Spring's here in full force and with it, so is outdoor cooking season 😍
We've been working on a few recipes perfect for cooking over fire, and this is the first - and it's an absolute worldie!
Beautifully charred tandoori chicken, delicious caramelised fire-roasted veg, and some delightful sauces to serve.
20 minutes prep time, up to 60 minutes cooking time. Serves 8.
Ingredients
Tandoori Chicken
8 chicken legs
6 tbsp natural yoghurt
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp onion powder or granules
2 tsp garlic powder or granules
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp cold pressed british rapeseed oil
Roasted Vegetables
4 large red onions
8 large red peppers
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Salt & pepper
Pickled Red Onion
100g boiling water
100g red wine vinegar
75g sugar
1 red onion
½ tsp cumin seeds (optional)
Coriander Chutney
Bunch fresh coriander
Bunch fresh mint, leaves picked
2 x thumb sized pieces fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
5-6 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 green chillies
Salt & pepper
Raita
12 tbsp natural yoghurt
Medium cucumber
3 tsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Juice of a lemon
Salt & pepper
Garnish
Fresh coriander leaves
Fresh chilli, thinly sliced
Juice of ½ a lemon
Method
To make the tandoori marinade, mix the yoghurt with all of the dry spices, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice into the flesh of the chicken legs, allowing the marinade to penetrate further and to speed up cooking. Generously cover the chicken in the marinade and rub over all sides, including the cavity/underside of the chicken. Place the chicken in a suitable sized bowl or roasting tray, cover and leave to marinate - overnight if you have time, otherwise for as long as you have.
To make the pickled red onion, peel and thinly slice the red onion, mix the water, red wine vinegar, sugar and optional cumin seeds together until the sugar has dissolved. Add the sliced red onion and leave to pickle for at least 30 minutes - you can make these in advance, just store them in the fridge making sure to use a sterilised container.
When you’re ready to cook, light the grill. You’re looking to cook over wood embers rather than an open flame, so once you have enough embers and a reliable, consistent heat coming from your fuel, place the chicken flesh side down over the hottest part of the coals to start to sear and colour the chicken. You might need to top up your wood embers, so keep a fire running to the side or in your ember maker.
Once the chicken has your desired level of char, turn the chicken and cook bone side down for 5-10 minutes to colour the underside.
Next, move the chicken to a slightly lower heat zone either by raising your grill or moving to an area of the grill with less coals, turning and cooking on the flesh side again. Continue to cook, turning regularly, until the thickest part of the chicken leg reaches a core temperature of 74°C, resulting in fall-off-the-bone chicken that’s still moist & juicy.
If you find yourself struggling to achieve an even cook, you can use a cloche to cover the chicken or create a “lid” using some tin foil.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the vegetables.
Slice the onion into eighths and peel. Deseed the peppers and cut into large chunks, a similar size to your onion pieces. Brush or toss the vegetables in some rapeseed oil and season with salt & pepper, and grill over high heat until you have your desired level of char. As this stage, move them to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking and keep warm.
When the chicken is cooked, spread the cooked vegetables across the serving dish of your choice. Top with the cooked chicken, loosely cover with foil and leave to rest for 10-20 minutes.
During the resting time, you can make the sauces and garnishes – but you can also make these ahead if you prefer.
To make the raita, deseed and finely chop the cucumber into 5-10mm pieces. Mix with the yoghurt, finely shredded mint, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
To make the coriander chutney, place all the ingredients into a food processor or use a jug and stick blender. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, lemon juice and sugar - it should be fresh and zingy, and you can make this as hot as you like by adding more chilli.
When you’re ready to serve, remove the foil, dollop/drizzle liberally with the raita and coriander chutney followed by the strained pickled red onions, fresh sliced chilli, fresh coriander leaves and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Serve in the middle of the table and allow your guests to help themselves and dig in. We usually serve this with crispy smashed new potatoes and a salad, but it works equally well with flatbreads!
***To take this recipe to the next level, cook the onions and peppers "dirty" style, right in the coals. Leaving the skin on, place the onions in the fire, turning regularly until they are soft. Peel the outer layers off and use the sweet and smoky flesh inside. Char your peppers whole, brush off the worst of the burnt bits, and chop the flesh into large chunks.***
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