Tandoori chicken (Barbecued chicken)

An elegant dish from the state of Punjab, tandoori murgh is one of the most-popular chicken dishes. It can be made in a tandoor (clay oven), baked in an oven or grilled on a barbecue.

3 lb chicken pieces
1 small onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 whole cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp red food coloring

  1. Remove the skin and all visible fat from the chicken pieces. Cut 2–3 slits, 1 inch long and 1/2 inch deep, in each piece of chicken. Place in a casserole dish and set aside.

  2. Cut onion into 4–6 pieces.

  3. In a blender jar put onion, tomato sauce, yogurt, ginger, garlic cloves, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, cloves, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, salt, garam masala and red food coloring. Blend to a smooth paste.

  4. Pour the tandoori paste on the chicken and turn pieces to thoroughly coat with spices. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator 4–24 hours.

  5. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

  6. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade, saving marinade. Arrange pieces in a broiler pan. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over and brush with remaining marinade. Bake for 10–15 minutes until chicken is tender.

  7. Turn oven to broil. Turn pieces over once again and broil for 5 minutes to get a nice red color.

  8. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve with lemon wedges or squeeze lemon juice over the chicken before eating, if desired.

    Makes 6 servings