Tandoori Murgh

Name: Tandoori Murgh
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons Cabot Unsalted Butter, to make 5 to 6 tablespoons of Ghee; 1 whole frying chicken (3 to 4 pounds) cut up or 3 ½ lbs. chicken breast halves, skin on; 2 teaspoons coriander seeds or 2 teaspoons of coriander powder; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1 teaspoon of cumin powder; 1 inch piece of ginger root, roughly chopped or ½ teaspoon of ginger powder; 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1 small onion, roughly chopped; 1 cup Cabot Plain Greek Yogurt; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 teaspoons garam masala; 1 teaspoon paprika

Servings

4 to 6

Tandoori murgh is one of Northern India’s most popular dishes, and for good reason. The yogurt-marinated chicken is cooked over hot coals in a special clay oven called a tandoor. Traditionally, whole chickens are used, but this recipe also works well with thighs, boneless breasts, or drumsticks. While the delicious smoky flavor from the tandoor is hard to beat, you can also get great results using your home oven or grill. Chicken is the most popular Tandoori recipe, but you can also use lamb, beef, seafood, fish, or vegetables. The rich, creamy flavor of Cabot Plain Greek Yogurt makes it the perfect marinade for this dish, and Cabot Unsalted Butter makes for a very special ghee. Make this dish and then share the recipe with friends and family on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Before beginning, note that you will need to do a bit of planning ahead, as this recipe requires overnight marinating. When you’re all set, you’ll start by making the ghee, as directed in the recipe instructions below. Then, dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel and arrange in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Set aside while making the yogurt masala marinade per recipe directions. Once marinade is made, spread it evenly over the chicken pieces with a rubber spatula, cover, and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400°F (if grilling outdoors, see specific instructions at end of recipe below). Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a wire rack in a baking pan and coat the chicken with all but 2 tablespoons of the ghee. Follow the rest of the cooking instructions listed in the directions below.

If you’re looking for a savory dish made with yogurt and pork , you’ll want to check out this Yogurt Marinated Slow Roasted Pork in Coconut Curry. As a cooperative of New York and New England farm families, our goal is to make the highest quality and best tasting dairy products you’ll find. We’d love for you to rate and review this tandoori murgh recipe once you’ve made it!

Ingredients

8 tablespoons Cabot Unsalted Butter, to make 5 to 6 tablespoons of Ghee
1 whole frying chicken (3 to 4 pounds) cut up or 3 ½ lbs. chicken breast halves, skin on
2 teaspoons coriander seeds or 2 teaspoons of coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 inch piece of ginger root, roughly chopped or ½ teaspoon of ginger powder
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 cup Cabot Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika

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Directions

To make the Ghee:

MELT 8 tablespoons, or 1 stick, of Cabot Unsalted Butter in a saucepan over low heat, being careful not to let it brown at any point in time.
INCREASE the heat to high and bring to a boil. When the surface is covered with foam, stir immediately and reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes without stirring. When the butter on top is nice and clear pour the ghee into a bowl through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. The idea is that the ghee must be totally clear and contain no milk solids. Ghee can be kept in a jar and sealed in the refrigerator for months.

To make the Chicken:

DRY the chicken pieces with a paper towel and arrange in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Set aside while making the marinade.
HEAT a small frying pan over low heat and toast the coriander and cumin seeds for a minute or so. Be sure and shake the pan constantly when toasting the seeds to avoid scorching.
DROP the seeds into the jar of an electric blender, add all of the remaining marinade ingredients and blend until the mixture is reduced to a smooth paste. If you don’t have a food processor or blender you can use coriander powder and cumin powder and just cut the ginger, garlic and onion very fine. The idea is to make the marinade as much like a smooth paste as possible.
SPREAD the yogurt masala marinade evenly over the chicken pieces with a rubber spatula, cover, refrigerate and let marinate overnight.
PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. *See below for instructions on grilling outdoors. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a wire rack in a baking pan and coat the chicken with all but 2 tablespoons of the ghee.
ROAST in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for another hour or until the chicken is done. Before removing the chicken from the oven, baste it with the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee.
LEAVE rack in the center of the oven, set the oven broiler on high for another 5 minutes to brown and crisp the edges of the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*FOR GRILLING with a charcoal grill:

PLACE the charcoal on one side of the grill and leave one side as the “cold” side. If using a gas grill, heat only one side, if possible. If not, keep the heat on low.
COOK the chicken for about an hour turning every 15 minutes or so.