Tandoori Murgh Bukhara Barbecued Chicken Indian Style Recipes

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, slash the chicken thighs 3 times, going all the way down to the bone - this allows the marinade to get in, and means quicker and more even cooking. If you have the time, toss with the lemon juice and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and leave to marinate for 1 hr.
• Blend together all the marinade ingredients until smooth (add the extra lemon and salt if you skipped the first marinating stage). Pour over the chicken, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hrs (overnight is best).
• Heat the barbecue to a medium-high heat, or heat your grill to its highest setting and line a baking tray with foil. Place the chicken on the barbecue and cook, turning often, for 20-25 mins until charred and cooked through. Or place the chicken on the foil-lined tray and grill for the same amount of time, or until charred on both sides and cooked through. Top the chicken with the butter and leave to melt, then serve with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• 1. Cut the wings off the chickens. Remove the neckbone carefully. Place the chickens on a cutting board and quarter them neatly. Then pull away the skin, using kitchen towels for a better grip if necessary. (Reserve the wings, neck, and skin for the stockpot.) Prick the chicken all over with a fork or a thin skewer. Make diagonal slashes 1/2-inch deep, 1 inch apart on the meat. Put the meat in a large bowl.
• 2. Add meat tenderizer and lemon juice to the chicken, and rub them into the slashes and all over for 2 minutes. Cover and marinate for 1/2 hour.
• 3. Put all the ingredients of the marinade into the container of an electric blender or food processor, and blend until reduced to a smooth sauce. (Alternatively, garlic and ginger may be crushed to a paste and blended with the remaining ingredients.)
• 4. Pour this marinade over the chicken pieces and mix, turning and tossing, to coat all the pieces well. (_A note of caution:_Since certain brands of _Tandoori_cooking tend to stain the fingers, it is advisable either to use a fork to turn the chicken pieces in the marinade or use a pastry brush to spread it over the chicken.) Cover and marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate overnight, turning several times. Chicken should not remain in the marinade for more than 2 days, because the marinade contains a meat tenderizer which, with prolonged marinating, alters the texture of the chicken meat to very soft and doughy.
• 5. Take the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature. The chicken is now ready to be either roasted in the oven or broiled over an electric or charcoal grill.
• To Roast in the Oven:
• Start heating the oven to 500°- 550°F. Take the chickens out of the marinade. Brush them with _ghee,_and place them on an extra-large shallow roasting pan, preferably on a wire rack. Set the pan in the middle level of the oven, and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. There is no need to baste while the chicken pieces are roasting, because the enclosed environment keeps the chickens from drying excessively.
• To Broil Indoors:
• Preheat the broiler. Brush the grill with a little oil to prevent the meat's sticking. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, on the grill, and brush the slashed side with _ghee._Cook 2 to 3 inches away from the heat for 20 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Brush often with _ghee_during cooking.
• To Grill Outdoors:
• Fire the coal well in advance (about 1 1/2 hours before you are ready to begin cooking), so that a white ash forms over the surface of the coal. This is when the coal is at its hottest. Place the grill at least 5 inches away from the heat, and rub generously with oil. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, over the grill and brush them with _ghee._Let chicken cook without turning for 10 minutes. Turn, baste the other side, and cook for 10 minutes. Continue to cook, turning and basting the chicken every 10 minutes, until it is done. The cooking time for broiling and grilling usually varies widely. Much depends upon the intensity of the heat and its distance from the chicken. The point to remember is that the chicken pieces have been marinating in a very strong tenderizing solution for two days and therefore will cook much faster than standard broiled or barbecued chicken.
• Serve the chicken immediately, lightly brushed with ghee or oil and accompanied by Roasted Onions.

Steps:

• Wash the chicken pieces and pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Make a couple of deep diagonal slits across the thickest part of each piece with a sharp knife.
• Steep the saffron thread in hot water for 15 minutes.
• Combine the steeped saffron threads and water with the salt and lemon juice and rub well into the chicken pieces, particularly into the cuts.
• Leave to marinate for 1 hour. Drain the liquid off from time to time and pour over the chicken pieces.
• Blend the onion, ginger, garlic and water in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
• Dry-roast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small frying pan and then grind them in a spice-mill or coffee-grinder.
• Add the freshly ground spices to the yoghurt, along with the blended paste, the white pepper, garam masala, chili powder, and the nutmeg. Mix well to combine.
• Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Marinade for 4-6 hours or overnight, covered, in refrigerator.
• When the marination is complete, evenly apply the melted ghee to the chicken pieces.
• Grill the chicken on high until done.
• Alternatively, you could pre-heat an oven to 400°F, then arrange the chicken in a single layer on a rack in a shallow baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush with the melted ghee and bake for a further 10 minutes. Ideally, you should cook the chicken in a Tandoor oven, but very few people outside of India own these.
• Serve hot and enjoy.

Steps:

• Remove skin from chicken pieces, and cut slits into them lengthwise. Place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and lemon juice. Set aside 20 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Mix until smooth. Stir in yellow and red food coloring. Spread yogurt mixture over chicken. Cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours (the longer the better).
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium high heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Cook chicken on grill until no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Pop the joint on each leg: Grasp a drumstick in one hand and a thigh in the other, and bend the joint back until you hear a crack. This helps the leg cook more evenly.
• Using a small knife, make a slash in the meaty part of each drumstick and thigh twice or three times, going all the way to the bone.
• In a large bowl, stir together garlic, ginger, vinegar, cayenne, garam masala and salt. Keep half the mixture in the bowl and set aside; rub remaining mixture all over chicken, getting underneath the skin. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours) while you prepare the yogurt marinade.
• Stir yogurt into the large bowl with ginger-garlic mixture, then stir in black pepper, clove, mace, anise, black cardamom (if using) and green cardamom. Transfer spice-rubbed chicken to yogurt mixture, tossing gently to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate chicken for at least 6 hours, and preferably overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare the grill for indirect heat. (If using a charcoal grill, mound coals to one side, allowing for an area of indirect heat. If using a gas grill, turn on only a few of the burners and leave the rest off.) Or heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Using a mortar and pestle, the flat side of a knife or a spice grinder for a very brief time, crack the cumin, coriander and red-pepper flakes but do not grind; you want a coarse texture here. Sprinkle spice mix onto chicken to coat each piece.
• Place a rimmed baking sheet on the unlit side of the grill or in the oven and let heat for 15 minutes. Carefully place chicken on the hot baking sheet and drizzle each piece with a little melted butter. Cover grill, if grilling. Let chicken cook for 25 to 35 minutes, drizzling with melted butter two or three times. The chicken is done when the skin is dark brown and the juices run clear when pricked with a knife.
• If you are grilling, you can sear the chicken over direct heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side just before serving to char the skin, but this is optional. Serve chicken on a platter, with lime wedges on the side.