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Tandoori Chicken (Weissman style)

Joshua Weissman published a tandoori chicken meal recipe; in the video he showed-off the tandoor that he purchased for the occasion. I do not have a tandoor, but I do have gas and charcoal grills...

ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cup whole milk Greek-style yogurt
  • 1 tbsp powdered ginger
  • 2 large cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp coriander seed (ground)
  • 4 cloves (ground)
  • 1 ½ tsp cumin seed (ground)
  • ½ tsp black pepper (ground)
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika
  • 1 ½ tbsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp red food color (optional)
  • 6 to 8 chicken thighs OR 4 chicken leg quarters OR 10 to 12 chicken drumsticks, skinned and trimmed of excess fat
  1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl. Mix well to fully incorporate all spices (and food color if using).
  2. Reserve ½ c of the marinade for basting during grilling. Add the chicken to the rest of the marinade and coat all pieces well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least over night.
  3. Transfer the chicken and marinate to a vacuum seal bag.
  4. Setup the sous vide bath for 157 °F. When ready, submerge the vaccum-sealed chicken and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours.
  5. Remove the vacuum-sealed chicken from the bath and cool for 15 to 30 minutes while prepping the grill for dual zone cooking: a high indirect heat zone and a low-heat zone for the chicken.
  6. Remove the chicken from the vacuum bag. Reserve the liquid and make a simple gravy if you so desire.
  7. Place the chicken on the low-heat zone of the grill. Brush the exposed surface with a small amount of the reserve marinade.
  8. Every few minutes flip the chicken pieces and brush the now-exposed side with a small amount of the reserve marinade. The marinade should form a crust on both sides, but always flip the chicken before it can burn.
  9. After several such flips, check the temperature near the bone. At 167 °F to 170 °F, the chicken is done. It's best not to remove from the grill if you've brushed wet marinade on the meat: plan ahead so the crust will be dried and browned on all sides when the meat is removed from the grill.

This went well with basmati rice and some fresh naan bread.

To turn the sous vide broth into a gravy:

  1. Allow the broth to cool and skim the fat off the top. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer to remove spices and chunks of yogurt. Add water or chicken stock to yield at least 1 c of broth.
  2. Saute 1 cup of finely diced onion in 1 tbsp butter until softened. Add the strained broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Add 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, then with pureé the mixture until smooth.
  4. Add salt and additional chopped cilantro to taste.

Written by Jeff Frey on Saturday June 24, 2023
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