Tandoori Chicken
An authentic Indian recipe for Tandoori Chicken. Chicken pieces marinaded in exotic spices and yoghurt and then deep-fried till crisp. Serve as an appetizer or as an entree with naan bread on the side.
4 skinless chicken thighs
4 skinless chicken legs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup plain yoghurt
juice of one fresh lime
1 tablespoon minced root ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
Oil for frying the chicken
Score the chicken flesh deeply with a sharp knife, making at least three deep gashes in each piece. Place the chicken in a large zip-lock bag.
Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, chili powder, salt, pepper, yoghurt, lime juice, ginger and garlic to the bag and seal the top. Shake the so that all the chicken pieces get evenly coated. Keep the bag in the refrigerator overnight.
Discard the marinade. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces until dark on one side. Flip and fry until darkened on the other side as well.
To add more color to the chicken, add about 1/8 teaspoon of saffron powder to the marinade.