Spicy Oven Roasted Chicken

Spicy Oven Roasted Chicken – Chicken marinated with spices, drizzled with ghee and baked to perfection with the smoky charred effect! 

Do you like chicken? I mean spicy roasted chicken. I love it. I am not fond of non-vegetarian food. In fact, I never had in my childhood. But lately, because of my first team in cognizant and SJ, I started eating chicken (read it here – spicy roasted ones) and eventually I started loving it. Now, whenever I go to restaurants, I end up ordering chicken every time. It was one afternoon I wanted to try out Chicken tandoori in my kitchen. If I remember correctly, it’s a year back. I picked up the available spices in my pantry, combined it with yogurt and tossed with my chicken. That’s it. I settled down on a temperature in the oven and baked it. Baked it for half an hour, opening the oven door at regular intervals and turning them often. It was bright reddish and the spice masala has been settled in the pan, burnt out. The chicken ended up raw one baked without any spices. That was my first over excited attempt in making a chicken tandoori. How could a vegetarian cook tandoori chicken at home perfectly? But then, I did it. I made it at the second time.

When I tried for the second time, it was perfect and turned out exactly how I wanted and how it has to be. I haven’t altered any spice mix but this time, I was so particular about the soaking time and cooking time. I marinated the chicken with spices the previous evening and put it in the refrigerator. The chicken was soaked in the masala and when I baked, I was perfect. I baked each side for 20 minutes and then broiled for 5 minutes on each side. Once mastered, then it has become my ritual to prepare this oven roasted chicken whenever I had guests at home. It was a sure hit among all of my friends. Things I have learned

• The more the time, the more the tastier – Allow the chicken to soak in the marinated spices for at least 6 hours or overnight
• Slit the chickens lengthwise with a knife randomly – This allow the spices to soak in
• You  got to be good watchdog – Yeah, you need to be constantly monitoring the chicken while boiling as sometimes  it is smoky, enough to ring the fire   alarm
• Not all the ovens are same – You know your oven better. Adjust baking time according to your oven. If the chicken is overcooked, it will be rubbery.
• Last one, you can be creative with the spices you add to the chicken – it can be fresh herbs or ground masalas or sauces

Now to my failproof Tandoori recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 Chicken legs
• 4 tablespoon Low-fat yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 2- 3 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (adjust according to your spice level)
• 1 ½  teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
• ½  teaspoon Salt
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tablespoon Cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon Ghee
• Food Color, Orange (optional)
• Sliced Onions for Garnish
• Lemon wedges for Garnish
• Coriander leaves for Garnish

Method:

• Clean the chicken legs with water twice. Apply turmeric on the chicken and rinse them off completely. Slit the chicken lengthwise.
• In a bowl, combine yogurt, ginger garlic paste and mentioned spices. Mix them evenly.
• Marinate the chicken legs with the spices. Spread the spices on every side of the chicken.
• Place the marinated chicken in refrigerator for about 5-6 hours or refrigerate overnight.
• When you are about to bake the chicken, take the chicken from the refrigerator an hour earlier and bring them to room temperature.  Bake the chicken after it comes to the room temperature.
• Pre-heat oven to 350-degree Fahrenheit.
• Line a rimmed baking tray with aluminum foil and grease the foil with oil.
• Arrange the chicken on the baking tray and place the baking tray on the middle rack of the oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken and bake the other side for 20 minutes.
• Remove the tray and check whether the chicken has been cooked. Usually, in my oven, it takes 20 minutes on each side, If you need crisper, bake for another 5 minutes on each side.
• Brush ghee on top of the chicken and broil for 5 minutes.
• Now, apply ghee on the other side and broil for 5 minutes. Applying ghee on the chicken followed by broiling helps to achieve the charcoal burnt effect on the chicken.
• If you love the smoky charred effect, then broil for another 2 minutes on each side. Ensure you check oven constantly while broiling as it produces smoke.
• Garnish with sliced onions, lemon wedges, and coriander leaves.
• Serve warmly.