Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan

Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan

R is for Robust! #BlogchatterA2Z

Punjab, known as the land of milk and honey, boast of their robust and healthy physiques; so i named this as Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan! basically, we Punjabis have a robust appetite. our food is also like us; simple, ample and hearty with no added frills or exotic trimmings. tandoori cooking is endorsed as one of the most popular cuisines throughout the world.

What is a Tandoor?

huge clay ovens are half-buried in the ground and heated with a coal or wood fire lit below it. the smoky flavour in the food is intoxicating and food is roasted evenly and perfectly in the almost 500 degrees temperature inside marinated chunks of paneer, fish, chicken or meat is roasted in it on skewers. of course, the rotis and naans too are cooked in this earthen and they turn out smoky and scrumptious. tandoori roti or naan is leavened bread which is stuck on the inside of the tandoor and roasted till done. once the coal died down, urad dal was left in the tandoor to cook slowly on the embers.

punjabi cuisine does not have delicate flavors. the marinades and gravies are powerful and aromatic with the masalas cooked with copious amounts of desi ghee.most of the breads and curries are served dollops of butter or cream.

Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan in the OTG

i do not have a tandoor so i grill the chicken in my otg and the naan in a wok. busy schedules and urban life have given a backseat to the clay tandoor and we now have to make do with an oven or gas grills. they are no match to the original tandoori dishes. but marinated and roasted in the oven, tandoori chicken or any kebabs are healthy as they consume less oil .the chicken cooks well and the meat is succulent.

tangri kebab is eaten as a starter with onion rings and mint chutney of your choice and if you like it tangy then with a dash of lime. my husband was a total foodie and i learnt many dishes to satiate his taste buds. my son was a chip of the old block and loved good food. my daughter did not like spicy food and that is the reason why tangri kebabs were something that she relished. now my grandsons are here and they love the tandoori chicken i dish out.

Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan

tandoori chicken is easy to make and barely takes any time to cook.just marinate the chicken in a basic ginger-garlic paste, thick hung curd, a dash of lemon, 2 spoons of gram flour and spices of your choice. marinate for a few hours and grill it in the oven. the robust tandoori chicken recipe is ready! Serve it with this instant naan for a complete meal.

For the vegetarians there is this Paneer Tikka which is similar.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken legs (includes the thigh and drumstick)

2 cups thick hung curd

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp red chili powder

2 tbsp gramflour

salt to taste

oil for basting

pinch of orange-red food color(optional)

onion rings

lemon wedges

silver foil

METHOD

firstly, n a bowl, whisk the curd, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilli powder and red food colour. make gashes on the chicken drumsticks. marinate them in this paste. cover them fully.

now keep aside for 2 hours or more.Even overnight in the fridge

consequently,heat an oven at 100 degrees.

next, place a sheet of foil on the grilling rack in the oven to prevent dripping marinade. this saves you from having to scrape it later.

subsequently, place the chicken legs on the grilling rack and put it in the oven. baste the legs with oil before putting in the oven. roast the chicken till nice and done at 300 degrees

flip the legs and baste again. when Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan is done, transfer to a serving plate.

finally, mix a pinch of salt, chilli powder and garam masala. sprinkle this over the grilled, juicy, succulent and tender chicken legs and serve hot with onion rings, mint chutney and lemon wedges.

wrap the fringed foil strip over the edges for easy grasp and a professional touch.

instant butter naan

the regular naan is made with flour, yoghurt, yeast, eggs or baking soda.it needs to be kept aside for a couple of hours to rise.

Instant Naan

 i found my own way to make instant naans and it really works fine. i take a bottle of unflavored soda pop to knead the dough. the dough rises fast and makes fluffy naans.

INGREDIENTS

½ kg flour

1 tsp sugar

Butter

1 tsp salt

Bottle of unflavored soda pop

1 tsp kalonji or onion seeds

METHOD

firstly,sift the flour and the salt, add the sugar and make a well in the centre.

Now, make a dough with the soda and cover with a damp cloth. set aside for 10 minutes. 

subsequently,heat a big heavy kadhai (wok) and heat it nicely.

Next, roll out like a naan or a roti and place it in the kadhai. 

you can make 4 naan at a time. flip the naan once.

let it rise on an open flame. remove from fire.

finally, liberally brush some butter and serve with the Robust Tandoori Chicken with Instant Naan. Naan can be served with dal makhani or any curry. hope you are enjoying my series on easy chicken recipes.