Tandoori Chicken
Chicken Tandoori - Keto Style
Tandoori chicken is flavorful and spicy at the same time, encompassing a big chunk of Indian non-vegetarian cooking. There are few restaurants that serve this kind of chicken cooked the traditional way, but those that do have perfected the art of the perfectly spiced and juicy chicken.
Traditionally chicken is marinated in a mixture of yoghurt and spices for hours; the acidity in the yoghurt helps break down the connective tissues in the chicken, but also permeates the meat with the savory heat that spices bring about. The chicken is then roasted inside an oven made out of clay (tandoor) and that is what brings about the name. Our keto version uses sour cream in place of the yoghurt and is cooked on a charcoal grill (ironically the lid of that grill is also made of clay). A regular gas grill or even the oven will work just fine, it will just miss the smokiness of the coal, but it will still be really tasty.
We prefer using bone-in chicken for this recipe; chicken on the bone tends to stay tender and juicy more than the one off the bone, but boneless chicken will work as well, you just need to modify the cooking time. It is very important to skin the drumsticks and the thighs; the skin will not get crispy after being soaked in the cream.
Ingredients
- About 500 g bone-in chicken (we recommend whole leg quarters for this)
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- ½ package of tandoori masala (readily available at a grocery store or Indian store). If you cannot find it, it is very easy to make your own.
- 4 tsp chopped ginger
- 4 tsp chopped garlic
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Skin the chicken and remove the excess fat.
- Cut deep slits into the meat so that marinade can penetrate the meat nicely.
- Mix the sour cream with a bit of water and mix until all pasty. Add the spices and marinate the chicken for at least 6 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Set the grill to about 450 deg Fahrenheit. We prefer a charcoal grill (kamado joe/big green egg). Use the lump charcoal for best flavors.
- Grill until cooked through.
- Serve with a sour cream raita and a side salad.
