CHICKEN TIKKA/TANDOORI CHICKEN

I bought two cookery books , soon after marriage .One was Mrs. K M Mathew's and the other was Mrs. B F Varghese 's . Bought are excellent cookbooks and I have tried almost all of the recipes.

                                                           This recipe  is  from Mrs K M Mathew's Cookery book. The tandoori chicken  and Chicken Biriyani recipes  from her book , are  excellent.


INGREDIENTS

1. 24 chicken tenderloin pieces ( approximately 2  kg)
2. Lemon Juice - 6 Tbsp( less if you are cooking on stove)
3. Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
4. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
5. Thick Curd Or Yogurt - 5 Tbsp
6. Clove powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Cinnamon Powder - 1/4 tsp
9. 2 tsp garam masala
10. Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
11. Nutmeg Powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 Tbsp
13. Almond Powder or Walnut Powder - 2 Tbsp
14. Kasuri Methi - 2 Tbsp
15. 3-1/2 tsp salt , for grilling , less for stove top cooking

METHOD

• I have taken 24 chicken tenderloin pieces, thawed. Then cut into 3 finger width. Each tenderloin piece will yield 3 small pieces.

• Add all the Ingredients into the chicken pieces .

• Marinate well. If baking on skewers ,  soak about 12 bamboo skewers

• Pre- heat oven 400 degree farenheit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile string the breast pieces onto the skewers, a  maximum of 6 pieces on one. The pieces should not touch each other. Place all the the stringed skewers on a 9 by 13 inch cake pan. The skewers should not touch each other. I have used two such pans .Place the pans in the 2 and 4 racks of the oven.
  

• Bake for 20 minutes.

• Take the baked chicken by the skewers and place them on a plate.

• There will some marinade remaining in the bowl.Don't discard that.
  
• Chop some onion and capsicum of different colours.
  
• Suate the onions and capsicum  in 2 tbsp. of oil . Add 1/4 tsp each of cumin powder and garam masala powder.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Serve the chicken on the skewers as is. We always do that. OR for a more showy-off presentation, take small toothpicks and string the chicken and capsicum, onion combination alternately. Two pieces of chicken on one toothpick. OR String it on bigger skewers.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Tastes good with mint chutney and onion carrot salad.
  
  
   NOTES
• I powder almomds(no need to roast) in a mixie , and store it in a box in the freezer. Adding almond powder thickens the marinade.
• When using the conventional oven , at 400 degree F , the air is too hot , and after baking when I open the oven door  I stand by the side to  let the sudden whiff of hot  air pass by and then take the pans outside. Otherwise if I happen to face that whiff of air , my eyes starts to water and I get a slight headache , just for a few seconds. So its better to avoid that.