Tandoori Chicken on the BGEToday ??? Help !!

Unknown · June 2006

I hava a 4+ lb Sanderson Farms whole chicken to cook today and would like to get as close to a 'true' tandoori result as possible in the BGE. Seasonings, etc., are readily available, but I'm hoping a dedicated BGE cook can offer some setup, temp, and time info that will produce as authentic a result as possible. [p]

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2006

Tom B (EggSport),
mr. earl makes a superb tandoori chicken on the egg. ..hopefully he'll weigh in. ..

Unknown · June 2006

mad max beyond eggdome,[p] I hope so too !! Thanks for a solid reference .... I'll also try to check his past posts.[p]Regards,
Tom B (EggSport)[p]

fishlessman · June 2006

Tom B (EggSport),
cant say how true it came out, but spatchcocked with heavey slashes across the breast and leggs works well with a raised direct setup. the one i tried with the skin still on seemed to be better than skin off. i tried it with breast only once and it really got dry.

Saucy Sue · June 2006

Tom B (EggSport), Here is one from a past post:[p]
TANDOORI(meaning grilled) CHICKEN

A recipe passed down from my Athelli family in India..spicey and lowfatFor a small family size meal.
[p]3-4 chicken legs and or thighs...skinned and trimmed...
1 cup of plain low fat yogurt
4 cloves of minced FRESH garlic
1 tblspn of finely chopped fresh Ginger root
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 RED PEPPER...this is the spice factor....more for hotter if you like.
3 tblspns of white vinegar
1 tblspn of ground coriander
1 tblspn of ground CUmin
1 tsp of coarse salt
3 cardamoms...crushed or powdered.
1 tblspoon of lemon juice
fresh limes for serving after cooked.

1 Mix all ingredients except chicken in a large bowl. Make a few deep incisions into chicken pieces with a knife. ( note: marinade can stain...uses some older towels for clean up.) place chicken pieces in bowl and fold to make sure all pieces are well covered. Cover bowl with foil or wrap and let sit at least 8 hours or overnight. Grill pieces on a very low heat setting. brush marinade on chicken while grilling. May take up to an hour to cook. Brush chicken with clarified butter as a final touch to grilling. Be careful not to dry out chicken....if you need to, squirt water on them as they grill with a spray bottle.( a trick that works good for all slow cooked meats on the grill..)
2 Serve hot from grill with fresh Lime quarters....squeeze some lime over every bite for an added enjoyment. Traditionally served with hot steamed rice for special occasions.
3 This will get you darn close to our recipe..but there is a family secret that I cant tell you about.. something special in the butter mixture..

Recipe Source
Author: Posted by Catfish Athelli

Unknown · June 2006

fishlessman,[p] I hope this can really work .... I did my first spatchcocked chicken two weeks ago and it was not bad. I can try slashing as you describe and with the classic seasonings. [p] Many thanks for the idea![p]Tom B (EggSport)

katman · June 2006

Tom B (EggSport),
Drumsticks and thighs work best, but use what you got. I use a spice mix made by an outfit called Sharwood (I think that spelling is correct). It's pretty good. Cut the chick into pieces, remove skin and do a little slashing, and mix the spices with yogurt, lemon and a little oil. Put it all together in a plastic bag, seal, and set in frig for about 8 hours. Cook direct in the egg at about 350. I'm sure you can google for spices if you can't find Sharwood.[p] After doing the chicken, try some tandoori salmon.

aka mr. Earl · June 2006

Tom B (EggSport),[p]Okay, here's the deal.
this is from the 'new recipes' section of the bge board.[p]This is adapted from a Julie Sahni tandoori cornish hen recipe (Moghul Microwave, p. 113). The spices are more intense than her standard recipe, perhaps to compensate for the microwave. I have increased some ingredients to get the right quantity and substituted others for convenience or taste.[p]Ingredients:
• 16 drumsticks • 1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds
• 4 tsp yellow food coloring • 2 tsp ground roasted coriander seeds
• 2 tsp rred food coloring • half tsp cinnamon (or 1 tsp ground cardamom)
• 2 Tbs plain yoghurt • 1 tsp chipotle powder (or 1 tsp cayenne)
• 2 Tbs lemon juice • 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 Tbs crushed fresh ginger
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder (or 2 tsb ginger powder if no fresh avail)[p]Preparation Directions:
• 1. pull the skin off the drumsticks.
• 2. paint them with the food coloring. Warning: No matter what you do the food coloring will get on your hands, your clothes and your counter and stay there for a few days. If this is a problem, wear disposable gloves, an apron and cover your counter with newspaper. Also, the food coloring is optional. It does not affect the flavor, but it is a lot of fun and I think it is worth the trouble.
• 3. Mix the marinade. If you can't roast and grind your own cumin and coriander seeds, just use ground stuff from a Penzey's bottle.
• 4. Slash each drumstick, twice on opposite sides. You want the slashes deep enough so that the marinade penetrates the meat, but not so deep the meat falls off. I make one slash to the bone and the other three less deep.
• 5. Paint the marinade on the drumsticks. Make sure it gets into the slashes and in an many nooks and crannies as possible.
• 6. Marinate in the fridge from 2 to 24 hours. I shoot for 12 hours.[p]Cooking Directions:
• Normally you cook chicken on the Egg at temps below 400*. You want the insides moist and the outside crispy, crusty. The gamble with tandoori chicken is that the marinade will work so well, that you can get away with cooking at a high temp. If it works right, you get a crunchy crust and moist, almost steamed, insides.[p]1. Crank up the egg to 550*. JimW says you can always get the egg stable at 550* by opening the bottom vent all the way and leaving the swivel top on - open all the way.
• 2. Once you are at temp, throw on your favorite chips or chunks. At the fest I used a combination of pecan chips and an oak chunk. Fantastic.
• 3. Set up for a simple direct cook. Just throw the drumsticks (8 on a large) on the fire for seven minutes, then turn for seven more minutes.
• 4. Then check for doneness. If you have a really fast, instant read thermometer test each piece and see how close it is to 170* internal. If they are not done, turn again and go a few more minutes. (the longest I have gone is an added 7 minutes). If you do not use a thermometer, taste test one of the pieces, or just prick a piece and see if the juices run clear.[p]• 6. Serve with lemon wedges and a nice, cool, yoghurt-based salsa.
• [p][p]

Unknown · June 2006

Saucy Sue,[p] Hey !! ... this is great! I can follow your recipe and maybe even marinade the spatchcocked chicken in a large bag .. with the slashes as suggested. Either way, I feel good about getting close to the 'real thing'. [p] I'll scratch my head about the secret butter ingredient ..... [p] Maybe I can even do a Naan copy plus some Basmati rice.[p]Thank-you much![p]Tom B (EggSport)

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2006

aka Mr. Earl,
i can attest... this is some damn good stuff!!!!!!

Unknown · June 2006

katman,
Salmon is about the only really decent fresh fish we get here in my area so we enjoy a lot of it. I never thought to try the Indian preparation as a fun variation.[p]Thanks much![p]Tom B (EggSport)

Unknown · June 2006

aka Mr. Earl,[p] I like the high temp alternative and guidleines! My last spatchcock chicken went for 60 min. at 350*F and was just barely ok ... needed probably another 20 min. Even so, it would not have been close to crispy at that temp. Thanks also for the tips on slashing properly.[p] This is in time for first attempt late today (short marinade time) but is super for many more cooks this Summer.[p]Much appreciated![p]Tom B (EggSport)

aka mr. Earl · June 2006

Tom B. (EggSport),[p]so are you gonna tandoori an whole (spatchcocked) chicken? [p]Usually you want to do tandoori chicken in pieces, drumsticks, thighs, sections of breast....[p]

Unknown · June 2006

aka Mr. Earl,[p] Yes ... I know I am contradicting myself in terms of 'authentic' result ... but I think this is going to be close. [p] I slashed and pricked the entire top surface trying to follow the idea you described. It is now fully coated with the spices and yogurt and marinading. [p] I am planning to go high temp but using the grid extender to get the chicken up higher from the fire. Lump will be a mixture of BGE and Mexican mesquite with mesquite chunks and some pecan prunings (< 1-inch). I have some poultry (pecan, apple, chardonnay) smoking chips to toss in at the start but still pondering that.[p]Regards,
Tom B (EggSport)

Unknown · June 2006

Tom B. (EggSport),[p] My tandoori spatchcocked chicken was close to a disaster, but it was rescued, and a sub-par dinner resulted. The concept of the cook .... using pieces of thigh or drumstick ... was totally exploded by the spatchcocked whole chicken which was almost impossible to turn after the hot fire sealed it to the grid extender. We got it turned, lots of skin stuck, and it happened again when trying to turn it back.
At that point, I inserted a remote temp probe into the breast meat, closed dampers down to less than 1/2 inch, and cooked until internal temp came up to 170*F. Very little of the seasoning came thru when eating the drumsticks and wings (some breast meat attached). We will have some decent breast meat to enjoy as sandwiches tomorrow. [p] Now trying to salvage something from the hot fire by cooking a JD fatty for the next 3 hours. Oh well ......[p] Thanks to all who responded so quickly and provided valid info. I was just too inexperienced and hard-headed to back off and go a different direction.[p]
Tom B (EggSport)

Tandoori Chicken on the BGEToday ??? Help !!

Comments

Categories