the chicken pieces.
• Blend the onion, ginger, garlic and water in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
• Dry-roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small frying pan and then grind them in a spice-mill or coffee-grinder.
• Add the freshly ground spices to the yoghurt, along with the blended paste, the white pepper, garam masala, chili powder, and the nutmeg. Mix well to combine.
• Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Marinade for 4-6 hours or overnight, covered, in refrigerator.
• When the marination is complete, evenly apply the melted ghee to the chicken pieces.
• Grill the chicken on high until done.
• Alternatively, you could pre-heat an oven to 400°F, then arrange the chicken in a single layer on a rack in a shallow baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush with the melted ghee and bake for a further 10 minutes. Ideally, you should cook the chicken in a Tandoor oven, but very few people outside of India own these.
• Serve hot and enjoy.