Tandoori chicken with Mint Coriander relish

Welcome to the Punjabi Tandoori Grill Party with Tandoori chicken with Mint Coriander relish and  a sneak peek into my Rose Lavender Garden !!

It’s Summer and so is barbecuing!! We have been grilling for cooking few meals and at the same time enjoying the sunshine in our garden! Last weekend I decided to grill few Indian recipes in BBQ while making the most of the glorious weather with my much loved ones. And the first thing that popped up in my mind was to do a Tandoori Platter with Tandoori chicken with Mint coriander relish and Tandoori paneer tikka, and finish off with Masala Chaas or Spiced Buttermilk for the cooling effect before indulging into the dessert, Rice Kheer!! These recipes are also perfect for the blog hop theme “Regional Indian Cuisine-Punjabi cuisine”!! Have you checked out my introductory post on Punjabi cuisine and its cultural heritage, if not click here.

Tandoori chicken  is a dish originating from Indian Subcontinent. It is widely popular in South Asia, Middle Eastern and Western Countries. It consists of roasted chicken prepared with yoghurt and various spices. The name comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in which the dish is traditionally prepared. Today’s share of  Tandoori chicken with Mint coriander relish is my version with mostly homemade spices and grilled on my Weber gas grill.

What is Tandoori?

Most people seem to think that Tandoori is a recipe. Like many of the world’s great dishes this is actually a cooking method that has become synonymous with the food that is prepared. Tandoori is nothing but a marinated meat cooked over an intense fire in a tandoor. A tandoor is a clay oven in which a hot fire is build. Marinated meats are lowered into the oven on long metal skewers and cooked in this smoky and extremely hot environment until done.

Have you ever wondered who, where and when the world famous Indian Tandoori Chicken was created?

Like most great recipes, Tandoori Chicken has an interesting story. It starts in the 1920s while India was still under the british rule. A man named Kundan Lal Gujral decided to open a restaurant called Moti Mahal (which means Palace of Pearls) in Peshawer. Experimenting with new and interesting food preparations, Gujral decided to try cooking chicken in the tandoors–clay ovens–used by local villagers to cook bread. The earthenware ovens were bell-shaped and set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal.

Typically a tandoor is dug into the ground or built into an enclosure. The real secret is that heat can only escape it through to top. The direct heat of the fire is reflected by the ceramic sides intensifying the heat and creating a cooking. They could reach temperatures of about 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Using young chickens, Gujral was able to cook them in the high-heat ovens so that the inside was just done and the outside was crispy with a coal taste.

In 1947, the Punjab province of British India was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining Pakistan and Western India. Peshawer, with its Muslim majority, became part of Pakistan. Gujral found himself one among many Sikh and Hindu refugees fleeing the rioting and upheaval by heading West to India. He moved his restaurant to Daryaganj, Delhi. As chance would have it, the move into the newly independent India would make Gujral’s chicken an international phenomenon.

This crispy cooked chicken caught the attention of the Indian  Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who ate this at Moti Mahal and was so impressed by the unique textures and flavour of the tandoori chicken that he held many state banquets at Moti Mahal. Many foreign dignitaries had also enjoyed Tandoori Chicken. The relationship between the restaurant and the leaders of India lasted through several generations of Prime Ministers.

Gujral was one of lakhs of refugees in the capital and many of them set up little food stalls to make out a living. But he was more ambitious than the rest and he turned Moti Mahal into India’s most successful restaurant on the basis of his tandoori chicken. For good or bad, Gujral’s son has launched Moti Mahal into an international chain.

Source of Info: Wikipedia and various mixed sources on the Internet.

Back to the recipe, Now you don’t need to build a clay oven to still get great tasting Tandoori chicken with Mint coriander relish – your charcoal grill or gas grill will work just fine. The key is a very hot, dry fire. The chicken must cook just until the centre is warm enough and the outside should crisp sealing the juices.

Hope you enjoy my version of the Tandoori chicken with Mint coriander relish recipe!!

Step-by-Step Process in making Tandoori Chicken with Mint Coriander relish:

Though the ingredient list looks to be lengthy, they are mostly common ingredients available in the pantry. The process is simple and involves following main steps-

1. Cleaning the chicken and making incissions
2. Preparing first marinade
3. Marinating chicken with first marinade (30 minutes)
4. Preparing second marinade
5. Marinating chicken with second marinade (4 to 5 hours or Overnight)
6. Finally grilling the chicken

1. Cleaning the chicken and making incisions:

• Remove the skin, possible fat from the chicken thighs and wash well
• Make incisions in the flesh and at the joints of the chicken thighs with a sharp knife as shown below and set aside.

2. Preparing First Marinade:

• In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients under the list “First marinade” and stir well to a paste.

3. Marinating chicken with First Marinade (30 minutes):

• Now rub the above paste onto the chicken and also into the slits. Coat the chicken well with the first marinade.
• Transfer the chicken to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to marinate.

4. Preparing Second Marinade:

• For the Second Marinade, put all the ingredients under the list “Second marinade” one after the other in a bowl and stir well.
• First add all the dry ingredients to the yoghurt, mix well and then add ginger garlic paste. Finally add finely chopped mint and coriander and give it a nice stir.

5. Marinating chicken with second marinade (4 to 5 hours or Overnight):

• After 30 minutes of first marination, add the chicken thighs one by one into the bowl with second marinade and toss so that all the pieces are well coated with the yoghurt marinate.

• Cover the bowl again and put it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours to marinate. Overnight marination works great as all the flavours are infused well into the tender chicken meat.

6. Finally grilling to make Tandoori Chicken With Mint Coriander Relish:

• You can either make the Tandoori chicken in the traditional way in a clay oven, which is highly impossible for many of us or use a gas grill or charcoal grill or in an oven.
• I usually do it on a grill (during summer) or a normal oven (during winters). Today I’m using my Weber gas grill for this.
• Preheat the grill to 200 degree celsius and place the chicken thighs over the grill and close the lid and cook turning sides in between till the chicken is cooked and you get a nice charred crisp layer.

• Place the chicken onto the grill racks and allow it to cook covered for 20 minutes on the first side.
• Baste the chicken often. Turn it and allow it to cook for about ten minutes on the second side or until it is done.
• Note that these times are suggestions, the actual cooking time will depend on the grill temperature.

NOTE: If using an Oven, preheat the oven to 200 degree celsius. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until almost cooked through. Towards the end slightly increase the temperature to get a charred and crisp outer layer, Baste with butter and cook for 8 more minutes. The time depends on the size of the chicken pieces and the temperature. If you cut them to smaller pieces, it takes lesser time. So please be careful in estimating the doneness. Personally, I would suggest you to cut each chicken thigh to 2 or 3 pieces if using an oven.

• Sprinkle with chaat masala (optional) and serve Tandoori Chicken With Mint coriander Relish with onion rings and lemon wedges. You can use all your favourites to garnish and serve.

Print Recipe

Tandoori chicken with Mint Coriander relish

Marinated overnight in a spicy yoghurt sauce with herbs and then grilled, this tender tandoori chicken with mint coriander relish has incredible depth of flavour.

Prep Time6 hours hrs

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer/Maincourse

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Padma

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken thighs cleaned, de-skinned and washed
• First Marinate:
• 2 Tablespoons Red chilli powder or Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 Tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon oil Use mustard oil if possible
• 1 teaspoon salt or as required
• Second Marinate:
• 2 Cups thick Yoghurt or Hung curd
• 2 Tablespoons Red chilli powder or Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 2 Tablespoons Ginger garlic paste
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons Lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Tandoori masala available in any Indian store (optional)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Oil Use mustard oil if possible
• 1 to 1½ Tablespoons salt or as required Please check to your taste
• ½ cup fresh coriander finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves finely chopped
• For Garnish:
• 1 Onion
• 1 to 2 Lemon cut into wedges
• Few carrots peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon Chaat masala optional

Instructions

• Remove the skin, possible fat from the chicken thighs and wash well
• Make incisions in the flesh and at the joints of the chicken thighs with a sharp knife as shown below and set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients under the list “First marinade” and stir well to a paste.
• Now rub the above paste onto the chicken and also into the slits. The chicken must be coated well with the first marinade.
• Transfer the chicken to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to marinate.
• For the Second Marinade, put all the ingredients under the list “Second marinade” one after the other in a bowl and stir well.
• First add all the dry ingredients to the yoghurt, mix well and then add ginger garlic paste. Finally add finely chopped mint and coriander and give it a nice stir.
• After 30 minutes of first marination, add the chicken thighs one by one into the bowl with second marinade and toss so that all the pieces are well coated with the yoghurt marinate.
• Cover the bowl again and put it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours to marinate. Overnight marination works great as all the flavours are infused well into the tender chicken meat.
• You can either make the Tandoori chicken in the traditional way in a clay oven, which is highly impossible for many of us or use a gas grill or charcoal grill or in an oven.
• I usually do it on a grill (during summer) or a normal oven (during winters). Today I’m using my Weber gas grill for this.
• Preheat the grill to 200 degree celsius and place the chicken thighs over the grill and close the lid and cook turning sides in between till the chicken is cooked and you get a nice charred crisp layer.
• Place the chicken onto the grill racks and allow it to cook covered for 20 minutes on the first side.
• Baste the chicken often. Turn it and allow it to cook for about ten minutes on the second side or until it is done.
• Note that these times are suggestions--actual cooking time will depend on the grill temperature.
• NOTE: If using an Oven, preheat the oven to 200 degree celsius. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until almost cooked through. Towards the end slightly increase the temperature to get a charred and crisp outer layer, Baste with butter and cook for 8 more minutes. The time depends on the size of the chicken pieces and the temperature. If you cut them to smaller pieces, it takes lesser time. So please be careful in estimating the doneness. Personally, I would suggest you to cut each chicken thigh to 2 or 3 pieces if using an oven.
• Sprinkle with chaat masala (optional) and serve Tandoori Chicken With Mint coriander Relish with onion rings and lemon wedges. You can use all your favourites to garnish and serve.

Notes

1. Adjust spice levels with red chilli powder to suit your taste.
2. You can skip tandoori masala, in case you do not have. It tastes great even without it.
3. The trick lies in marination so that the flavour of the spices and the herbs must get as deep inside the chicken thighs as possible. So the longer you marinate, the better!! Overnight marination is best for meat.
4. Preheat the grill before placing the Chicken on the grill.
5. Cook the chicken covered.
6. Baste the chicken often.
7. Note that the times given are suggestions, the actual cooking time will depend on the grill temperature and the size of the meat.
8. You can play with the ingredient quantities to suit your taste.

Try out the Tandoori Platter  with Tandoori Chicken with Mint Coriander Relish and  Tandoori Paneer Tikka with Grilled Veggies. You can enjoy tandoori platter as it is or you can have with any Indian bread like Roti or Paratha and finally cool yourself with Masala Chaas or Spiced buttermilk before indulging yourself into the dessert Rice Kheer to complete the Punjabi Tandoori Grill Party with a sneak peek into my Rose Lavender Garden !!

Stay Tuned for more recipes from the Punjabi Cuisine!!

Happy Cooking 🙂

Cheers!!

Padma