So, I wanted to make som Tandoori chicken the other day but had no yogurt. I also have always thought that usually tandoori has very little flavor other than the charred flavor from the oven. I like it, for sure, but always thought it could use some stronger flavouring. In any case, I came up with this recipe at random and was really impressed by it’s flavoring – very bold and balanced with added juicyness that tandoori almost never has (could be because I left the skin on too). So here’s the recipe:
Ingredients 2 tbsp Tandoori powder 2 Tbsp Ketchup 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tbsp milk 1lb chicken pieces (I used legs)
Prick the chicken all over with a fork. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and then cover the chicken parts with it. Try to get the mixture into the chicken really well, under the skin, etc. Leave for about an hour. On the grill (I always use charcoal grilling, not propane!), ready the coals all to one side of the bbq so that it’s easy to adjust the positioning of the chicken. Once the coals are ready, place the chicken so that there is ‘medium’ heat. This is usually the place right around where the pile of coals ends. Cover the grill and let it cook for around 10 minutes (keeping an eye on it from time to time), and then turn them over. The skin should already have started to turn black in spots where the sugar in the ketchup has started to carmelize. Cook for another 5 or 10 minutes and take off the grill. For added smokey flavour you could put the parts over the high heat for a couple minutes. The juice from the chicken will drip onto the coals, increasing the flame and infusing the smoke into the chicken. If you do this be careful not to burn it. Eat and enjoy!