OVEN ROASTED TANDOORI CHICKEN

         TANDOORI CHICKEN is undoubtedly one of the famous and the most sought over dish in Indian Cuisine throughout the world. An another addition to Indian cuisine from the Mughals. But the recipe I am sharing for this authentic dish is a way of preparing the Tandoori Chicken Recipe in Oven.
          Tandoori chicken as a dish originated in the Punjab before the independence of India and Pakistan. Although tandoor cooked chicken dates back to as early as the Mughal era, the dish is believed to have been invented by Kundan Lal & Gujral, the duos who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawar. When they moved to Delhi, his tandoori dishes caught the taste of the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru. Catered to the elite during the time, became a delicacy throughout the world in due course.
           In India, tandoori cooking was traditionally associated with the northern state of Punjab.  Tandoor ovens are made of clay with coal or wood at the base that are burned and help the clay oven reach temperatures of around 900 degrees. This extreme heat cooked the chicken till it became nice and crispy on the outside with a coal taste. Tandoori chicken is also used as a base chicken in many Indian and middle Eastern curries. Rather than mostly being eaten as in starters and appetizers, sometimes it is also eaten as a main course traditionally with Naan, Kulchas or any kind of Roti, Parathas and Chapatis( an Indian Flatbread ).
          After a long run of searches and experiments, I have finally come up with Tandoori Chicken Recipe in Oven.  This recipe does total justice for a genuine Indian restaurant-style tandoori chicken, only with a slight variation that it is cooked in an electric oven. This Tandoori Chicken Recipe in Oven is an easy and healthy way of preparing an authentic Tandoori Chicken. I have even added a simple method of infusing the smoky Charcoal smell into the Tandoori Chicken.
Crushed Kasuri Methi(Dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 tspn  

• Clean the Chicken drumsticks, pat dry and make slits over them.
• In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the marinade.
• Add Chicken Drumsticks to the marinade and mix well until the Chicken Pieces are well coated with the marinade.
• Now add the oil and mix gently.
• Leave it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs or overnight.
• Pre-heat the oven at 450° F/230°C.
• Sprinkle some Oil to the Cooking Tray and line up the Marinated Chicken Pieces over it.
• Place the tray at the top level of the Oven.
• If the Chicken Pieces are browning soon remove the tray from the Oven and keep it in the Middle Rack and adjust the temperature.
• Allow the chicken to be roasted for about 15-20 min.
• Baste the chicken with some Butter.
• Then flip it up and roast it again for 10-15 min.
• Check whether the Chicken Drumsticks are cooked.  
• If not leave it in the oven for few more minutes until Chicken Drumsticks are well roasted and cooked.
• Once done, remove it from the oven.
• Can serve with Onion Rings, Sliced Capsicum(Bell Peppers), Coriander Leaves and a drizzle of Lemon Juice.
• Sprinkle some Chaat Masala, if preferred.
• Goes well with Green chutney.

• Grind Mint leaves, coriander leaves with 1 or 2 green chilies and a teaspoon of lemon juice.  
• Add some black salt and adjust the amount of salt accordingly.
• Add a pinch of sugar to retain the green colour.

• Can use Chicken Pieces or a whole Chicken for this recipe.
• If grilling a whole chicken, adjust the amount of Tandoori Masala and Oven temperature accordingly.
• Can also deep fry the Chicken Drumsticks.
• Can use barbecue grill or tandoor oven which will give the authentic smoky flavour.
• Can use normal Chili powder too, Kashmiri chili powder is less hotter and gives red colour to  the dish, even without adding food colour.
• I have not used the food colouring in this recipe.
• If Kasoori methi is not available can dry roast few fenugreek seeds and powder it finely and use it along with the masala.  
• Adjust the time of cooking and temperature according to your oven settings.  
• Inducing the smoky flavour into the Tandoori Chicken is totally optional, but it gives an authentic flavour to the dish.