Whole Oven-Roasted Tandoori Chicken
Marinated in a vibrant blend of yogurt, aromatic spices, and herbs, this spatchcocked Whole Roasted Tandoori Chicken is a bold and flavorful main dish to impress your guests. It's roasted and broiled to crispy, charred perfection in an oven that mimics using a tandoor.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 258kcal
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs) spatchcocked
Dry Brine
- ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
Second Marinade
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt or dahi
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1.5 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 drops red food coloring (optional)
- red onion, lemon slices, and chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Start with spatchcocking, or butterfly, your chicken. You can ask your butcher to spatchcock it for you. Otherwise, flip the chicken over to it's back. With a sharp pair of kitchen shears, cut out the backbone of the chicken. Flip it over again. Press down on the breast plate to crack it so that it lays flat.
- Remove the skin from the entirety of the chicken, except the wings. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Use a chef's knife to cut three deep gashes on each thigh and each breast.
- For the Dry Brine, rub a halved lemon all over the chicken. Then, rub the salt and kashmiri chili powder all over the chicken. Refrigerate the chicken for at least an hour to let the chicken's surface dry out and absorb the dry brine. If you’re low on time, you can skip the refrigeration portion.
- In a large mixing bowl that can fit the chicken, mix together the wet marinade - the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, coriander, garam masala, cumin, kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, cardamom, kasuri methi, and vegetable oil.(Optional) Add 2-3 drops of red food coloring for a vibrant red chicken.
- Pull on a pair of kitchen gloves. Transfer the chicken to the mixing bowl and massage the marinade all over the chicken. Cover and place in the fridge for 8 hours, ideally for 24 hours for the best flavor. 1 hour is the absolute minimum for marinating.
- After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil, and place the rack on top. Spray or brush the rack with oil. Place the chicken on the rack, tucking the wings underneath the chicken.
- Transfer the spatchcocked chicken to the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the chicken from the oven and brush it with the remaining marinade. Return the chicken to the oven and continue roasting for another 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken, or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F. Larger chickens may require additional cooking time, so use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. *See Notes
- Turn the broiler on high and broil the chicken for 5 minutes to char it. Remove the chicken from the oven.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving into it.
- Serve the chicken with raita, saffron rice, cilantro-mint chutney, raw red onion, cilantro, and lemon wedges.
Notes
* Refer to FoodSafety.gov's roasting charts for guidelines on cooking roast chicken.
