Delhi is heaven for Tandoori lovers. Almost in every corner of this city you will find small shops of tandoors with plenty of veg and non veg options. From the small glass windows you can see hanging marinated chicken or paneer or other marinated stuffs which are ready to be baked in a large charcoal clay oven. Any of these grilled items coming right from the oven can be your first choice as dinner in the chilled nights of Delhi’s winter.

Besides that, restaurants are also available with plenty of options. Whenever we wish to have something in tandoor we usually order for Afghani Tandoori Chicken. The most I like about the white coated tandoori chicken with the burnt brown edges is its tenderness. As it remains marinated in fresh cream, the flavour of malai gets soaked with the chicken pieces getting soft and tender. This post is my hands on the Afghani chicken prepared in the oven which you can try too without much trouble. Although you may miss the smell of charcoal in this recipe, it’s still worth of trying.

Ingredients to serve 3-4 :

1. Chicken (cut into medium size pieces) – 1 Kg.
2. Ginger – garlic paste – 1 teaspoon heaped (1″ ginger piece & 7-8 small garlic cloves)
3. Hung curd – 150 gm.
4. Fresh Cream – 150 ml.
5. Cashew nut (4-5) & Green chili (2) paste
6. White pepper powder – 1 teaspoon
7. Garam masala powder – 1 teaspoon
8. Corn flour – 1 tbspoon (optional)
9. White vinegar – 1 teaspoon
10. Lemon juice – 1 tbspoon
11. Cooking oil – 3-4 tbspoon

Procedure :

Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients listed above except cooking oil and leave for 5-6 hours or over night.

Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the marinated chicken for 10-15 minutes over low to medium flame till it becomes tender.

Then take the chicken out from the pan and arrange on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil (grease the foil with butter before placing the chicken on to it).

Now get back to the frying pan and thicken the remaining gravy almost to a paste on high flame. As oil starts separating from the mixture put the flame off.

Now coat the chicken piece with this thick gravy on the baking tray and leave for 10 minutes.

Mean while preheat your oven at 250ºC.

Now bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes till brown colour appears at the top of the chicken pieces.

Take out them from the oven and transfer on a serving plate.

Pore some extra fresh cream on the grilled chicken and serve with salad or green chutney.

Note :

If you don’t have oven at your kitchen then do the grill part directly at your gas oven. Skew up the chicken in a metal/ wooden stick and bake it till chicken gets a golden brown crust.