Easy Tandoori Chicken

The traditional way to cook this Indian dish is to marinate in Yogurt, lime/lemon juice, plenty of tandoori spices and then grill it a special cylindrical clay oven called "tandoor". But it can also be made using conventional oven or a grill.The distinctive reddish-orange color in genuine tandoori coloring comes from the ground annatto seed, paprika, cayenne and saffron.More often than not, I rely on the ready-made "Shan" brand of Tandoori Chicken BBQ Mix packet to skip certain steps in making this wonderful chicken dish.

Ingredients:

• 20 Chicken Drumsticks, skinned
• 1 pack Shan Tandoori Chicken BBQ mix (BTW, I've tried many brands but this is my favorite and has all the tandoori spices)
• 1 lime or lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup thick yogurt
• 1/3 cup butter or olive oil, warmed
• 1 tsp cracked pepper

Tools:

• 1 nonreactive bowl for mixing the marination
• 2 ziploc freezer bags for marination
• 1 Large roasting pan
• 1 Large Grilling Rack, optional

For Garnishing: Optional

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 10 lemon/lime wedges

Procedure:

• Make a couple of deep slits over the drumstick to help the marination penetrate and place them in freezer bags.
• Mix the yogurt, tandoori mix, lime juice, cracked pepper and warmed butter/oil in a nonreactive bowl,pour it into the bags and let the chicken marinate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Squeeze excess marination out of the chicken and place them on a rack in a pan and cook for 30-35mins.
• Turn the chicken midway for even cooking. If not using rack, dispose the excess shedding fat/juice to ensure a crispy finish.
• Serve alone or on a bed of onion,cucumber, tomato with lemon wedges on the side.

Makes 10 Servings.

Enjoy!