I wanted to try the boiling the meat in brine method before grilling. So keeping up with my random thought process - I thought why not try the same with tandoori chicken as I don't have a tandoor nor a grill. So I mixed the chicken thighs with bones in the usual marinade, cooked them on stove for about 30 mins, just for the chicken to cook through. I did this a day ahead and refrigerated. For the next day lunch, I just charred them on a hot tawa / griddle and served it with some lime wedges and sliced onions. Since the cooked chicken releases water, there will be a considerable amount of curry which you can use for dipping naans or roti.
I found the chicken to be juicy and tender in spite of their size. There are other methods for making tandoori chicken, choose which seems easier and feasible for yourself.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs [with bones] - 4 pounds
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 3 nos
Garlic - 10 nos
Ginger - 1 inch square
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Yogurt - 3/4 cup
Kashmiri red chili powder - 3 tbsp
Hot red chili powder - 1 tsp [Optional]
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tbsp
Kasuri Methi [dried] - 2 tbsp
Lime juice - 1 tbsp
Salt - for taste
Oil - For grilling
Cooking
1. Chop the Onion, tomato, garlic, coriander leaves and ginger finely and add in a large pot.
2. Add the listed spices, salt, lime juice and yogurt into the pot and mix well. Add the washed and drained chicken into it and mix until all the chicken is well coated. Marinate for 30 mins.
3. Cover and cook the marinated chicken on stove for about 30 mins or until the chicken is just cooked through on medium heat. Check in between to make sure the bottom of the pot does not get burnt. Making it a day ahead helps the chicken to absorb the flavors well.
4. On a hot tawa / griddle with a little oil, char the chicken thighs on both sides according to your preference [about 3 to 4 mins on each side].
5. Use the left-over curry for dipping Naan/Roti.
Serve with wedges of lime and sliced Onion or with some raita.
