Baked "Tandoori Chicken" From Scratch

Day2 of BM#10:  I wish all my American Readers a very "Happy Thanksgiving". Sorry no Turkey at my Thanksgiving table. What?? No Turkey??Well,  I am following our President Obama's steps. I have pardoned the turkey at my Thanksgiving table. He He.But no worries.. I have my version of this ever-popular chicken recipe up and available just for you all. Actually this was meant to go on the last day of this marathon but since its Thanksgiving and all, I had to post a "bird recipe". See my dedication?? :-)

Obama pardons the Thanksgiving Turkey(s) "Liberty" and "Peace". This is so funny...you got to watch this-

Way2 for maintaining a healthy level of insanity:  Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something (at work), Ask If They Want Fries with that. **LoL**
Coming to the recipe, this is the first time((Well, it did take a couple more times to perfect the recipe)) I have tried it from scratch and ended up with a successful recipe. I was/am a big fan of Shaan Tandoori mix and Tandoori Chicken recipe made with this mix is quite delicious. So I never veered out of that comfort zone till my MIL persuaded me to give it a shot. So here it is:

Ingredients(For 5 Servings, 2/Person):

• 10 Chicken Drumsticks
• 2 Tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter, for basting

For the (Wet)Rub:

• 1-1/4 Tsp "Kashmiri" Pure Red Chili Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Paprika Powder
• 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 Tsp Salt

For the Marinade:

• 1/2 Cup Thick Yogurt
• 1 Tbsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
• 2 Tsp "Kashmiri" Pure Red Chili Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Fine-ground Black Pepper Powder
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala Powder
• 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder
• 6 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1-1/4 Tsp or less/more Salt
• Red Color, Optional ( I skipped it)

For the Garnish:

• Red Onion slices
• Lemon wedges/slices

Procedure:

• Make a thick paste with all the ingredients for the rub.

• Skin the chicken. Clean and pat dry with paper towels.

• Put shallow or deep slits on the chicken. Deep or shallow is just a personal preference. Smear the rub over and in-between the slits in the chicken.Add it to a wide shallow bowl.

• In a small bowl add the Yogurt and whisk it. Add all the other ingredients for the marinade into the bowl.

• Whisk it smooth. Check for taste. You may add more salt or chili powder if you wish.

• Pour the marinade over the chicken.

• Mix well to coat the chicken.

• Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and refrigerate the drumsticks overnight.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a grill rack and add the drumsticks with even spacing between them.

• Bake the chicken for 30 minutes. Once every 15 minutes or so baste the chicken with ghee.

• 30 minutes later, flip the chicken. Baste with Ghee. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 15 minutes or so.

• Let the drumsticks rest for 10 minutes before serving it with onion and lemon slices.

Note:

• Don't go swoony after seeing the amount of "Kashmiri" chili powder that went into the recipe. This chili powder is much much milder than the regular one.Even adding this much yields a "mildly spicy"chicken It is available at all Indian stores. The beauty of it is that it imparts that distinctive reddish-orange hue to the chicken without the addition of the red food coloring.

Enjoy!