Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Discover how easy a delicious Indian-inspired roast can be with this delicious Tandoori Chicken Recipe. This recipe will prepare a whole chicken in a beautiful tandoori marinade and is best prepared using our special Zouk spice blends.
Marinate a whole chicken in our specially crafted tandoori mix and roast until it is tender, juicy and simply delicious. This dish is perfect for those who love to experiment with authentic Indian flavours and want to treat family and friends to something truly special. Our Tandoori Chicken recipe is the perfect centrepiece for a Sunday Roast with a twist, can be used to fill delicious wraps and sandwiches, or even be served to elevate summer salads. Thanks to the lean nature of the protein and cooking process, our Tandoori Chicken recipe can be considered a healthy Indian dish so you can indulge guilt-free.
Read on and discover the best Tandoori Chicken recipe, created by our expert culinary team.
- Preparation time - 15 minutes
- Marinating time - Minimum 1 hour up to 48 hours
- Cooking time - 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 mins - depending on chicken weight
- Resting time - 5 minutes
- Total time - 2 hours and 5 minutes (excluding marinating)
- Serves 4 - 6
Tandoori Cooking
In India and Pakistan Tandoori cooking is a way of life. Traditionally a tandoor oven is used with a charcoal fire inside it. A variety of meats are cooked in tandoors on skewers. Whole chickens can also be marinated in tandoori spices and cooked on spits over an open fire or charcoal grill.
The effects of tandoori cooking are not easy to replicate without the open fire unless you are using a charcoal BBQ. This infuses the meat with a smoky tandoori effect.
However, you can create tandoori-style food by using spices and roasting meats in a very hot oven, under a grill or on a BBQ. This recipe is designed for a whole chicken to be cooked in an electric or gas oven. The marinade can also be used for chicken portions such as drumsticks, thighs or chicken wings.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken approx 1.5 to 1.8kg in weight skin removed
- 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste - 4 garlic cloves and a 2-inch piece of ginger are required to make this
- 1 teaspoon Zouk Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon red chilli
- 1 tablespoon Zouk Tandoori Masala
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania)
- 1/4 teaspoon pink salt
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek (methi)
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon mustard oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Sliced red onion to sit the chicken on while roasting
Method:
- Remove and discard the skin from the chicken.
- Cut slits into the meat that are approximately 1cm deep into the flesh and then place the chicken in a large mixing bowl.
- Prepare the ginger garlic paste crushing or blending the ginger and garlic in a pestle and mortar or a blender and set aside.
- Season the chicken with lemon juice and salt and leave to marinate in this first marinade while you prepare the tandoori mixture.
- Mix the yoghurt, the ginger and garlic paste and all the spices including the tandoori masala and garam masala in a separate bowl.
- Smother the chicken in the marinade. It is important to cover the chicken all over and press the marinade into the slits you made earlier. Put the covered chicken in the fridge for at least an hour but ideally 24 hours.
- When ready to cook preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan. Put the sliced red onion in the bottom of a roasting tin with a drizzle of olive oil and place the chicken on top.
- Roast the chicken for 1 and 1/2 hours or until the juice runs clear when tested with a skewer. If your chicken is larger you may need up to 15 minutes longer. If you have a baster or the time you can open the oven halfway through and baste the chicken in the juices at the bottom of the tin.
- When you remove the chicken from the oven keep it warm and cover it for 5 to 10 mins to rest before carving.
- Serve immediately.
