Basic Chicken marinade
Chicken curry or tandoori chicken are one the most popular dishes not only India but around the world. In India it is a treat that is the reason when chicken is cooked people take time and cook properly. Whether you are making tandoori chicken or chicken curry it is preferable to marinade the chicken. The yogurt based marinade is a traditional Indian marinade. The acid in the yogurt works to tenderize the meat. To prepare the marinade mixture, spices such as garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder and ginger, garlic and Kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves) are added to yogurt then clean chicken pieces are marinated in this mixture. Chicken always cleaned and skinned before adding in the marinade. The marinating of chicken can start the night before or the morning of cooking day. In fact the flavors will be best if the chicken sits in the yogurt mixture for at least 6 hours, giving the yogurt tenderizing powers a chance to work it’s magic.
Ingredient for marinade:
2 Pounds chicken pieces of your choice
1 Cup plain hung thick yogurt (Thick Greek style)
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Teaspoon red chili powder
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon garam masala or to your taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter or ghee
2 Teaspoon crushed kasoori Methi (Fenugreek leaves) –optional
1 Teaspoon red food Color (optional)
1 Teaspoon salt or to your taste
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2 Pounds chicken pieces of your choice
1 Cup plain hung thick yogurt (Thick Greek style)
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Teaspoon red chili powder
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon garam masala or to your taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter or ghee
2 Teaspoon crushed kasoori Methi (Fenugreek leaves) –optional
1 Teaspoon red food Color (optional)
1 Teaspoon salt or to your taste
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Chicken pieces
Yogurt
Garlic-minced
Butter-melted
Salt
|
Grated Ginger
Turmeric powder
Lemon juice
|
Red chili powder
Garam masala
Kasoori Methi
|
Directions to marinade chicken:
Tandoori chicken is usually made with skinless bone-in chicken pieces. The thick yogurt coating helps prevent the chicken meat from frying out, even without the protection of the fatty skin.
The chicken gets its characteristic red hue from either lots of fiery Chile or the addition of red food dye. We are not that big on food dyes here, so we’ve skipped it, but if you must have your chicken bright red, feel free to add a bit of red food dye to the marinade or add sufficient amount of Kashmiri chili powder which is not hot to the marinade, the mixture will have the tandoori color.
1. Remove the skin from the chicken legs and thighs (You can also buy
skinless Chicken pieces)
2. Wash chicken thoroughly under running tap water and keep them in a strainer
so that all the water drains out of the chicken otherwise marinade gets watery. (If you do not want to wash the chicken then you may skip it)
Tandoori chicken is usually made with skinless bone-in chicken pieces. The thick yogurt coating helps prevent the chicken meat from frying out, even without the protection of the fatty skin.
The chicken gets its characteristic red hue from either lots of fiery Chile or the addition of red food dye. We are not that big on food dyes here, so we’ve skipped it, but if you must have your chicken bright red, feel free to add a bit of red food dye to the marinade or add sufficient amount of Kashmiri chili powder which is not hot to the marinade, the mixture will have the tandoori color.
1. Remove the skin from the chicken legs and thighs (You can also buy
skinless Chicken pieces)
2. Wash chicken thoroughly under running tap water and keep them in a strainer
so that all the water drains out of the chicken otherwise marinade gets watery. (If you do not want to wash the chicken then you may skip it)
Chicken legs and thighs
Pull the skin out of the chicken pieces
Trim the fat out of chicken pieces
wash chicken pieces well
3. With a sharp knife prick the flesh of the chicken all over and make incisions
on the pieces. This helps the marinade to go all the way inside the chicken.
Place the chicken pieces in a plate.
on the pieces. This helps the marinade to go all the way inside the chicken.
Place the chicken pieces in a plate.
Make incisions in chicken pieces
Incision-ed chicken pieces
5. In a large bowl, add yogurt, grated ginger, minced garlic, salt, red chili
powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, red color (optional)
and oil or melted butter or ghee and mix them together and make a smooth
paste.
powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, red color (optional)
and oil or melted butter or ghee and mix them together and make a smooth
paste.
Add Yogurt & marinade ingredients
Add lemon juice
Add melted butter
Mix all the ingredients
6. Add chicken pieces in the marinade.
7. Pour some marinade into the cuts and mix chicken well in the marinade.
8. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 to 10 hour in the marinade or as
long as you have time until you cook chicken. The longer the meat is left in the
marinade the better, yogurt act as a tenderizer.
7. Pour some marinade into the cuts and mix chicken well in the marinade.
8. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 to 10 hour in the marinade or as
long as you have time until you cook chicken. The longer the meat is left in the
marinade the better, yogurt act as a tenderizer.
Add chicken pieces in marinade
Pour marinade over chicken & cuts
Mix Chicken in marinade
Cover the bowl
Chicken in marinade mixture
9. Thirty minutes before you are ready to cook, take the marinated chicken out
of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.
of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.
Tips:
1. For marinate thick hung yogurt is preferred otherwise marinate become watery and it would not coat the chicken. If you do not have thick yogurt, take plain yogurt, line a strainer with a cloth or a kitchen towel, put the strainer inside a mixing bowl. The bottom of the strainer must be suspended at least 1 inch above the bottom of the mixing bowl. Pour about 3 cups of yogurt in the strainer and place it in the refrigerator and leave it for 3 to 4 hours or until all the liquid has drips out of the cloth and into the bowl. Scoop out the yogurt and it is ready to be used. Strained yogurt should be thick and less than half the original volume.
2. You can even do quick marinade, just add all the ingredients in the yogurt mix and add chicken and leave it for whatever time you have. Thick yogurt stick to the chicken.
3. With marinated Chicken you can cook Tandori Chicken,
Chicken Curry
Chicken Tikka Masala
Butter Chicken
Chicken Korma
1. For marinate thick hung yogurt is preferred otherwise marinate become watery and it would not coat the chicken. If you do not have thick yogurt, take plain yogurt, line a strainer with a cloth or a kitchen towel, put the strainer inside a mixing bowl. The bottom of the strainer must be suspended at least 1 inch above the bottom of the mixing bowl. Pour about 3 cups of yogurt in the strainer and place it in the refrigerator and leave it for 3 to 4 hours or until all the liquid has drips out of the cloth and into the bowl. Scoop out the yogurt and it is ready to be used. Strained yogurt should be thick and less than half the original volume.
2. You can even do quick marinade, just add all the ingredients in the yogurt mix and add chicken and leave it for whatever time you have. Thick yogurt stick to the chicken.
3. With marinated Chicken you can cook Tandori Chicken,
Chicken Curry
Chicken Tikka Masala
Butter Chicken
Chicken Korma
Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.
Thank you
Geeta Seth
Other recipes:
Chicken curry Butter chicken
Chicken korma Chicken frankie (wrap)
Chicken tandoori Chicken kebabs
Chicken stir fry Chicken shammi kebabs
Chicken curry Butter chicken
Chicken korma Chicken frankie (wrap)
Chicken tandoori Chicken kebabs
Chicken stir fry Chicken shammi kebabs
