Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken

Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken

Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken

First Marinade

• 2-3 pounds skinless chicken
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilly powder – smoked paprika (high-quality so it’s not too spicy or bitter) a good replacement if you don’t have this on hand)
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Sea salt

Second Marinade

• About 3 cups plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilly powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• Sea Salt
• Coarse ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Final Touches

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional for a bit of smokey flavor a tandoori oven would normally add)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)

For the first marinade, Trim excess fat from the chicken if needed. Cut slits in the thickest parts of the chicken to allow the marinade to soak into the chicken well. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the first marinade ingredients. Stir and make coat everything with the marinade. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

For the second marinade, add all the ingredients to the bowl of chicken and make sure everything is well-coated again. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. You can let the marinade do its thing for up to 24 hours.

Where are the other spices? Well, many of the spices you see in other recipes are actually what makes up a good garam masala, so there’s no need to put them in twice.

After the last marinade, remove the chicken from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt the butter and stir in the Liquid Smoke and Kashmiri red chilly powder.

Line a baking sheet with foil and then place a rack on it. Place the chicken pieces on the rack with the thickest side upward.

Discard any excess marinade.

Put the chicken in the oven. Cook for ten minutes and then brush the tops of the chicken pieces with the melted smokey butter.

Cook for ten more minutes, flip the chicken pieces over, and then brush the other sides of the chicken with butter.

Turn oven onto broil, flip the chicken back over again, and brush the tops of the chicken pieces again with the last of the butter. Broil for ten minutes or until the chicken has browned nicely on the top and is done.

Use a meat thermometer to check to see if your chicken is cooked through. Chicken must be at least 165°F in the thickest parts when it is done.

Tip: Under 165°F is dangerous to eat and too far over will make it dry.  165°F is always the sweet spot for chicken to be done cooking no matter what method of cooking you’re using.

If you like, you can garnish with cilantro.