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Tandoori Chicken

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Ozzie_Isaac
Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,164
in EggHead Forum
Anyone have good Tandoori recipie and cooking technique?

I tried 1 cup yogurt, 1 tbls lemon juice  and 3 Tbls of Tandoori seasoning from Penzeys.

I marinated breasts for 24hrs, flipping and massaging every 8.  I cooked direct at 450.  They were edible, but barely.  Breasts were dry and seasoning lackluster.  I pulled at 150 IT.
They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    Last time I did Tandoori chicken, I cooked them more or less vertical down on the coals. Try using thigh meat - more flavor and moisture. 







    fyi - I put red potato on the end placed on the coals in order to protect the first piece of chicken, knowing they would burn.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
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    I think @caliking  or @Canugghead are the go to's for tandoori
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    ... They were edible, but barely.  ...
    Barely?  I think you're being too optimistic on that score.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,164
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    Jeepster47 said:
    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    ... They were edible, but barely.  ...
    Barely?  I think you're being too optimistic on that score.
    Ouch.  At least I didn't dirty up my egg ;)
    They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin
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  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
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    Here are a few ideas:

    http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=490741&catid=1


    http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=721499&catid=1
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    @jtcboynton - i love that idea! That is an awesome way to approximate tandoori cooking in the egg. I am so stealing that :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • byrne092
    byrne092 Posts: 746
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    @jtcBoynton thats a cool idea, how did the potatoes turn out?
    XL, Medium BGE & Blackstone I XAR-Woo2 & Rig-BO I Flameboss 500

    St. Louis, MO
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    It has been a couple of years since I tried to use the Egg as a tandoor. My recollection is that a tandoor usually is quite hot, about 600F. The first couple of times I tried, I didn't go that high, and the results were disappointing. There should be some char on the meat.

    I had some results that were pretty good when I cooked hotter, left a lot of the yogurt sauce on, and bought a tandoori paste from an Indian grocery. Don't know what the secret ingredient is, but the Indian formula was distinctly better.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    I'll offer my $0.02 from my own observations - 

    Bone-in meat works best for me. I usually do thighs and drumsticks. The type/brand of yogurt you use can make a difference, as well as the time the meat marinates in the yogurt. I used to get sub-par results with Greek-style yogurt, and marinating for more than 6hrs made the meat texture weird. 

    I just recently (like 2 weeks ago) dialed in my tandoori chicken. Little Steven and @Canugghead gave me a tandoori  rub and  tikka rub a couple of years ago. They are available in Canada, and in the US as Kisna brand I think.
    http://kissan.ca/kissan-signature-spice-blends-2/

    For about 6 chicken quarters, I add 1 TBSP of each rub, ginger paste,  garlic paste (fresh tastes even better), 2 TBSP mayo, a little extra cayenne to taste and 1 cup of yogurt. I use this one:
    http://www.whitemountainfoods.com/

    Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Skin the chicken. Make gashes down to the bone in the chicken pieces - maybe 2 gashes per side per thigh piece, 1 gash per side per leg piece. Add the marinade and mix well to coat all pieces. Rub the marinade into the gashes too. Marinade for 4-6 hrs. 

    Fire up the egg to 425-450°F with a foil pan under the chicken. Add a light dusting of tandoori rub when you put the chicken on the grid. Flip the chicken after about 10-15mins. Once the chicken hits about 160°F, remove the foil pan from below and let the chicken char a bit (individual taste varies), flipping once to get both sides. Pull and let the chicken rest for 5-10 mins. I like to squeeze some lime juice and chaat masala on the chicken before serving. Check your local Indian store for the rubs and chaat masala (MDH brand is the best).

    Enjoy!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    Here's a recent cook:


    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    byrne092 said:
    @jtcBoynton thats a cool idea, how did the potatoes turn out?
    Put the potatoes on just for spacers not expecting they would survive. After removing the burnt skin the inside was actually cooked fine.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,164
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    @caliking and @jtcBoynton thanks for all the pointers!  Gonna give it another shot.

    So I marinated to long, used the wrong yogurt, and didn't go high enough on the heat.  Time to scratch the last go and try again.
    They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    caliking said:
    @jtcboynton - i love that idea! That is an awesome way to approximate tandoori cooking in the egg. I am so stealing that :)
    You can see the skewers sticking out past the potatoes. They were down in the coals. You can see one skewer is bent. It wasn't at the start. Hot enough to soften up the metal enough to bend.  Next time the potatoes will be at the very ends of the skewers.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    jtcBoynton said:

    caliking said:
    @jtcboynton - i love that idea! That is an awesome way to approximate tandoori cooking in the egg. I am so stealing that :)
    You can see the skewers sticking out past the potatoes. They were down in the coals. You can see one skewer is bent. It wasn't at the start. Hot enough to soften up the metal enough to bend.  Next time the potatoes will be at the very ends of the skewers.
    I used potatoes at the end of the skewer in my tandoor. They taste phenomenal at the end since they have marinade and chicken drippings all over them. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    @caliking and @jtcBoynton thanks for all the pointers!  Gonna give it another shot.

    So I marinated to long, used the wrong yogurt, and didn't go high enough on the heat.  Time to scratch the last go and try again.
    If you search the forum, you should find some threads about  @Dave_Matthews tandoori cooks. He tried a bunch of pastes, etc available in the stores and reported back. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Dave_Matthews
    Dave_Matthews Posts: 204
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    Thanks for the mention caliking, I am still cooking on the BGE, but work is getting in the way.  I have one or two different cooks to work before I get back to tandoori.  But the next tandoori will be Hot and Fast!
    no, not -that- one!
    KI4PSR
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,551
    edited June 2015
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    My recipe/technique are very similar to @caliking 's, after all I imitated him  :) 
    This video is also highly recommended:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM_Auw9wq-Y

    canuckland
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  • anish3232
    anish3232 Posts: 35
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    I will have to get with my wife, as she does the tandoori marinade for chicken.  But I know she uses a Shaan Tandoori Packet, Yogurt, Lemon, Salt, Fresh Ginger, Fresh Garlic, Fresh Indian Chilis (Green), Patak's Vindaloo Paste & Tandoori Paste to start.  She also gets dried cilantro, a little turmeric (for color), dried ground red chili powder, lemon juice, and some other things she get's from her mom.  I will post up the recipe soon.

    Here are some pictures from the last time we made it (7/4/15).  This was before I got my green egg.  Sorry, but do not have any pics of the final product.  But it was dam good.

    Lexington, KY
    Large Green Egg July 2015 - Custom Granite & Stucco Table
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    @anish3232 - howdy and welcome!

    I'm going to try your wife's version some time - the flavors sound great. And that's a very well composed grill pic (even if it is on a gasser!)

    Where are you located? I have used the Shaan tandoori masala many many times and liked it. If you can find it, try the Kisna/Kissan brand tandoori masala. Less salt than Shaan, and the spice flavors shine through nicely. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,164
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    @anish3232 that looks great!  Welcome and thanks for sharing.
    They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin
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  • anish3232
    anish3232 Posts: 35
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    caliking said:
    @anish3232 - howdy and welcome!

    I'm going to try your wife's version some time - the flavors sound great. And that's a very well composed grill pic (even if it is on a gasser!)

    Where are you located? I have used the Shaan tandoori masala many many times and liked it. If you can find it, try the Kisna/Kissan brand tandoori masala. Less salt than Shaan, and the spice flavors shine through nicely. 
    Located in Lexington, KY

    I have noticed that Shaan does use a lot of salt in their mixes (of all various types).  Unfortunately, we do not have much of a choice when it comes to Indian groceries.   Really just have 1 big Indian market in town.  My parents live in Nashville, so next time I go down, I will get some other brands.

    For veggies & chicken skewer (pictured next to the chicken legs), I use the Shaan Chicken Tikka BBQ Mix, it is awesome.  Just follow the directions on the back of the box.
    Lexington, KY
    Large Green Egg July 2015 - Custom Granite & Stucco Table
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  • dldawes1
    dldawes1 Posts: 2,208
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    anish3232..glad to see you caught up with caliking.  My mouth waters everytime he posts food porn on here.  

    I've never got to try tandoori yet, but I have saved everything that he has posted that I've came across. Now since you are here....I've got to add to my collection for my first tandoori cook !!!

    Can't wait...I love it. 

    Donnie Dawes - RNNL8 BBQ - Carrollton, KY  

    TWIN XLBGEs, 1-Beautiful wife, 1 XS Yorkie

    I'm keeping serious from now on...no more joking around from me...Meatheads !! 


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  • fljoemon
    fljoemon Posts: 757
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    @caliking .. I would love to try the Kisna/Kissan brand. I tried buying from here (http://kissan.ca/shop-now-usa/) but for a 3-pack it is $26.99 + shipping. I think that is outrageous especially since I can pick up a packet of the Shan Tandoori masala for $1.50/pack at the Indian store.

    Looks like I need to make some Canadian friends soon :-)
    LBGE & Mini
    Orlando, FL
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  • anish3232
    anish3232 Posts: 35
    edited July 2015
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    fljoemon said:
    @caliking .. I would love to try the Kisna/Kissan brand. I tried buying from here (http://kissan.ca/shop-now-usa/) but for a 3-pack it is $26.99 + shipping. I think that is outrageous especially since I can pick up a packet of the Shan Tandoori masala for $1.50/pack at the Indian store.

    Looks like I need to make some Canadian friends soon :-)
    Most of the time US (Indian Grocery Stores) get Shaan or MDH.  It usually runs $1.50-$2.00 a pack.
    Lexington, KY
    Large Green Egg July 2015 - Custom Granite & Stucco Table
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    fljoemon said:
    @caliking .. I would love to try the Kisna/Kissan brand. I tried buying from here (http://kissan.ca/shop-now-usa/) but for a 3-pack it is $26.99 + shipping. I think that is outrageous especially since I can pick up a packet of the Shan Tandoori masala for $1.50/pack at the Indian store.

    Looks like I need to make some Canadian friends soon :-)
    That's steep!

    Don't get me wrong - I've turned out a lot of good grub with Shaan mixes (BGE + nonBGE). They are even available at my local HEB and Kroger. You can't beat that for availability.

    I found the Kisna brand rubs in Indian stores the last time I visited my sister in Michigan. Maybe I'll grab some to share the next time I go visit. 

    @anish3232  - how are the MDH tandoori mixes? I haven't tried those before, but we use other MDH stuff.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • fljoemon
    fljoemon Posts: 757
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    @caliking .. lately I have been using Saras Tandoori Masala. It is available at my local Indian store and it has better flavor than Shan ... I mix it with some additional Kashmiri chili powder to give it the color and the taste is really good.  Highly recommend it if you can find it or I can send you some to try.



    LBGE & Mini
    Orlando, FL
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  • anish3232
    anish3232 Posts: 35
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    caliking said:
    fljoemon said:
    @caliking .. I would love to try the Kisna/Kissan brand. I tried buying from here (http://kissan.ca/shop-now-usa/) but for a 3-pack it is $26.99 + shipping. I think that is outrageous especially since I can pick up a packet of the Shan Tandoori masala for $1.50/pack at the Indian store.

    Looks like I need to make some Canadian friends soon :-)
    That's steep!

    Don't get me wrong - I've turned out a lot of good grub with Shaan mixes (BGE + nonBGE). They are even available at my local HEB and Kroger. You can't beat that for availability.

    I found the Kisna brand rubs in Indian stores the last time I visited my sister in Michigan. Maybe I'll grab some to share the next time I go visit. 

    @anish3232  - how are the MDH tandoori mixes? I haven't tried those before, but we use other MDH stuff.


    MDH for sure is easier on the salt.  I use MDH or Shaan, whichever is available or whatever the wife stocks up on.  My mom also brings a crap top of Indian mixes whenever she visits from Nashville.
    Lexington, KY
    Large Green Egg July 2015 - Custom Granite & Stucco Table
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
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    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    Anyone have good Tandoori recipie and cooking technique?

    Unfortunately I do not brother Ozzie. I have always wanted to get into tandoori cooking but just never have. Mostly due to time constraints. It's something that really interests me and I would to try it someday. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    I think I may end up making some tandoori chicken this weekend :) Thanks for the tips about other mixes @fljoemon and @anish3232

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • anish3232
    anish3232 Posts: 35
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    caliking said:
    I think I may end up making some tandoori chicken this weekend :) Thanks for the tips about other mixes @fljoemon and @anish3232
    First attempt of tandoori chicken on the green egg...


    Turned out fantastic, wish I made the marinade a little more spicier.
    Lexington, KY
    Large Green Egg July 2015 - Custom Granite & Stucco Table
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