Tandoori Chicken Recipes
There are many tandoori chicken recipes to be found on the web. The thing that most of them don’t tell you is that the taste of this classic dish is not about the recipe itself at all…
The tandoor is an oven that is basically built into the ground. Due to the fact that this oven is buried within the ground it can reach very high temperatures. Unless you have a tandoor, you won’t get the same taste that you can get with an authentic oven. Still, this is not the secret behind those ever-popular tandoori chicken recipes. Do you want to know what the real secret is? Well, it has something to do with the way that the meat is prepared.
Once you have the chicken that you intend to use, cut slits inside of the raw meat, and place the chicken into a large plastic zip bag. Then, add one cup of whole milk yogurt, two crushed garlic cloves, and one pinch of cinnamon, paprika, curry, sugar, and fresh ginger to the bag. Next, shake the bag until all parts of the chicken are coated, and place the bag into the refrigerator overnight. Then next day, take the bag out of the fridge, and using a pair of tongs remove the meat carefully. Place the chicken into a baking dish, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, and then add one can of coconut milk to the top of the dish.
Bake the chicken until it is cooked thoroughly, remove the meat and let it rest before serving it. You see, the secret that we have been talking about all along is in the way that the meat is marinated. You must make holes in the meat prior to marinating in order for it to absorb the yogurt and spice mix. The coconut milk will help the meat to regain its moisture once you place it in the oven. If you want to create even better tandoori chicken recipes, bring the chicken before using it. Brining the meat will ensure a juicy chicken every time, and it only takes minimal effort.
To bring chicken, place the meat inside of a pot of salted water for at least eight hours. When that time is up, rinse the chicken thoroughly, pat it dry, and then proceed with the recipe listed above.
Serve your tandoori chicken recipes with rice or potatoes to create a complete meal. Remember, the secret is not about the recipe itself, it is about the way that you make it.