Barbecue tandoori-style chicken

“This is a truly delicious way to eat chicken whether it is sunny or not. There are no tricks except a long marinating time and the chicken becomes really juicy. If you like the red of tandoori chicken, you can add some food colouring to the marinade, but I prefer the flavours as they are and don’t miss the colour so I’ll leave it to you. I serve this with the green herb chutney.” Anjum Anand, Anjum's Australian Spice Stories

Credit: Anjum’s Australian Spice Stories

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 6 skinless chicken thighs on the bone, legs or both (depending on size)
• pinch of chaat masala (optional)  
• lemon wedges and green herb, to serve

Marinade

• 120 g full-fat plain yoghurt
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 15 g ginger, peeled  
• ½-¾ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
• 1 heaped tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Marinating time 4 hours or overnight, if time permits

Instructions

Using a large sharp knife, slash the chicken 3 times down to the bone at the thickest parts of the chicken to allow the marinade to get in and to allow for quicker and more even cooking.  

To make the marinade, place all ingredients in a jug and use a stick blender to combine until smooth. Pour into a large bowl, add the chicken and stir to coat well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight if time permits.

Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat a barbecue grill to a medium high or a fan-forced oven to 220ºC. Cook the chicken on the barbeque, turning often, for 20- 25 minutes or until charred and cooked through. Alternatively, place on a baking tray and cook on the middle shelf of the oven for the same amount of time. When ready, sprinkle with a little chaat masala and serve with lemon wedges and green herb chutney.

Anjum's Australian Spice Stories starts Monday 4 April 2016 on Food Network Australia. Visit the program page for recipes and more.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.