Tandoori Chicken: A Delectable Flavor


Cooking is a combination of art and science, and when you have the right blend of these, then what you get is a dish that is savored and loved by all. Appetizers form an integral part of a meal. They are the dish that kick start the feasting ceremony. When we talk about a different kind of appetizer, then Tandoori Chicken is something with which every non-veg lover would correlate. This delectable, mouth-watering dish is a dry dish that is prepared by marinating the chicken and then roasting it. The dish has gained popularity in not only in India, but also across Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Singapore.

tandoori chicken recipe

Tandoori Chicken Recipe
 

Evolution of tandoori chicken:

Well, the roots of this lip-smacking dish take us back to 2500-2600 BC. There is a popular belief that the dish originated in Punjab and was introduced by Kundan Lal Gujral, who after partition migrated to Delhi and there he started his restaurant, Moti Mahal in Daryaganj. This restaurant is the oldest one and is known to popularize various dishes like Tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and dal makhani.

Key ingredients of tandoori chicken:

If you want to try your hands on the tandoori chicken recipe, then you must know that marination plays a key role in making this dish so mouth-watering. The marinade is usually made up of curd along with spices. You can also find ready-made tandoori chicken spices in the market. All you need to do is mix this with curd and marinate the chicken. It's important that you must marinade for at least 4-5 hours before final preparation. This allows the flavor of the spices to imbibe in the chicken and give it the desired flavor.

Although tandoor is important for cooking tandoori chicken, it is not necessary. Even if you don’t have a tandoor, you can cook it in a grilled pan or in the oven. Nowadays ovens have the provision of griller which will help you give the tandoori chicken the flavor and taste of tandoor.
 
Nutritional value breakdown of tandoori chicken:

With careful preparation of tandoori chicken recipe, you can cut down the calorie count, but when it comes to the generic nutrient value of this dish, then it accounts for :

  • Total calories: 220
  • Fat: 11.84 grams
  • Protein: 23. 36 grams
  • Carbohydrate: 4.4 grams 

Some variations in tandoori chicken recipe :
 
Well, Indians are known to experiment with food, and tandoori chicken also has some variations. Although the conventional form is the most popular one, we have the following variations as well:

1. It is also used to prepare cream-based curries, like butter chicken
2. In Bengal, you can find tandoori chicken made from rooyi posto
 
The tandoori chicken got its popularity from Moti Mahal restaurant where this dish was served to Late Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. From then onwards, there has been no looking back for this dish, and it has become a popular dish in the menu of every non-veg eatery.