Tandoori Chicken

Not Sirius

Since the BGE bears some similarity to the Indian Tandoor clay oven, I was wondering whether any of you have taken advantage of the BGE's high heat capabilities to make a traditional Tandoori chicken or chicken tikka. My understanding is that the oven is cranked up to a high temperature (about 800 F), then the lower vent is closed for the actual cooking. I'm interested in trying it and would appreciate any advice.[p]Phil

gdenby

Not Sirius,[p]The info I came across said about 600 in a tandoor, but didn't describe how the chicken was placed inside. I guessed that going direct on a raised grid at 500 might be a safe approximation. The results were O.K. at that setting. The chicken did not have the small areas of scorch marks that the local Indian restaurants have on their tandoori chicken.[p]What had the most effect was the spice mix, and the amount of marinade left on the chicken. I tried making my own blend based on various recipes. When I found an imported paste from India, and left a good bit of the yoghurt/paste marinade on the chicken, it came out better than any previous attempt. The flavor was excellent, and it was almost as red as the restaurant offerings.[p]gdenby[p]

Not Sirius

gdenby,
Thanks for the information. I'll give it a try in the near future. As for where to place the chicken...I've seen illustrations that show the chicken sections placed on a skewer, one end of which rests on a ledge toward the bottom of the tandoor very close to the charcoal. I think I'd better stick to direct on a grid, raised or otherwise.[p]Phil

Unknown

Not Sirius,[p]Here is one I did recently. Next time will do around 450-500F.[p]Chicken, Pieces, Tandoori, Richard


[p]INGREDIENTS:
20-30 Pieces Chicken, Skin on of off, your choice
2-3 Cups PLAIN Yogurt
4-6 Tbs Tandoori Paste, PATAK'S Spicy Ginger & Garlic, Marinade & Grill Sauce




Procedure:
Marinade:
1 Take the chicken pieces and score deep cuts into the meat to allow the tandoori marinade to penetrate the meat.
2 Mix the yogurt and tandoori paste together, about 2 parts yogurt and 1 part tandoori sauce, and spoon into the cuts and all over. Place in a non-reactive container, I used a gallon ziploc bag.
3 Place in refrigerator 8 hours, overnight is OK but not longer. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking and let come to room temperature.
Cooking:
1 Set large BGE up indirect, plate setter legs up, got BGE to 400°F w/ apple wood for smoke, and placed the chicken in the BGE. Had 2 full size grills with the chicken layed out over the aluminum mesh from Wally World. Keeps things from falling down.
2 Temperature dropped to 250°F, due to mass of cold meat. Got back to 400°F and let cook for 45 minutes.
3 After 45 minutes removed the indirect set-up and cooked all on one grill another 25 minutes direct at 350°F. Pulled when the breasts reached 160°F and the thighs/drumsticks 170°F.
4 Served with split red lentil soup and french fries with curry sauce. Yes, Curry Sauce, not bad.


Yield: 6-8 Servings
Cooking time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Recipe Type
Main Dish, Poultry

Recipe Source
Source: BGE Forum, Richard FL, 10/21/07

Not Sirius

Richard Fl,
Sounds like a good recipe. Thanks.[p]Phil

Little Steven

Not Sirius,I've done Tandoori legs before but not at those temps. Someone did a nice Tandoori chicken at Eggtoberfest but I can't remember who. Might be in the recipe book.Steve